My Vote

I cast my vote yesterday. Well, I mailed it, but it's a done deal! I love politics. I hate politics. They're so fascinating while being incredibly frustrating. I admit that I love election season and really look forward to it, especially presidential elections. Almost as much as I love college football. I watched almost all the debates during the primaries and general election. I watched both conventions (as much as I could stomach of the DNC anyway). I'll even admit that I yell at the tv during reports, debates, and speeches almost as much as I do during a football game. I seem to do a lot more laughing though, especially when Obama and Biden open their mouths. Joe Biden is absolutely hilarious. My favorite section of any newspaper is the op-ed and I read the opinions from all points of view. Yes, I know I'm NERD, but a proud patriotic one! Anyway, I'd describe myself as a Conservative who generally votes Republican. I have a few Libertarian leanings as well. I know I'm very opinionated about my political views and I enjoy debating them with those who think differently.


I'm voting for McCain-Palin for the same reasons I voted for Bush, national security and Supreme Court nominees. Those are the 2 most important issues to me for any presidential nominee. All the rest of the programs and platforms they promise and campaign for have so much more to do with Congress and what a President can actually get done there (I shudder to think about the further havoc that would be wreaked by a Democrat Congress and President). The courts have incredible power today. Unfortunately, "laws" that would never be passed if put to a public or even congressional vote, are issued from judicial benches all the time. Even when a law is passed, like it was in California by a majority of the people to uphold marriage between a man and woman, judges overturn it and write new law. I want strict constructionists in the court system and I think McCain is the best one to get them there.


I think history will be more appreciative of President Bush then the media and his opponents would have us believe. He has strengthened our military, fought our enemies, and I think he's been incredibly successful in keeping this nation much safer since 9/11/01. He has put the right kind of judges on the Supreme Court. That is generally the most lasting legacy a President has. I'm a big fan of John Roberts. My biggest complaint about Bush is that he's pandered to liberals too much and not been conservative enough.

Now, I've never been a fan of John McCain. He wasn't my pick in the Primaries. I feel like he became a media-whore after the 2000 Primaries. Being the maverick-darling of the liberal media for so long got him a bit off-course from conservative principles. I think those days are long gone and I like him better now for not trying so hard to keep in favor with the media. I trust McCain to be Commander-in-Chief and to continue fighting our enemies no matter how unpopular it would be. I also love that he selected a true conservative for his Vice-President.


I'm also voting against Barack Obama. I get that he's a charismatic speaker, but what has he actually done? His major accomplishments are writing not one, but two autobiographies and being elected to public office. As soon as he's elected, he's set his sights on the next higher office and is off campaigning rather than actually doing what he was elected to do. It is as plain as day that Obama is a socialist (see a fabulous article at http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/why_obamas_socialism_matters_1.html ). What makes me crazy is how few Americans seem to care or understand just how destructive socialism is in practice. Obama does his dead level best to disguise it, but it slips out. It slipped out when he said that it is a "right" for every American to have affordable healthcare. This coming from a constitutional law professor! It's been a while since I read the Constitution in its entirety but I'm certain affordable healthcare isn't mentioned anywhere. It's a privilege. Obama actually said that taxes should be higher on the wealthy to be fair and "spread the wealth around." That is as stark a socialist principle as I've ever heard. And that's just the tiny tip of the enormous iceberg of reasons not to vote for Obama.

The following is from my favorite political website, http://www.americanthinker.com/. And in the spirit of fairness, here are a long list of reasons another voter will be voting for Obama.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/10/why_im_voting_democrat.html
Why I'm voting Democrat

letter to the editor


I’m voting Democrat because like most Americans I trust lawyers more than anyone else; I think only lawyers should run the government, and all the Democrat Leaders are lawyers: Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, John Edwards, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Leader Harry Reid, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry, to name just a few. (Al Gore dropped out of Law School, so I don’t trust him as much, except on Global Warming.)

I’m voting Democrat because the Democrats support the trial lawyers and I think this country needs more lawsuits and less tort reform. And I don’t believe the trial lawyers’ contributions have a thing to do with it. I’m voting Democrat because Congress has done such a wonderful job under Democrat leadership the last two years, that I want a lot more of the same.

I’m voting Democrat because I want to get my health care from the same competent, efficient, cost-effective, customer-service-focused folks who run the US Post Office, the Pentagon, FEMA and the state Registry of Motor Vehicles.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.


I’m voting Democrat because Sen. Obama has promised to cut the taxes of 95% of the people, including the 30% who don’t pay taxes.

I’m voting Democrat because Sen. Obama has promised to take away the secret ballot in union elections, and I think the union bosses should know if a workingman or woman is with them, or against them.

I’m voting Democrat because Sen. Obama has over three years experience in the Federal Government, and “Hope” is a great strategy.

I’m voting Democrat because Sen. Obama voted “present” instead of “yes” or “no” over 120 times in the Illinois State Senate, and I think we need a decisive president.

I’m voting Democrat because I think that drilling for American oil is foolish, when we can buy oil from the Middle East. I’m voting Democrat because I think windmills (except off Hyannis) are a better answer to reliable, clean energy than Nuclear Energy.



I’m voting Democrat because I don’t think we give enough to other countries in foreign aid.

I’m voting Democrat because I’m for putting up barriers to free trade, as they did in 1930 with the Smoot-Hawley bill. That made things much better then.

I’m voting Democrat because I miss the high unemployment, inflation and interest rates of the Jimmy Carter years. I’m voting Democrat because parents shouldn’t get to choose the school their kids go to. Parents should leave their children’s education to the teachers and stay out of it.
I’m voting Democrat because I think this is the perfect time to raise the Capital Gains tax and drive investment money out of the stock market.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would, and I want to spread my wealth around to those who earn less—or nothing.

I'm voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I'm voting Democrat because, when we pull out of Iraq, I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about restoring partial birth abortions so long as we keep all death row murderers alive.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that small businesses should not be allowed to make a profit. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution to people who didn’t start businesses.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the law is what judges say it is, and not what legislators say -- or the constitution.

I’m voting Democrat because the media would call me a racist if I didn’t.
Robert A. HallDes Plaines, IL