What it boils down to is that I believe continued leadership of the country by the Republican Party, either through the presidency or through having a significant presence in Congress, will only make things worse for the country. & Bigger, more intrusive government. & A national debt that will make drastically higher taxes inevitable for future leaders. & Nanny-statism, if not for individuals than for corporate contributers, and a system of checks, balances, rewards and patronage completely detached from the concept of merit.
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I believe this last point in particular to be a major liability of a possible McCain administration, as shown by his choice of Governor Palin as his running mate. & Where Obama's choice of Biden as his running mate led to debate about whether Biden was the best choice (particularly as compared to Hillary Clintron), the nomination of Palin immediately lowered the standard to the question of whether she was minimally qualified. & From where I sit that's been the recent standard of the party - good enough. & The question of 'best' doesn't even come into play. &
This actually doesn't directly effect my vote for President. & Even if I were to stay a Republican voting for McCain was never really an acceptable option. There were other contenders and non-contenders (General Powell?) who could have earned my vote under that banner, but not him. &
So I've spent a lot of time since my ballot arrived last week going back and forth between Bob Barr and Barack Obama. & Barr is far closer to my positions on paper, but has always been tainted in my eyes by his Republican record prior to his claimed adoption of libertarian philosophies. Obama is much too liberal for me on many economic issues, but is much better for me on civil liberties and civil rights. &
Listening to Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama Sunday sealed the deal for me, and I will be voting for Obama. It's not as much about the policies as the character of the man, and the need for a change. A real change. Despite his choice of a life-long Washington insider as his running mate, I have to believe Obama is the best person to bring about that change. To make certain he has the best opportunity to get his proposals and ideas through Congress, I've also decided to vote for Nick Leibham for the House of Representatives. &
Debate on the issues is good, but the Republican Party has steadily and regularly avoided that in recent years, preferring to focus on the demonization of people outside their big tent as the source of all the nation's woes. & After seeing the Democratic candidates debate real issues during the primaries I believe serious debate on the issues is possible even in a Congress holding veto-proof majorities and free from the threat of fillibusters. &
At some point it has to come down to character, and who you can trust to do the right thing for the country. & I'm trusting Obama and Leibham.
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