Also, Josh's note detailing the reasons he made the switch: The consideration and sobriety with which I undertook making this decision cannot be overstated. As many of you have read or will read shortly in the Alligator, I voted for Senator Barack Obama for President. My decision should not be taken as a repudiation of the Republican Party in general or the principles it stands for, nor should it be considered a slight against Senator John McCain or his extensive and respectable record of public service.Over the course of the past two months, however, I have, precisely as my terse soundbite in the Alligator indicated, seen a different John McCain than the one I signed up to work for. The straight-talking maverick (yes, I said it) who ran for President in 2000, who got back on his feet not long after that divisive and derogatory campaign to return to the Senate and continue working for the American people, and who, even in much of his primary campaign in this election, ran based on what he believed and the issues Americans needed and deserved to hear about, is no longer running for President. That man, I believe, left the campaign trail with John Weaver and his original campaign staff. Since then, the campaign has been about telling people what they want to hear, or as has been the case recently, whatever they'll possibly listen to.Many conservatives have buttressed their support for Sen. McCain by convincing themselves that his behaviour is simply politics - that in the desperation of being an underdog, McCain's campaign is throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, and that when in office, a President McCain would return to his old straight-talking ways. I don't believe that this would be the case, however - as anyone who's watched The West Wing can tell you, the Presidency is incredibly staff-driven. The advisers that the next President brings with him into the White House will have an immense impact not only on the decisions he makes, but on the information he receives to base those decisions on, and if the tenor of the campaign for the past several months has been any indication, a President McCain would be far too deferential to his staff, and not nearly as willing to speak his mind or make the hard decisions he legitimately believes need to be made.I should make it clear, though, that my vote was not against John McCain so much as it was for Barack Obama. I may not agree with any number of his political positions, but he is truly a leader, and a deliberative one at that. The real clincher for me was Gen. Colin Powell's endorsement, and the coherent, impassioned defense of Sen. Obama that he gave on Meet The Press. While typically I would lend little credence to such things, I have the greatest respect for Gen. Powell, and given that he has had much more opportunity to personally interact with both gentlemen and has been a good friend of Sen. McCain's for some time, I considered his endorsement across party lines to be particularly powerful. The response of many Republicans - some calling for him to be thrown out of the party, as if that could easily be done, and others casually tossing around words such as "traitor" - only sealed the deal for me.The composure and consistency that Barack Obama has shown is also an incredibly admirable trait and something worth considering. We live in uncertain times, and the next President is going to be tested on a number of levels. Over the course of this long and arduous campaign, Obama has shown the strength and resolve that I want in a President. I do not believe Sen. McCain to have done so.If it seems as if I based the bulk of my decision on the personality of the candidates, it's simply because I did. There are 535 Members of Congress who also wield power over political decision-making in our representative democracy, not to mention myriad policy decisions made at the state and local levels, and the remainder of my ballot was cast for candidates who I believe share my political principles - Rep. Cliff Stearns, Elizabeth Porter, and our local Republican candidates for County Commission. The President of the United States, however, is the man that not only all Americans, but truly the entire world, looks to in the midst of a crisis. Just because I do not necessarily believe in some of the details of Sen. Obama's plans for education, energy, or healthcare does not mean that I can't believe that he is the right man to handle that kind of pressure.And, of course, for the record - I don't fully believe in Obama's plans for education, energy, or healthcare, but I'm also not the biggest fan of Sen. McCain's. Although Obama's education plan could offer much greater opportunity for parental choice, Sen. McCain's consists of essentially nothing *but* a voucher program. Although Obama's energy plan could be more inclusive - particularly of nuclear energy - Sen. McCain has allowed his campaign to be overtaken by shortsighted cries of "Drill, Baby, Drill." Although Obama's healthcare plan is a touch too socialistic for my tastes, I don't understand why Sen. McCain's hasn't been criticized as such either - he is essentially proposing mailing government checks to everyone so they can purchase health insurance. How is that not socialism, or what passes for it these days? To discount all of the qualities Sen. Obama holds simply because I find Sen. McCain's policy positions marginally better would be reducing the Presidency to the same level as any another elected position, and I believe America should hold its leader to a higher standard.The final note I want to make is about each candidate's running mate selection, and the efficacy of using each as an exemplar of their character. Sen. Obama's selection of Sen. Joe Biden, for whom I have a great deal of respect even if I disagree with him on damn near everything, showed a mature consideration of his own weaknesses and a desire for added wisdom and experience in his administration. Sen. McCain's selection of Gov. Palin, on the other hand, showed a preference for flash over substance and a clear sign that the Religious Right would remain firmly in the midst of the Republican Party in a McCain presidency. Although I believe Sarah Palin has done a lot of good work in Alaska and has not gotten a fair shake from the media, I do not believe she is ready for national politics and certainly not ready to be, as cliche as it is, a heartbeat away.With all this in mind, then, I cast my ballot for Sen. Barack Obama. I neither regret my decision nor all of the work I did for Sen. McCain, and do not intend this as a personal affront to anyone I have worked with over the past several months. I appreciate the maturity and understanding many of you have shown in accepting my personal decision, and can only hope that those of you I have not yet spoken to will react similarly.
