"This election is about the past vs. the future. It's about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today or whether we reach for a politics of common sense and innovation, a politics of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity." Barack Obama 1/29/08
Yesterday, as I was running on the treadmill, I listened to a podcast of Sunday's Meet The Press. If I had just awakened from a coma and turned on the tube I would have thought that the biggest threat to our country is earmark spending. Now I am not crazy about earmarks but it is not even close to what most people care about this election. I think John McCain has lost a lot of support for his campaign because he lacks a coherent and inspiring message. The only people who seem excited about McCain are the folks who are voting against Obama. I do not hear any passion for McCain's ideas or vision. We need a President with an inspiring vision and authentic ideas.
Throughout my adult life we have been a nation divided by wedge issues. We have been distracted by resentment about Vietnam, abortion, civil rights and taxes. Politicians have exploited these issues and the country has failed to address authentically important problems. Obama has inspired many smart conservatives who are fed up with the Republican Party and have found a Democrat they trust to listen, learn and lead.
Here is a portion of a long list of people who could turn Ronald Reagan's phrase around just a bit to say: "I did not leave the the Republican Party. It left me."
Colin Powell
Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld who was a public supporter of Mitt Romney. In a statement, Weld called Obama a “once-in-a-lifetime candidate who will transform our politics and restore America’s standing in the world.”
Former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson endorsed Obama. He said, “I think we have in Barack Obama the clear possibility of a truly great president,” he said. “I would contend that it’s the most important election of my lifetime.”
Ken Adelman, a prominent conservative on foreign policy matters announced his support for Obama. He called McCain “impetuous, inconsistent, and imprudent; ending up just plain weird” in his handling of the U.S. economic crisis. He also said, “Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office—I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency.”
Charles Fried, a Harvard Law professor and former Solicitor General in the Reagan administration is supporting Obama. He stated he could not support McCain in large part because of his selection of Palin as his running mate.
Christopher Buckley, son of William F Buckley
David Friedman, son of Milton and Rose Friedman.
My favorite: Andrew Sullivan- read what he wrote in "Goodbye To All That- Why Obama Matters",
Many patriotic conservatives believe Barack Obama can bridge the gap of the 40 year old culture war and bring people with diverse points of view together. We must address and resolve critical issues like the war in Iraq, our credibility in the world, our relationships in the Middle East, the credit crunch, the deficit, health care, social security, challenges of energy and climate. Progress will not be smooth and as Obama says, "mistakes will be made" but I am voting for Obama because he is the first person to say, "we are not as divided as our politics suggest."
Thursday, October 30, 2008
#25 Faith and Family
Barack Obama walks the walk of his talk on faith and family. He is a faithful husband with a strong wife. It always amazes me how McCain supporters revile Senator Obama. They speak of fearing him and accuse him of not being a "real Christian" yet their own candidate left the woman who was faithful to him during the years of his imprisonment. He abandoned her after she was disfigured in a car accident for his current wife who has funded his many campaigns. His own leadership of his family was so weak that he did not notice his wife was addicted to pain killers and stealing drugs from her own charity. Imagine how the Obama family would be treated if Barak was in his second marriage, had left a faithful and wounded wife for Michelle and if Michelle had been a drug addict who admitted stealing drugs.
But I have devoted too much space in this post to the reasons I think the McCain supporters are hypocrites in the area of faith and family values. There are so many authentically positive things to say about Barak Obama. He has a deep understanding of what it means to be a fatherless boy and young man who was seen as "too white" by some African-Americans and black by most of the white community. He is not afraid to address the tough subject of fatherless children to African-American audiences and he admits his own failures. Here is a link to his Fathers Day speech this past June.
Throughout his life he has had high expectations for himself and he holds his own children to high standards.His life experiences have given him the wisdom and empathy to be a remarkable leader in a country that needs racial healing and support for families. Throughout his life he has had high expectations for himself and he holds his own children to high standards.
In August the Obama family took a vacation in Hawaii and we saw several newspaper photos of the senator and his daughters walking along Kailua Beach. Our family has enjoyed a small cottage at Kailua Beach and I have enjoyed many walks with my own children along those peaceful shores not often discovered by tourists. The picture brought tears to my eyes and it reminded me of how important this election is to me. I think the outcome is critical for the future of my children. Here is a long quote from Obama Father's Days 08 speech. It expresses my hopes for my own children:
"But now, my life revolves around my two little girls. And what I think about is what kind of world I'm leaving them. Are they living in a county where there's a huge gap between a few who are wealthy and a whole bunch of people who are struggling every day? Are they living in a county that is still divided by race? A country where, because they're girls, they don't have as much opportunity as boys do? Are they living in a country where we are hated around the world because we don't cooperate effectively with other nations? Are they living a world that is in grave danger because of what we've done to its climate?
And what I've realized is that life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children - all of our children - a better world. Even if it's difficult. Even if the work seems great. Even if we don't get very far in our lifetime.
That is our ultimate responsibility as fathers and parents. We try. We hope. We do what we can to build our house upon the sturdiest rock. And when the winds come, and the rains fall, and they beat upon that house, we keep faith that our Father will be there to guide us, and watch over us, and protect us, and lead His children through the darkest of storms into light of a better day. That is my prayer for all of us on this Father's Day, and that is my hope for this country in the years ahead. May God Bless you and your children. Thank you."
But I have devoted too much space in this post to the reasons I think the McCain supporters are hypocrites in the area of faith and family values. There are so many authentically positive things to say about Barak Obama. He has a deep understanding of what it means to be a fatherless boy and young man who was seen as "too white" by some African-Americans and black by most of the white community. He is not afraid to address the tough subject of fatherless children to African-American audiences and he admits his own failures. Here is a link to his Fathers Day speech this past June.
Throughout his life he has had high expectations for himself and he holds his own children to high standards.His life experiences have given him the wisdom and empathy to be a remarkable leader in a country that needs racial healing and support for families. Throughout his life he has had high expectations for himself and he holds his own children to high standards.
In August the Obama family took a vacation in Hawaii and we saw several newspaper photos of the senator and his daughters walking along Kailua Beach. Our family has enjoyed a small cottage at Kailua Beach and I have enjoyed many walks with my own children along those peaceful shores not often discovered by tourists. The picture brought tears to my eyes and it reminded me of how important this election is to me. I think the outcome is critical for the future of my children. Here is a long quote from Obama Father's Days 08 speech. It expresses my hopes for my own children:
"But now, my life revolves around my two little girls. And what I think about is what kind of world I'm leaving them. Are they living in a county where there's a huge gap between a few who are wealthy and a whole bunch of people who are struggling every day? Are they living in a county that is still divided by race? A country where, because they're girls, they don't have as much opportunity as boys do? Are they living in a country where we are hated around the world because we don't cooperate effectively with other nations? Are they living a world that is in grave danger because of what we've done to its climate?
And what I've realized is that life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children - all of our children - a better world. Even if it's difficult. Even if the work seems great. Even if we don't get very far in our lifetime.
That is our ultimate responsibility as fathers and parents. We try. We hope. We do what we can to build our house upon the sturdiest rock. And when the winds come, and the rains fall, and they beat upon that house, we keep faith that our Father will be there to guide us, and watch over us, and protect us, and lead His children through the darkest of storms into light of a better day. That is my prayer for all of us on this Father's Day, and that is my hope for this country in the years ahead. May God Bless you and your children. Thank you."
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