“Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” — Winston Churchill

Today, the remaining states finalize their intra-party choices for the Presidential candidacy. We Floridians do not vote today, so there’s probably not a lot that this message could do, but I think I should say it loudly because I’m unusually happy with what I have to say:

If B. Obama is an option on my ballot in November, then I’m voting for him.

I’m usually sick at the idea of making a choice for the high office. No one is good enough. I’ve tried voting for the principled underdog. I’ve tried voting against the evil popular bastard. I’ve cursed the polling ruleset that forced terrible choices upon me.

Finally, with Barack Obama, I’m happy with someone who also happens to be popular.

I’m sad that it took a backlash against jingos to get here. I’m sad that it took weariness of two counterproductive wars to waken us. I’m sad that it took scrapping parts of our fundamental founding documents, like habeas corpus and the first and fourth Amendments. I’m sad that, to frighten us, it took crippling our economy and borrowing many trillions of dollars of money that we can’t pay back in our lifetime. I’m sad that it took looking like gullable morons to the rest of the world for years to embarrass us enough. And more. Much more. I’m sad that we had to burn ourselves on the stove again and again and again and again in order to learn not to touch it. (Though some still haven’t learned. Some never learn.) I’m so sad about the cost we had to pay to finally come to push someone worthwhile onto the stage.

The watchword of this election is “change.” Every candidate claims to want change. (Even if some want the change to be to hold their hands on the stove even longer next time.) I’m weary of the corrupt and the idiotic. I want someone who is moral and smart with whom I may not always agree, over the legion of corrupt puppets who know how to polarize the electorate. The only credible agent of change for the better that I can see is Barack Obama.

Decide for yourself. See:

Obama’s 2004 DNC keynote speech. Part one. Part two.

My hero, L Lessig, details why Obama is his choice and recommendation.

A music video that plays to our emotions more than to intellect, but is still pretty good.

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Old post: 2008 US Presidency Outlook .

05 Feb 2008, 16:00 #