Anybody who’s a regular reader of this web site (or a casual reader who looks to the upper left corner) shouldn’t have much doubt about who I’m supporting in tomorrow’s election. However, in order to set the record completely straight, I support Senator Barack Obama for President, and I think you should as well.

As for the why, I’m voting for Obama for several reasons. First, and most importantly, are that his stated policy positions and his existing record in government indicate that he’s the candidate more likely to point the ship of government in a direction I agree with. His stated domestic policy goals of expanding health care coverage to cover more Americans, reforming the federal position on education, including stressing math and science education and working to make college more affordable, working to create a more sustainable energy policy (reducing dependency on on petroleum in general, and developing sustainable green energy sources), and applying all these ideas toward improving our economy by creating jobs, keeping workers healthy, making them better able to support their families, and increasing the skills and abilities of the next generation of the American workforce; all point toward creating a better and more prosperous future for our nation.

In terms of foreign policy, his position is essentially one of being a good neighbor to the rest of the community of nations, something we haven’t been particularly good at for the last eight years or so. Taking the time to talk to other nations about finding solutions to problems we all share may not be as viscerally macho as issuing ultimatums and then charging in guns blazing, but frankly, it’s the more mature, reasonable way to act; and a commitment to being a good neighbor, and treating our allies, enemies, and the unaligned alike with a little respect (even if we fundamentally disagree – we’ll never be able to get to arrive at a solution if we don’t engage in dialogue on some level first) will go a long way toward rebuilding our nation’s reputation as leader in the world, with the world’s interests at heart as well as our own.

That, and he’ll get us out of this expensive, generally pointless foreign entanglement in the middle east in a responsible way within a reasonable time frame. He wasn’t responsible for getting us into the mess in Iraq, but he’s at least stated his intent to bring it to a reasonable, pragmatic end, which is more than I’m hearing from anyone else in a position to do something.

I’m also pretty sure that a President Barack Obama, whatever his personal opinions on the matter, isn’t going to be sticking the government’s nose into the relationships, bedrooms, uterii, or other personal areas it has no real business in.

I personally believe that the policy issues are of the greatest importance; Not everyone, however sadly, votes that way. Not that I suggest you place the sole weight of your decision on vague things like “personality”, but if you were to do so, one could make an excellent argument that Barack Obama is an intelligent and generally personable guy. He appears to be a good, loving husband and father, and from what I can see, has the best interests of America and Americans at heart. Based on these obeservations, I can infer that Senator Obama would use his intelligence (guided by solid critical thinking skills gleaned from a first class education) and compassion to make smart governmental decisions and generally do right by America.

The way Obama (and running mate Joe Biden) conducted his campaign also has a lot to say about what he’d bring to White House; the Obama campaign always seemed to be looking toward the future, inspiring countless Americans to take an interest in the political and governmental process, and to get involved to take ownership of the direction of the country. Sure, the guy’s got personal magnetism; there’s no denying that, but he used that charisma to bring people’s attention to ideas and sound policy. To abuse the catchphrase, he brought people Hope for a better future that they could help bring about.

The other guy’s campaign didn’t have the same spirit, and mostly seemed more about offering not hope, but fear; talking not of ideas, but of how scary and bad Barack Obama is. It only got worse when Palin joined the ticket; she’s got the charisma that McCain lacks, but she used it to point those to responded to it (not me; I find her folksiness and anti-intellectualism grating) toward hatefulness and fear, rather than anything productive. This merely reinforced the common observation that McCain supporters are not so much voting for John McCain, but rather against Barack Obama, and generally, their reasoning for voting for Barack Obama are based more on falsehoods and fear-mongering, and don’t really stand up to much scrutiny.

To wit; if you’re voting against Obama because because he doesn’t wish to outlaw abortion in all cases, please consider that Obama’s health care, economic, and educational plans will improve most people’s standards of living by spurring job creation, and provide mothers the means to get medical care and day care for their children, and provide people with useful and comprehensive information on pregnancy and birth control, all of which will reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies, and make it much more likely that a woman who finds herself pregnant (planned or unplanned) will be better equipped to care for a child and thus, be more able to confidently make the choice to take the pregnancy to term. This, in the end, will more than likely reduce significantly the number of abortions performed in this country. That’s what the anti-abortion movement’s really after, isn’t it? Isn’t It???

If you’re voting against Obama because you got an email saying he was a secret Muslim terrorist who’d institute sharia law in America because his crazy anti-American pastor made him that way, first, think about how much that statement doesn’t make sense from a logical standpoint. Second, kindly click here and have your misconceptions corrected (the truth is that Obama is a Christian, and his world view is informed by Christian social justice ideals), and third, please recognize that there’s nothing at all wrong or immoral with Islam in general, it’s just a few fringe extremists who give the religion a bad name (the same statement is easily applied to Christianity as well); and that the last time I checked, while faith clearly influences someone’s choices, the Constitution specifically prohibits religious tests for public office (that churning sound at Monticello? That’s Thomas Jefferson rolling in his grave).

Finally, if you, like most Americans, actually agree with the values Obama actually espouses, but can’t bring yourself to vote for him because he’s…gasp…black, kindly get over your racism; it just isn’t cool, and it’s really rather unbecoming. This country’s made up of all different kinds of people, and always has been; get used to this fact, lose your prejudice, and move on, thank you very much.

Well, that’s my piece; I think the country’s got the makings of a very good chief executive in Barack Obama, and I encourage any American within sight of this web page to do their part (i.e. their civic duty to vote) to put him in the oval office at the polls tomorrow.

Oh, and if you happen to be in California, vote no on prop 8, and if you’re in Florida, vote no on prop 2. Both of these ballot initiatives, besides being openly homophobic and discriminatory, are generally bad ideas which seek to take rights away from normal, law-abiding Americans, which is never a good idea (again, you know what that sound at Monticello is).