Endorsing Obama
Scott Sigler has been challenging people on Twitter to tell him why to vote FOR Obama instead of AGAINST McCain or the Bush administration. I suck at debate, so I don’t enter these discussions, but it’s been making me think. Why do I want to vote for Obama?
First, I vote democratic 99% of the time. I am pro-choice, pro-education, pro-feminist, pro-gay-rights, hate the idea of mixing church and state, and would really like some sort of universal health care. This means I automatically skew toward the democratic candidate, as they usually hold most of those values as well.
But Obama was my choice during primary season, and even before that. The first thing that really perked me up was when I heard that he is aware of the issues facing us online, and had Lawrence Lessig advise him on issues like Net Neutrality. That was the move that brought him to the head of the line of all democratic candidates. Sure, it’s a first world problem, but if we don’t address it now, it will cease to be a problem and will just be the Way Things Are as the corporations get their own way.
Unless, you know, this Internet fad fades. Then we don’t need to worry about it.
Do I ever disagree with him? Sure I do. I was mad as hell when he voted to say illegal domestic spying was really OK. And I admit that I don’t really understand fully what’s going on with the economy these days (beyond, “wow, looks like we’re fucked”) but my gut reaction to $700 billion magically appearing (seriously – where are we getting that money? Is someone in Washington just pooping out money? Can I get that virus?) to bail out people who got us into this problem seemed like a bad idea, and both Obama and McCain voted for that.
But I give money to the EFF to help fight that NSA bullshit, and I, well, there’s not a lot I’m doing about the economy except for staring around in shock and trying to budget a little better.
Lastly, I believe he really will help get us out of this floundering pit of hell that the Bush administration has put us in. I know we need a strong Congress and House to help him out, but I think it can happen.
So that’s why I’m voting Obama. Click here for that awesome Steampunks for Obama pin!
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YAY! GOBAMA!
You rock, lady, and THANK YOU for sharing that video! I have watched it 4 times already. Matt and I laughed so hard!
If you want a good crash course on monetary policy and the history of money, check out the documentary Money as Debt. You can find it at Google Video. Another good documentary is Money Masters by William Still. Watching those documentaries is like taking the Red Pill and waking up from the Matrix.
Also, get Naomi Wolf’s book, The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot or check out her documentary The End of America.
Hello Mur,
Thanks for the post. Just a quick comment you do know that the $700b was part of another trillion dollars loan that the US got from China. US tax payers will have to pay back that loan to china one day.
If your interested Terry Gross on NPR has a series of podcasts over the last few months giving a good nuts and bolts view of the whole melt down.
I just got back from a CON in my country and the good news is that the geeks here would vote Obama. If only we were able to have a vote in each others countries.
Perhaps even better than Terry Gross would be NPR’s Planet Money podcast: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/. They try to be as jargon-free as possible (and are the people behind the This American Life recent money shows…)
Three Words: The, Shock, Doctrine.
Naomi Klein wrote it, it’s available in TPB now, and it is one of the most important books of the decade, behind only of course Playing For Keeps and The Case of the Pithcer’s Pendant.
Hi Mur,
At this point it looks like you are going to get your wish. Just a reminder: When Bill Clinton ran the first time he promised a middle class tax cut, and that he would let Haitians immigrate to the US.Instead we got the biggest tax increase in the history of the world, retroactive to people who had died the year before, and he told the Coast Guard to turn the Haitians away.
Your guy is promising a small targeted tax increase. Right. But as I said, this is probably a done deal. When you see what happens, please try to remember it for the next time.
Loved the “Playing for keeps” podcast. I bought a copy on Amazon and gave it to a really gifted kid.
Best,
Old Tom
Mur, I have been struggling with the same problem. I voted way early, and was still very much feeling like I was voting against McCain, rather than for Obama.
After much thought, I have come up with one solid reason: his election to the Presidency will do a lot towards repairing our image world-wide. I read through a number of foreign papers daily, and I have pals around the world, and they all agree on that point. You have to talk to foreigners face-to-face to get a real feel for just how badly world opinion of the US has tanked under Bush. This isn’t just a matter of “popularity”–tourist pounds, francs, kopeks, shekels and euros have all gone elsewhere, for example.
Now, Obama’s *policies* may be more or less popular; it depends. But the notion of 1) kicking out Bush and all that he represents and 2) installing a black man as President rates way high around the world.
I still can’t come up with any other reasons, though. The guy seems pretty good compared to McCain/Palin, yes, but he still has not said much of substance about the issues that are important to me.
Would be interested to hear what others think.
–ek
Hey there,
I’m German (therefore please pardon the mistakes in grammar and vocabulary) and obviously not as well and deeply educated about American politics in general and about the two candidates in special as you Americans; I cannot tell you in depth what concrete reasons there are to vote one or the other.
But what I can tell you is this: When earlier this year I faced the decision whether to spend this year’s summer holidays somewhere in the USA or elsewhere, it has been a clear and rather fast one: elsewhere.
I would *love* to visit your country or come to a sf-con (or connect both
), but you are right, Eric: world opinion has been better in former times. President Bush is … not well regarded ^^ here in “Old Europe” (proudly said – sniffy things said by some persons are compliments), and when Senator Obama visited Germany and spoke in Berlin this summer, one could catch a little glimpse of the charisma of that man even via YouTube.
He is regarded a person of intelligence and integrity, and part of why we Europeans/ Germans/ I like him so much is that he communicates seriousness and competence (and pardon me, competence is not the most striking impression we get from President Bush… ^^), but nonetheless he doesn’t seem to be an uninspiring and dry fellow but seems to have real visions.
He gives me hope for a future where America can heal the wounds it has suffered from 9/11 and open up again a little bit to the world rather than separating itself from the rest of the world and seeing everybody as a potential – or likely – threat.
This might be an illusionary hope, yes, he will not be able to undo the changes America has gone through completely, but we/ I have this hope nonetheless. Perhaps a little bit more open again. A few steps to start with.
He might be one of those little steps.
I love the American spirit, and I don’t like to see it broken by terrorists. I think Senator Obama can rekindle that spirit better than Senator McCain.
From me as a foreigner’s standpoint, this election is not only about economy or the American health system (or lack thereof) or war in Iraque, it is also about healing – the healing of Americans and people all over the world affected by American policy because it happens to be the last remaining “superpower”.
A foreigner’s two cents.