Tuesday, October 28, 2008

I'm voting for...

...John McCain.

To be very honest, it wasn't exactly a difficult decision.

I supported McCain when he ran against George Bush in 2000, urged him -- as did many others -- to oppose Bush in 2004.

I thought he was a good choice then. I believe he is the only choice now.

Part of the reason is very simple: at heart, I'm what you'd call an old-fashioned American patriot. I believe in this country, in its Constitution and the essential goodness of its people.

The same is true of McCain, and he has given the country more than I (or most people) ever could. He has served its best interests for many years, helping to defend it at fearful cost to himself.

His instincts are good; he is honest and decent. The latter is a vanishing characteristic among the political class.

And he understands the need to defend the United States, knows that peaceful resolutions of conflict are best, but not always possible. If -- when -- we are attacked again, I trust him him to put our safety and security ahead of all else.

I support most of his ideas and positions. I disagree with him -- strongly -- on what should be done about illegal immigrants, those already here and those to come; I disagree with him on the monumentally stupid financial bailout.

And yet, I trust him to do what's right.

What of Barack Obama? I do not trust him at all. He has spent the last two years or more running for president; in that time, thanks to his own evasiveness and the subservient willingness of the media to support him without question, we know very little about his life and achievements. We do not even know for certain that he is legally qualified to assume the office he seeks.

The latter I consider unimportant, except that he chose to obscure the truth, whatever it may be, rather than to produce a genuine birth certificate attesting to his U.S. birth (as the Constitution demands). I would take him at his word if he didn't, in my view, follow a pattern of withholding much information that would be sought from any other presidential candidate.

I find his policies abhorrent. "Spreading the wealth?" Taking money from the rich to give to the poor? Government-run health care? Making Washington the central source of aid for the people, and the master of how businesses are run?

Those are the policies of -- to use the kindest word -- a socialist. And I do not believe in socialism.

Obama has no idea of what he's talking about when it comes to national defense. He will talk endlessly to our enemies, and has already made it clear he plans to weaken our military. His policies are naive at best.

But there is one overriding issue that makes Obama unsuitable in my view, and that is his lifelong pattern of associating with (and being influenced by) people who do not have America's best interests at heart.

A few of the worst: William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. Antoin "Tony" Rezko. Rashid Khalid. Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Research them.

Of them -- and others -- Ayers, Dohrn and Wright bother me most. Ayers and Dohrn because they are admitted Communists and inactive domestic terrorists; innocent people died because they and their Weather Underground made bombs; children continue to be indoctrinated through Ayers's efforts.

Tell me Ayers is "respected" today, was even named Chicago Man of the Year, and I will answer you with a word I wouldn't use here. Tell me Obama did not have a close relationship with Ayers because he says so, and I will tell you, based on research, that he lies.

Rev. Wright? In my view, no man who preaches racial hatred, who claims the CIA created AIDS to kill black people, who calls upon God to damn America, is fit to occupy a pulpit. Tell me, as he claims, that Obama didn't hear Wright's scurrilous rantings, though he attended Wright's church for 20 years and once called him a "mentor," and I will tell you Obama lies.

I lived through the time when the Weather Underground was in full operation, and I lived through times of racial unrest in this country. Neither are tolerable here in the 21st Century.

I do not want to live through a time when Communist terrorists and racist agitators are welcome anywhere near the White House. In an Obama Presidency, I fear we will see them there.

Inevitably, the question of race comes up. While Obama's origins should not matter, his character does. So does his lack of qualifications. In fact, I believe that if it weren't for his race, Obama wouldn't even have made it as far as he did in Illinois, and certainly would not have been chosen as a presidential candidate by any major political party.

(Yes, I -- and many others -- have been branded "racist" for opposing him, for questioning his suitability for high office. I can't help that. The label has been applied to the point of absurdity, and much of the invective has come directly from Obama and his campaign.)

Beyond that, I find the quasi-religious frenzy that surrounds Obama deeply disturbing. Worse, the venom his most ardent supporters spew, the very irrationality of their responses when challenged has nothing to do with what is good for the nation; they would follow him without hesitation into the abyss, I fear.

Not all of them, of course. I know some extremely intelligent and decent people who support Obama. And I respect them and their views. They are, however, in the minority.

For all these reasons and more, I have chosen the way I will vote. My hope is that enough Americans will see things as I do to defeat a man who, in many ways, would be a dangerous choice and vote instead for a man of patriotism, honor and principle.

