Another Approved Election Message

Hello all!! As promised, I'll write a little more on the presidential candidates, and then I have a cute Christa story for the next post to be written sometime this week.

So, let me start by telling all of you how encouraged I am by the positive feedback from the last post. I do realize that those who don't agree with me as much aren't as likely to post, which is perfectly fine. But it is nice to have at least a few of you out there who see eye to eye with my points, so thanks for that!

As for Obama, it's certainly an exciting thing to watch. It's even neat to think about my children learning about the first black presidential candidate in their history classes years from now. I remember his breakout speech in the 04' elections, and I was mesmerized. Actually, the whole DNC that year was pretty exciting, but I remember being especially impressed and intrigued when he spoke. I was actually excited when he threw his name into the hat for this election. I thought, that based on his speech and his reputation for bringing the parties together to get things done at that time, that he might be a Zell Miller of sorts - Democratic in name for a while, but Republican at heart. (Note that I said Zell Miller and NOT Joe Lieberman, who still seems very Democratic in my opinion, so why he was mentioned for the Republican VP slot is still a mystery to me, but I'll just be thankful that didn't happen and move on).

Anyway, back to Obama. I think McCain's congratulatory add on the night of his acceptance speech was very classy, and I agree wholeheartedly. He is a fine speaker, and his historic accomplishment should be recognized. Beyond that, I don't want him anywhere near the Oval Office. Frankly, he scares me. Some things that concern me include the people he's chosen to closely surround himself with over the years (such as Jeremiah Wright who believes that America deserved what happened to us on 9/11 and Bill Ayers who bombed the Pentagon years ago), how he's voted in the Senate on key issues like abortion (he voted in favor of killing newborn abortion survivors), and the things he's talking about doing to the economy (such as increasing capital gains taxes on EVERYONE - homeowners and everyone with a retirement account - this directly affects YOU). What I'm hearing about this guy, and what is being reinforced by the speeches he and his wife are giving on their campaign trail is that he's a communist. Actually - worse than a communist. He wants total government control on as many details of our lives as he can get his hands on and is willing to destroy anyone who gets in the way of that. I'm even hearing that he wants America to be "punished" for being so wealthy while other countries are so poor and that he believes our country should be brought "down to size." (Intentionally keeping gas prices high by opposing domestic drilling and advocating "windfall profits taxes" on the oil companies are a good start in accomplishing this goal). Everything should be fair. Everything should be equal. The bum who refuses to get a job should have the same amount of money and resources as the brightest, strongest, hardest-working husband and father. One way he can try to increase government control in this way is to promise more and more "free" social programs such as welfare and health care to the "middle-class" while "sticking it to the rich" in taxes. If you're an Obama supporter, this is just what I'm hearing. When I listen to the Obamas speak with these ideas in mind, I hear a lot of it backed up with their own words.

As for McCain, I like him a lot better than I did. He infuriated me last year when he and Joe Lieberman co-authored the amnesty bill, as did President Bush who was willing to sign it. (Not that I think we need to heartlessly deport all of the Hispanic men, women, and children in this country, but there was much more to this bill than compassion - a lengthy topic for another day). At any rate, some of the policies he's voted for and/or authored, have not been my favorites. But, you've gotta hand it to the guy - he has character. His refusal to leave early when he was held captive as a POW in Vietnam because it wasn't his turn definitely tells me that he will do what he believes is right, even at great personal cost. I may or may not always agree with his policies, but I do believe his motives in everything he does are pure. He doesn't strike me as a power-hungry, corrupted politician who twists his words around to hide what he truly believes. He seems to be an honest guy who loves his country and wants to see everyone in it thrive and prosper. I see the opposite in Obama, which disappoints me, because he really did give an amazing speech 4 years ago. McCain is pro-life, and his voting record supports that statement, so that's another huge plus for me. McCain isn't quite as much fun to watch speak, but he answers questions with conviction and sincerity, and he takes a definite stand on issues. Google the transcript on the Saddleback Forum for proof on that. Every answer was swift and to the point - no beating around the bush because his answer might not be the one his audience was looking for.

As for the VPs, well, you know my feelings on Sarah Palin. She fascinates me right now, and I could write a whole post on just her. The day I found out she was the choice, I was actually disappointed that it wasn't Romney. I quickly decided she was better. I think that in any other situation, she wouldn't work. She IS young, and DOESN'T have much experience - only 2 years as governor of Alaska. A woman's never made it to the White House. The Republican presidential candidate wanted to win by getting independent and moderate votes - who could he possibly pick that would appease his Conservative base and still reach out to them? An incredibly unique set of circumstances was set up in this crazy election. And somehow, they found her - and she seems perfect for this specific situation. The biblical verse, "for such a time as this" keeps going through my head over and over when I think of her. Just that one line - not even the whole story of Esther. "For such a time as this." Her lack of experience works "for such a time as this" because the presidential candidate on the other side has even less. Her 2 years isn't much, but she's the only one out of all 4 candidates with any executive experience at all. The fact that she's a woman works perfectly "for such a time as this" because there are a LOT of angry Americans out there who are bitter that Hilary's not on the Democratic ticket. The fact that she is a mother of 5, one having Down Syndrome, might ordinarily be seen as a stumbling block. 5 children, as astutely noted by Kimberly in the last comment section, are a lot of work and require a lot of time from their mother. But "for such a time as this," I, along with many many other housewives and working women alike can see my best friend in her. Someone who will fight for the family values that seem to be trampled so frequently these days. I don't know if they'll win. I hope they do. But it certainly appears that her life and that of her family is being used in quite an interesting way right now.

Lastly, there's Joe Biden. I honestly don't know much about him. I've heard he's strong on foreign policy. I know that a family tragedy occurred early in his political career when his wife and 13 month old daughter were killed in a car accident. His two sons survived. I know that he tried to resign from being Senator so that he could be there for his sons, but others talked him into continuing with his political career, so he traveled back and forth so that he could do both. For that, he has my sympathy and admiration for coming through such a terrible situation. That's it - that's all I know about him. I didn't watch his speech, and haven't researched him. Nothing I could learn about him would sway my vote. But if you guys want to know more about him, I'll gladly find out and give you my thoughts. Again, just ask.

Well, I think this post is getting long, and I've covered all my high points. I attempted to be as unbiased as possible on all of these opinions. I'll resume regular blogging this week, so if these weren't your favorite topics, then bear with me just a few more days :)