Why I’m Voting for Obama – A Conservative Republican’s Tale of Change

Ok I know I covered most of this already, but I keep finding myself defending my position to family and friends. Most of my friends are die hard Republicans. An even greater number are extremely conservative, and lately I find myself more on the defensive than in agreement. As anyone who’s read this blog knows I’ve changed my decision on who I will vote for a few times, but I believe that I’ve reached my final decision. Come November 4th I will cast my vote for Barack Obama, and break with my party for the first time in 12 years.

In a campaign where “Change” is the key component, the core principal behind each candidate’s words and actions; what has caused so many voters to “Change” their party, or “Change” their vote? For me the answer is a multifaceted, complex answer based on hours of self examination, research, and prayer. I have quite a few disagreements with Obama’s stance on the issues but I still feel he’d make a better President than John McCain. This blog is more an answer for my friends and family, a place to organize my thoughts, and simply point them to the site to explain my decision. So I’ll start with the first issue that most of my friends start off with.

Question : How can a Christian conservative vote for a man who supports abortion?

Answer: As anyone who knows me, or has read my thoughts on the subject knows, I despise abortion. I find it equivalent to first degree murder, and feel that it should be outlawed. But my answer for this is actually a simple one. This is a topic that NEITHER party will EVER do anything about. Consider the fact that in the 35 years since Roe v. Wade a Republican has sat in the White House 20 of those years. Most will argue that the inability to repeal this is due to liberal judges on the Supreme Court, but I don’t feel this to be the case. I honestly think that both sides secretly like this issue where it is. It’s a dividing issue, it’s a clear cut for or against issue that brings in millions of votes for both parties. Yes ladies and gentlemen abortion is the last ditch hope of both parties. Republicans call on it to scare voters to vote Republican “John Doe voted to kill babies, do you want John Doe in office? He’s a baby killer.” Democrats use it to scare voters by saying “Vote for us or those Republicans will take away your God given right to choose. They’ll remove control over your own body and force their morality on you.” In truth the only thing that can outlaw abortions in this country is a change of heart by Americans everywhere. Americans will first have to understand that life, even simple life, is precious and should be preserved and kept safe. Until then Americans will continue to see abortion as a choice.

Questions: How can a fiscal conservative vote for a Democrat? His policies are just going to hurt the country. Obama just wants to spread the wealth I’ve worked so hard to build. Obama is going to spend more tax money than McCain, and take us into a deeper hole.

Answer: This is one where I agree with both sides. On the one hand you have Obama that states that people are suffering, and greed is rampant in big business. On the other hand you have McCain who believes that lower taxes are good for the economy and that as businesses do well their wealth will trickle down to the little guy.

This is actually a pretty old idea called Reaganomics, for those of you old enough to remember it. The concept worked once, and personally I believe the boom during the Clinton era was the result of Reagan’s trickle down theory. So if it worked once why not now? The 1980’s were a different time. Yes greed was prevalent back then too, but greed took a back seat to national pride during the cold war, not to mention that our economy was nowhere near as global as it is now. American companies have gotten used to the idea of exporting their work to other countries. Doing so helps raise profit margins, which attract investors, which allows companies to grow.

While I do believe that those who work hard should keep the fruit of their labor, I strongly feel that the trickle has been clogged by greed, and is no longer trickling but dripping down. American companies have all but closed the faucet when it comes to bringing work back to the country. No work means higher unemployment, which eventually leads to a slowing economy, and as seen recently recession. This in a nutshell is my reason for voting for Obama. McCain’s approach is to lower taxes across the board for corporations and allow companies to come back on their own. The problem, as I see it, is that they won’t come back because even with lower taxes, the American workforce is just too expensive for any smart business man to even consider.

For me Obama’s answer of giving tax breaks specifically to companies who bring work back to the US coupled with removing tax breaks for those who export work will give the right incentive to create more domestic jobs. Obama’s idea of investing in renewable energy and creating jobs in this area are a win-win for our country. Renewable energy jobs in the area of wind and solar means less reliance on foreign oil and lower unemployment.

