There are a number of reasons I am supporting President
Obama in the 2012 campaign. I voted for
him in 2008 and I will do so again. This
is a sampling of those reasons. There
are others, but these are the ones that came to mind when I was asked what
President Obama’s appeal was, for me, personally, this evening. As you’ll evidently guess, I took my core
beliefs and extrapolated upon them here.
I hope this is coherent and not too random.
As far as I can tell, the GOP platform for this election isn’t
creation of jobs or opportunity in this country – it’s the implication that
removing Obama will, in and of itself, right the ship. It is the suggestion that ANYONE can do a
better job, and who better than Mitt Romney?
This is the same man that would have let the entire American auto
industry – now booming – die on the vine had it been his choice. This is a man that would eliminate large sectors
of public employment, following what appears at present to be an almost disastrous
tactic given the results of similar measures in the State of Florida by rogue
Governor Rick Scott. Austerity to Mitt
Romney isn’t what it is to the vast majority of Americans. Austerity to Mitt Romney is not taking his
horses out to compete in dressage.
Austerity to Mitt Romney is eliminating state-side jobs to bump his
stocks. He has NO plan. The GOP has no viable plan. Obama has one, and it will work, in my
opinion. He is bringing us out of the
worst economic backslide in my lifetime.
He deserves 2 terms to do it.
Health care reform is one of my pet peeves. Yes, PPACA is perhaps the most highly
divisive legislation to come through the system since the implementation of Medicare/Medicaid. I am disappointed that it doesn’t do MORE…and
that we’re not going to a single-payer system as President Obama initially planned. But it IS a good start, and I think at a bare
minimum it will force medical insurance providers in this country to trim the
fat off of their considerable budgets and focus on actually providing health
care for once. I’ve heard doctors come
out in favor of this because it will eliminate a large portion of their
uncompensated expenses. It will provide
insurance for millions of uninsured and uninsurable Americans, perhaps me
included. The system before President
Obama was sick and broken…it is less so now, and that is what is ultimately
important. I personally believe that in
a country the size of the United States, that single-payer is inevitable, if we
are to use our resources to the benefit of all Americans in this regard. I believe in American ingenuity, but the
barriers to a private solution have proven all but impossible to overcome..or
even be attempted with any real vigor.
Call it socialism if you like. It
is what it is…but in my opinion it is the right direction to go.
Mitt Romney is a fabulously wealthy man primarily supported
by fabulously wealthy corporations. Most
conservatives I interact with will deny this, but given where Mitt comes from,
how he earned his millions, and who is funding his campaign, it’s a de facto reality. Mitt is perfectly happy with the Citizens United decision, which is
against the vast majority of American voters’ views…Obama opposes it, and his
lone appointed Justice, Sotomayor, was intelligent enough to question the
sanity of the conservative majority upholding it. The issues presented, and the problems caused
by this decision, are more central to our continuing democracy than any specter
of socialism that PPACA has created. As
Justice Stevens opined, "A democracy cannot function effectively
when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold." This is, in my opinion, what transpired in
the Scott Walker recall vote in Wisconsin, when the vast majority of his
financial support came from corporate interests OUTSIDE the state of Wisconsin. It is happening now with Mitt Romney. Look at who props him up. His average campaign contribution is around
$2,500.00! Obama’s is somewhere south of
$100, but there are a lot more of them.
Corporations cannot be allowed to buy elections. Whoever appoints the next three justices, likely
to occur in the upcoming term, will determine the direction of this nation in
ways that we cannot yet see. All we can
hope is that the person instrumental in appointing those justices has the best
interests of the American people at heart, and not his corporate masters. Even Ron Paul understands this. I cannot see why rational conservatives don’t
take this more seriously. When this
decision is reconsidered by the SCOTUS – and it WILL be – I hope the correct
decision is made. That only happens if
President Obama is re-elected.
This President has shown resilience in his foreign policy,
and we haven’t had any major security lapses or terrorist attacks under his
watch. His policies have been strong
enough to deter our enemies, but he is also circumspect enough to command more
respect in the international community than he does on the home front! I do not like that Gitmo is still open, or
that we’re still neck deep in Afghanistan, but I recognize that the misplaced
priorities of the prior administration are the reasons why the job wasn’t even
begun to be handled with any intelligence until BHO’s administration. I have seen NOTHING from Mitt Romney to make
me believe he has the strength of character, or the intelligence, to deal with
issues such as the arms buildup in Iran with anything more than knee-jerk,
corporate reflex, which is to say he would address these issues from a purely
fiscal perspective. Where is our bread
buttered? Right or wrong, that’s what
interest would be served with a Romney presidency.
The President has been unwavering on his commitment to
eliminating the Bush era tax cuts, and to close further loopholes which allow
the wealthiest of Americans avoid paying their proportional fair share. Just as a man who has $10,000.00 and gives
$1,000.00 in taxes is far more impacted than a man who has $1,000,000.00 and gives
$100,000.00, it simply isn’t right,
on a moral level, to continue to break the lower and middle classes for the
benefit of the rich. You’re damn right I
support unions, I support labor, I support fair wages, and I support the Obama
Jobs Bill. This country became strong
because of its immense, relatively wealthy MIDDLE class, which is almost gone
now because of continuing policies of GOP backed candidates. In the middle of this recession, when we’re
just beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we can’t afford to
drudge back along the same path only to find a new, more circuitous route to
prosperity. Once again, most Americans
are in favor of the wealthiest Americans paying more than a proportional share
of the tax burden, something that they uniquely can afford. Make no mistake – Romney isn’t ANTI-tax. No Republican has been in my lifetime, not
even Reagan. The only question is WHO will
get hit the hardest. Romney will cast
the tax burden anywhere except in the direction of his masters. The middle and lower classes in the United
States cannot afford a Romney presidency.
I’ll give you one guess who, in fact, is actually in a position to
handle a little more weight than they currently have.
Finally, I am a Christian.
I form my opinions based upon what I think Jesus would do, or say, as cliché
as that might sound. As such…if it
benefits the poor, the disenfranchised and powerless, if it helps heal the sick
and feed the hungry, if it reduces suffering and promotes peace, I’m going to
be all for it. I feel strongly that Mitt
Romney has tunnel vision regarding these issues and the social issues of the
day as a sideline curiosity. I do not
think he will continue to address them as President Obama has. He lacks the commitment and the fortitude to
buck the hand that feeds him. Most of us
do, in the end.
Ultimately, we can only vote our conscience. I will be voting for President Barack Hussein
Obama…and I will do so proudly, with a spirit that is unafraid.
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