So if Obama is going to up spending... how can you say that Bush was overspending? Alsoyou missed the whole point of the message. You seemed to miss the point. You don't need to be a professor of econ to understand that a few people payiong the bill is messed up. I think the last two lines apply to people like. So what again is bulls**t about the above statement? Let's assume it's written by a child.... Bulls**t you make over 150 a yr. (you prolly think the tax hike is only for people who make 250k and above.) Do you really thnk I went and seeked this guy out so I could assign this statement to him? People like you spend 98% or your time looking to blame people for problems rather than finding solutions.
agihammerthiefNov 3, 2008
C'mon peeps, please dig the original
seeingthelightNov 3, 2008
A McCain campaign chair. It can't get funnier than that. Oh yeah it can. McCain's mother might vote for Obama.
jskeetjrNov 3, 2008
Also, Josh's note detailing the reasons he made the switch: The consideration and sobriety with which I undertook making this decision cannot be overstated. As many of you have read or will read shortly in the Alligator, I voted for Senator Barack Obama for President. My decision should not be taken as a repudiation of the Republican Party in general or the principles it stands for, nor should it be considered a slight against Senator John McCain or his extensive and respectable record of public service.Over the course of the past two months, however, I have, precisely as my terse soundbite in the Alligator indicated, seen a different John McCain than the one I signed up to work for. The straight-talking maverick (yes, I said it) who ran for President in 2000, who got back on his feet not long after that divisive and derogatory campaign to return to the Senate and continue working for the American people, and who, even in much of his primary campaign in this election, ran based on what he believed and the issues Americans needed and deserved to hear about, is no longer running for President. That man, I believe, left the campaign trail with John Weaver and his original campaign staff. Since then, the campaign has been about telling people what they want to hear, or as has been the case recently, whatever they'll possibly listen to.Many conservatives have buttressed their support for Sen. McCain by convincing themselves that his behaviour is simply politics - that in the desperation of being an underdog, McCain's campaign is throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, and that when in office, a President McCain would return to his old straight-talking ways. I don't believe that this would be the case, however - as anyone who's watched The West Wing can tell you, the Presidency is incredibly staff-driven. The advisers that the next President brings with him into the White House will have an immense impact not only on the decisions he makes, but on the information he receives to base those decisions on, and if the tenor of the campaign for the past several months has been any indication, a President McCain would be far too deferential to his staff, and not nearly as willing to speak his mind or make the hard decisions he legitimately believes need to be made.I should make it clear, though, that my vote was not against John McCain so much as it was for Barack Obama. I may not agree with any number of his political positions, but he is truly a leader, and a deliberative one at that. The real clincher for me was Gen. Colin Powell's endorsement, and the coherent, impassioned defense of Sen. Obama that he gave on Meet The Press. While typically I would lend little credence to such things, I have the greatest respect for Gen. Powell, and given that he has had much more opportunity to personally interact with both gentlemen and has been a good friend of Sen. McCain's for some time, I considered his endorsement across party lines to be particularly powerful. The response of many Republicans - some calling for him to be thrown out of the party, as if that could easily be done, and others casually tossing around words such as "traitor" - only sealed the deal for me.The composure and consistency that Barack Obama has shown is also an incredibly admirable trait and something worth considering. We live in uncertain times, and the next President is going to be tested on a number of levels. Over the course of this long and