Let’s face it McCain himself has said that he knows little to nothing about the economy. When compared to Obama’s plan, McCain’s plan for the economy will raise the national debt by $5 trillion dollars as opposed to Obama’s $3.5 trillion dollars. This is the same national debt that has gotten so high, that the billboard in New York designed to track it, required an additional number place. In effect McCain’s plan of sticking to previous methods is simply not enough to bring this country back to good. In fact I personally see it hurting us in the long run. Here’s a great article on the subject.

Questions: Why should I have to pay for someone else’s health benefits? Isn’t nationalized healthcare going to ruin the industry? Healthcare is a privilege not a right.

Answer: I’ve actually changed my view on this several times. Both sides make sense, and I’m floating somewhere in the middle right now. First I believe quality healthcare to be a right not a privilege. Everyone is entitled to the right to live, and in my eyes Americans would be exhibiting the utmost cruelty in allowing their fellow citizens to simply die because they don’t have the money to afford lifesaving care. As anyone who’s ever read this blog knows, I’m in favor of serious welfare reform, and I’d hate to see healthcare become as bad as the Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and welfare systems.

That being said, McCain’s plan does nothing to improve the situation. McCain’s plan to tax on one hand while crediting with the other is nothing short of asinine. This does nothing for the millions of Americans without healthcare, and based on several independent estimates, could actually ruin our current lousy system. While I don’t personally favor giving things away for free, I do have to concede that one way or another we the people will end up paying the price. If we do nothing, people will continue to walk out on their hospital bills, which will eventually raise prices, which are passed on to us. If we do nothing, people will continue to put off seeking treatment for minor problems, which can and usually do become major problems. Eventually these people have a way of ending up in our Medicaid system, and costing taxpayers millions because they were never given preventive care.

Another common argument I hear is that social healthcare leads to bad doctors and bad care. Personally I haven’t studied this as much as I’d like, but I also don’t feel that this would be the case under Obama’s plan. If Obama is indeed looking to bring the uninsured under an insurance company plan then the plan will be administered by an insurance company, and not the government. That should negate the issues we’ve seen with Medicaid / Medicare, where doctors put off patients in lieu of patients with better coverage.

In addition I’ve noticed that hospitals have become more profit centric, and have lost their focus, which is to treat patients as best as possible. My cousin shared with me a story about his daughter’s last birth, which I think fits very nicely. Apparently the hospital closest to where he lives is in a nice well to do neighborhood. In order to keep its swanky image it has gone as far as provide food based on near gourmet recipes. While this sounds great for the relatives of the patient, it’s not really needed. Hospitals need to remember that they exist to treat patients. They have sworn the oath of “Do no harm” by proxy, and must share in that responsibility with the doctors. So will our healthcare suffer as a result of socialized medicine? It might but then again this isn’t truly socialized medicine Obama is suggesting, it’s a strange new hybrid. Either way it’s leaps and bounds above McCains plan.

While I can concede that giving away the farm ala Welfare and Medicaid does nothing to improve or instill the sense of self worth needed to drive people to the kind of action that will improve their situation, I must also admit that doing nothing will just foster a larger division between the haves and have nots. This division, over time, turns into resentment, bringing only a sense of never being able to succeed and blaming their problems on “the man”. With a subject as important as someone’s basic right to life and quality healthcare, we cannot sit idly by and do nothing.

Questions: Don’t you think Obama is too inexperienced to be President? Do you really trust him to make the tough decisions? Isn’t McCain better suited to deal with foreign policy?

Answers: In truth I do feel that Obama is untested, but capable of leadership. I once joked that giving Obama the Precidency was like giving a manager of the local McDonalds the position of CEO of Walmart. While his lack of testing under pressure does bother me, the fact that there are always advisors to help guide him reassures me. From what I’ve seen Obama has the intelligence and self control to handle himself in just about any situation. While John McCain is intelligent enough to handle a situation, I do not feel him to be in control of his temper or general feelings enough to handle certain situations. During this election I have watch as both men endorsed some pretty unfavorable ads against each other, but McCains seemed to stem more from desperation and anger. During the debates I have watched Obama handle himself with resolve and dignity, while McCain resorted to name calling and quick one liners.