A FINAL NOTE: If you're going to disagree, and I'm sure some of you will, it'd be nice if you did so in a civil way. I've already been called all the names the rabid Obama supporters like to use...

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just ain't gonna vote...smiles!!

Lou

Anonymous said...

i'm also voting for McCain. my dad was a marine. my brother inlaw served in iraq..
**hugs**
Sarah

Katness said...

I read Obama's bio written long before he decided to run. I think it's up to the public to seek out info outside of the media's offerings. Have you examined how much of your information about Obama has been shaped by the media and how much info you sought yourself to weigh the candidates fairly? I think people have a tendency toward selective perception: ignore the bad about their candidate and focus on the negative in the other. There has to be balance in the decision-making process. And I'm not saying you weren't fair in yours...

I'm more worried about Palin than I am about McCain. I have my own issues with him, but this isn't the forum for that. I hope you're OK with however the election turns out and whatever future it may bring for the country and the world.

MrScribbler said...

Kari -- I'm a fairly good reader, and I must tell you that it took a lot of digging (through pre-Obama-candidacy media stories, for example) to find any serious mention of the things that disturb me.

When Obama decided to run for president, he seems to have decided at that point to dump his old associates, at least publicly. The media (print and TV) haven't bothered to ask him tough questions in two years.

As for Palin, I could simply say "you prefer Joe Biden?" and leave it at that. But the sad fact is that she has more executive experience than Obama. Otherwise, she gets the same marks for decency and patriotism I give McCain, and in this lesser-of-two-evils world, I'll take that.

Katness said...

Palin's executive experience isn't backed up by intelligence or integrity, but by expediency and ambition. And that right there scares me, especially at the level of power we're dealing with--patriotism or not. Biden might not be better, but at least I know he's not an idiot. I think Palin's made that glaringly obvious. The people who support her frankly puzzle me.

MrScribbler said...

Kari -- May I first say this is the kind of political discourse I really enjoy?

We could discuss Palin for hours and never agree. Frankly, I think much of the responsibility for negative perceptions of her belongs to the media, which I believe set out to destroy her the moment she was picked.

The media's shameless pro-Obama stance is one of the saddest aspects of this campaign. If anything pounds the final nail in the coffin of traditional print and TV journalism (which I hope doesn't happen), it will be their pathetic, one-sided performance in the election of 2008.

As for Biden, he has a bad habit of making himself sound ridiculous whenever he opens his mouth. If he wasn't a Democrat (and therefore treated gently) his quotes would be comedy gold.

But it is the presidential candidates who concern me most. And in that arena, I'm solidly pro-McCain.

Dorrie said...

Obama has bothered me from day one... he just rubs me wrong and his nothing to do with his race. He just seems too "charismatic" and smooth. And lots of what you mentioned, too.

As to McCain... I sure wish we had other choices! He has done too much stumbling lately and because of his age, we have Palin. I thought it was a clever choice at first, but since then.... *sigh*

It's going to be quite interesting next week....

P.S. did you EVER read my entry about immigration on my westypresident journal? I was sure YOU would like it!

MrScribbler said...

Birdie -- I'm not so concerned with McCain's age...if the North Vietnamese couldn't kill him, I doubt the presidency will. And we have heard about all his health issues -- something we can't say about Obama.

I missed your immigration comments, I'm afraid. Mine can be summed up in four words: legal, yes! Illegal, no!

Anonymous said...

I don't understand where Obama came from. He became a senator and he's been campaigning for president ever since. The media, the DNC and God knows who else, is covering for him. He's flipped and flopped and frankly, scares me to death. Not to mention the people he's been connected to.
We're voting McCain/Palin also!

Anonymous said...

"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything." (Alexander Hamilton, 1755)...Thanks for having the balls to come forward and express your choice of candidate publicly like this. You make a good argument for McCain, regardless of the bailout blunder. Nobody's perfect, yet he has no connections to terrorists and is truly an American hero. Spoiled brats who are withholding their vote because the "perfect candidate" is not running should be ashamed. I have no respect for such cowards. This country is in crisis right now, and every vote against Obama is crucial to preserving our basic freedoms. I saw on the news tonight how gun sales have suddenly spiked, as folks are afraid of their escalating prices and unavailability if Obama is elected, not to mention the escalating violence and the need for personal protection if he tries to take away our 2nd amendment rights! Anyone who honestly compares the two candidates should go to the polls and vote for the ONLY honest man on the ballot...John McCain. As for Palin, she doesn't scare me at all. She is like a breath of fresh air, as far as I'm concerned. She has the courage to ask questions and demand answers, something this country is obviously lacking in its leaders and in its news media. Thanks again for this entry! (ArwenEvenstar, JS)

Anonymous said...