arduous campaign, Obama has shown the strength and resolve that I want in a President. I do not believe Sen. McCain to have done so.If it seems as if I based the bulk of my decision on the personality of the candidates, it's simply because I did. There are 535 Members of Congress who also wield power over political decision-making in our representative democracy, not to mention myriad policy decisions made at the state and local levels, and the remainder of my ballot was cast for candidates who I believe share my political principles - Rep. Cliff Stearns, Elizabeth Porter, and our local Republican candidates for County Commission. The President of the United States, however, is the man that not only all Americans, but truly the entire world, looks to in the midst of a crisis. Just because I do not necessarily believe in some of the details of Sen. Obama's plans for education, energy, or healthcare does not mean that I can't believe that he is the right man to handle that kind of pressure.And, of course, for the record - I don't fully believe in Obama's plans for education, energy, or healthcare, but I'm also not the biggest fan of Sen. McCain's. Although Obama's education plan could offer much greater opportunity for parental choice, Sen. McCain's consists of essentially nothing *but* a voucher program. Although Obama's energy plan could be more inclusive - particularly of nuclear energy - Sen. McCain has allowed his campaign to be overtaken by shortsighted cries of "Drill, Baby, Drill." Although Obama's healthcare plan is a touch too socialistic for my tastes, I don't understand why Sen. McCain's hasn't been criticized as such either - he is essentially proposing mailing government checks to everyone so they can purchase health insurance. How is that not socialism, or what passes for it these days? To discount all of the qualities Sen. Obama holds simply because I find Sen. McCain's policy positions marginally better would be reducing the Presidency to the same level as any another elected position, and I believe America should hold its leader to a higher standard.The final note I want to make is about each candidate's running mate selection, and the efficacy of using each as an exemplar of their character. Sen. Obama's selection of Sen. Joe Biden, for whom I have a great deal of respect even if I disagree with him on damn near everything, showed a mature consideration of his own weaknesses and a desire for added wisdom and experience in his administration. Sen. McCain's selection of Gov. Palin, on the other hand, showed a preference for flash over substance and a clear sign that the Religious Right would remain firmly in the midst of the Republican Party in a McCain presidency. Although I believe Sarah Palin has done a lot of good work in Alaska and has not gotten a fair shake from the media, I do not believe she is ready for national politics and certainly not ready to be, as cliche as it is, a heartbeat away.With all this in mind, then, I cast my ballot for Sen. Barack Obama. I neither regret my decision nor all of the work I did for Sen. McCain, and do not intend this as a personal affront to anyone I have worked with over the past several months. I appreciate the maturity and understanding many of you have shown in accepting my personal decision, and can only hope that those of you I have not yet spoken to will react similarly.
equinaminNov 4, 2008
Canuck Snow Birds, love Florida, for a Reason. Yeh, Florida U.
5celeryNov 4, 2008
can you feel the love?
Closed AccountNov 4, 2008
Psst, he's the same person he was in 2008
bassmastrNov 4, 2008
So if Obama is going to up spending... how can you say that Bush was overspending? Alsoyou missed the whole point of the message. You seemed to miss the point. You don't need to be a professor of econ to understand that a few people payiong the bill is messed up. I think the last two lines apply to people like. So what again is bulls**t about the above statement? Let's assume it's written by a child.... Bulls**t you make over 150 a yr. (you prolly think the tax hike is only for people who make 250k and above.) Do you really thnk I went and seeked this guy out so I could assign this statement to him? People like you spend 98% or your time looking to blame people for problems rather than finding solutions.
joand315Nov 5, 2008
I'm all for paid holidays. Compared to other countries we don't have so many.