Anyone who has ever been married for more than a few years knows that quick comebacks are usually the ones that hurt the most. Quick comebacks are instinctual, and usually involve statements better left unsaid. McCain has shown his proficiency for quick comebacks time and time again, and it has hurt him in my eyes. At this time in our nation’s history, we are embroiled in two wars, one of which is almost as unpopular as Vietnam, and we are quickly seeing our once strong international allies turn against us. As a result of the international dislike towards America we need, more than ever, a President who is willing to set aside differences and open discussions. We need a President who is capable of showing both our friends and enemies a calm, but firm resolve; Obama for me is that man.

Many have criticized Obama for his willingness to speak to the Castros and Chavezes of the world, but in truth embargos have failed, stiff necked diplomacy has failed, and the only thing that’s going to work is the calm, rational dialog that has been absent for the past eight years. You see Reagan was forceful, Reagan was strong willed, but Reagan was also willing to discuss, bargain, and sit down with his enemies. Had he not been the Berlin wall would probably still stand today.

Questions: Why shouldn’t we stay in Iraq? Obama wants to pull out and cost us the war, don’t the Iraqi people deserve to be free?

Answer: In my opinion there are more reasons to get out of Iraq than there are to stay. First and foremost is the FACT, not speculation but FACT, that Iraq is un-winnable. The problems in the Middle east are not some recent development, nor are they something that can be fixed by Democracy. The problems between the Muslims and Jews, and even between Muslim factions have their basis in religion, and an argument that has prevailed for over 3000 years. Jews believe that they are God’s chosen people, the beloved of God through Abraham’s son Isaac Gen. 16:12. Muslims believe that they are God’s chosen people the beloved of God through Abraham’s son Ishmael.

With this in mind Jews and Muslims are not fighting a war based solely on territory, they are fighting a war based on opposing religious ideologies. In addition to the many conflicts between Israel and the Muslim world, we have division within the Muslim community itself. The history here is too great to get into, but the basic premise is that they hate each other. With all of this in mind, we Americans, who don’t really understand the problem, have no hope of finding a solution. America is now smack in the middle of a civil war between two opposing factions that don’t see eye to eye on anything. This isn’t simply like the difference between Democrats or Republicans, these people have been, and are willing to kill for their religious beliefs to succeed.

Furthermore the notion that Iraq was ever about bringing democracy to the Iraqi people is ludicrous. The Iraq war was started partly from fear and reaction to 9-11, and partly from our desire to secure our need for oil. In the months following 9-11 our country underwent a change of mind, from the once proud can do attitude we all shared to the fearful terrorist in every corner feelings we now share. Our country has not been held hostage by fear this great since the McCarthy era. The only war we need to face right now is the war with our own fears. The terrorists have already done their part; they’ve shown us how vulnerable we are, they’ve goaded us into two wars, and they’ve all but succeeded in crippling our economy as a result. They’ve turned international opinion against us, and caused division among us. They’ve done what they set out to do.

As a result of 9-11 we’ve seen the largest increase in government in my lifetime. We have seen several of the civil liberties that made us a great nation erode. We have seen a drastic division between those who are for the war and those who are against it. We have become a nation divided, where the fear of being labeled unpatriotic hangs over Americans everywhere. The only way to truly WIN this war is to pick a side, preside over the largest genocidal acts since the holocaust, and loose our humanity in the process. We cannot win in Iraq because Iraq cannot be settled diplomatically. There are simply too many variables that our Western minds cannot embrace; therefore the only solution is withdrawal.

Conclusion

This year I vote not because I agree with Obama on everything, but because I believe he will be better suited to run this country. I feel that our current situation as a nation warrants a drastic change from the norm. I believe that we need a fresh face with a different approach to bring about change. God help me if I’m wrong, but I just don’t see McCain bringing the kind of change we need.