ineffablytom

Ignore most of this post, if you want. Really, I don’t mind. However, I request you do not ignore Scott Jenning’s Post. He makes a lot of intelligent points about some of the issues of this next election.

Most of the people who know me (know me for real, at any rate) would willingly admit that I hold… interesting beliefs about government. it seems you can hardly turn your head without finding some political commentary, in some cases nearing the level of hate speech. We have campaign workers being assaulted for campaigning (via); campaign workers getting media attention for NOT being assaulted, speeches speeches speeches, commercials, commercials commercials. Rhetoric, vitriol, probably some outright lies and fabrications. It. Is. EVERYWHERE.

The US takes a lot of crap internationally these days for our activities as a nation-state both abroad and at home. Personally, I deplore much of our foreign policy and I question the wisdom of spreading democracy at gunpoint.

I do not, however, support Obama. If I vote, I will be voting for him, because McCain winning is a terrifying thought. Aside from the distaste I have for the Republican party for its over kowtowing to the religious right, the prospect of Sarah Palin becoming president is untenable.

I’m not a liberal. I’m not a conservative. I’m not much of anything currently represented by political parties. Small government. Rational laws. Social freedoms. A more representative system than the currently broken republic we have. Whatever.

This next election is going to be one of the most important elections in recent history. We’re embroiled in multiple conflicts, we have an economic crisis, we have a government barely respecting human rights, let alone the civil liberties of its citizens, and I don’t see this getting any better with the election of the Republican party. Most of the developed world prefers Obama.

This is, of course, not to say Obama is without flaws. There has been issue raised of his associations with colorful characters, attacks on his “experience” (though, I marvel at the hypocritical nature of this since the Republican party has put in slot #2 Sarah Palin). I don’t support very much of the Democratic Party platform, mostly because I think social change should never be mandated. But that’s a quibble, and a question for utility I suppose.