First let me say that I vote Libertarian so I am not voting for either McCain nor Oboma. I am also a Viet Nam Vet so I know about war and defending the country. I have watched both of these otherwise good men smear each other. There was a time when I would have welcomed McCain as president but not now.
As for your arguments about Oboma you are just repeating republican smears and fears that I don't buy.
I will pray for whoever becomes president.

MrScribbler said...

JS-Pastor -- I can't argue with your beliefs, and won't. You've earned them the hard way.

But I hardly think using Obama's own words to decide he's unqualified, not wholly truthful and pursues a socialist agenda is indulging in "Republican smears and fears."

If I believed what the Democrats say, I would be equally disgusted with John McCain. But I'm not.

Anonymous said...

Great post on why you are going to vote for John McCain. Obama is a socialist for sure. Review his speech in Germany earlier this year and really listen to what he says. He is for a one world government based on the European Union, which is a bad example for him to use, but Obama is enamored with it. Scary.

As soon as Sarah Palin was announced as McCain's running mate, the main stream media sent droves of reporters to find dirt on her. The only thing they could find was "alleged abuse of power" in the trooper scandal.

I am going to link to this post on my site. Great work.

Anonymous said...

Continues to boggle my mind that we live in one of the best countries in the world, and this is the best two candidates we could come up with????!!

Doug said...

One of the scariest scenarios I can imagine is a Conservative Canadian Federal government coupled with a Republican American one. Too many memories of the Mulroney/Reagan years and our PM's willingness to sell Canada to the US or other countries a piece at a time, the same as Harper is willing to do.

Being a Navy vet and a former POW does not make McCain a leader (how many planes did he crash?), nor does tax-supported healthcare make a country a socialist one. Lets face it, you aren't living in a true republic anymore, either ;-)

May the most popular man win (this time).

MrScribbler said...

DAL -- I agree that state-run healthcare alone doesn't make socialism (though we should by now have learned from Canada and the UK that such systems are deeply flawed, to say the least.

But "spreading the wealth" as Obama wants to do is socialism. I simply do not trust the man, for the reasons I have set out already.

I do, however, consider denigrating McCain's service to the United States unseemly (as I do attacking anyone else's service), particularly when his opponent has spent his life serving only himself.

Doug said...

McCain's superiors should have grounded him, but as I read about it, I discovered that in those days a crash did not end a pilot's career, but it would cause his superior officers to question his judgement. Just sayin', Scribbs.

My dad was a deserter. I don't hold it against him. Having your sargeant blown up in front of you makes some guys a little nervous about their own chances.

Bridget said...

Great debate but nothing is going to sway me from McCain at this point. And I've never voted Republican in my life.

Anonymous said...

The polls today show McCain and Obama neck-and-neck! Military voters overseas are supporting McCain (in polls there), and talk radio today said that many black Republicans and conservative Independent voters say they are not going to blindly "drink Obama's Kool-Ade". Remember how the media projected Al Gore the winner before the polls closed; many voters gave up and went home when they heard that. This is too close a race for anyone to call the shots. McCain has a great chance for a surprise victory!

Katness said...

I'm w/DAL.

And I'm also the first to admit that the media can be biased. But as a member of the media I can also say we can't report BS if the BS doesn't happen.

Too often we're blamed for being the messenger, for reflecting people and their actions back at themselves. Guess what? If you didn't eff up, we wouldn't report it.

MrScribbler said...

Kari -- most of the time (99% of the time, anyway) I'd agree with you.

But my instincts and research tell me the media has been solidly in the tank for Obama, and has hidden many germane details about him that would have, if honestly reported, blown him out of the presidential race.

I'm biased, I admit, but no more so than Obama's protectors and apologists.

Anonymous said...

Me again. (I just posted the rather long comment with my prayers for you.)

You were SO right about Obama. Commenter Kari said, "At least Biden's not an idiot"...??? WHAT?!?! OH my goodness.

And sadly, you were also right about the media's support for Obama being a final nail in the coffin for the media.

I fear for our country if we no longer have a free press. God help us.