Why I Am Voting For Barack Obama In 2012

In 2008 I was one of the believers. I was in a conservative Christian setting, sitting quasi-literally in a bubble on top of a conservative mountain. In that time I was just discovering political activism. I was living on top of a mountain while literally gazing down on poverty from the privilege of my status. But I was a Christian! I believed in love. Here was a man who was using language of change, hope, and taking care of one another. While I resided in a conservative stronghold I held onto hope that I was supporting a paradigm shift from a pull-yourself-up-by-your-boots-with-God’s-blessing to a mutually supportive society that took care of one another. Hell, I was only one of about 1,600 votes cast in my country for Obama, yet I cheered alone in the streets from the heights of my mountain when he was elected and change had come. Not only had a person of color been elected to the White House, but the margin of victory was large enough to dare to dream that America might unite behind a new day.

His Presidency began in a tumultuous time.  The unjust war in Iraq and systematic deregulation of the financial industry had resulted in a country in debt and in rapid economic decline. President Obama did what I think any reasonable person would do: He stabilized the country by bailing out the banks. While I adamantly object to Wall Street’s bailout on moral principles, I understand his reason d’être. If my only economic council were Hank Paulson, Lloyd Blankfein, Ben Bernanke, and Larry Summers, I would get greedy council too. The pressure of the economic collapse of an empire is too much for any person to bear, let alone in the first month of your Presidency.  I disagree, but I understand.

I also hear a lot about the President’s promises. Mitt Romney laughs that Obama promised to slow the tide of the oceans. He was going to regulate Wall Street. He was to pass financial reform. He was going to end the war in Iraq. He was going to pursue alternative forms of energy. He was going to reform healthcare. He was going to hunt down Al-Qaeda. He was going to pursue peaceful negotiations in international affairs. He was going to be the voice of the people in Washington. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for that rhetoric. But what did he accomplish?

I am not so blind as to not see the good that some of the President’s decisions have resulted in. He bailed out the auto industry and saved a couple of million jobs. American cars are now competitive on a global stage again. He killed Bin Laden. What more do you need to say about that? He also passed healthcare reform that got coverage for millions of Americans who did not have access to healthcare. However, (and this is a big however) I also know that Wall Street still runs amuck and gambles away the futures of hardworking people to build a financial empire on the backs of the poor. I also know that the President’s drone policy has resulted in the assassination of an American citizen and a host of foreign civilians. And I also know that the bill that passed as “Healthcare Reform” was nothing more than a giveaway to insurance companies.  I am not so ignorant to think that one man can systematically restructure government in four years. Chauvinist capitalist philosophy has pervaded government for timeless generations. Why should this one time be any different? But insofar as a person can lead a government as hotheaded, divisive, and immature as ours, the President has done a pretty good job. However, this middle class talk must give way to a holistic approach to a sustainable world free of war and slavery that benefits all 100% of the global population. However, until that time I must stand with working families.

While President Obama is not the ideal candidate—far from it IMHO—he is not Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney is a chameleon. He has been running for President so long that he has forgotten what his values are.  One minute Romney is a tax-cutting-voucherize-Medicare-deregulate-Wall-Street kind of guy and the next he is a moderate. Then there is Paul Ryan. I have watched this man in the Congress for many years now and he has always been a heavy-right leaning small government conservative. The accusations are true. They do want to turn Medicare into a voucher system. They do want to give a 20% tax cut to the rich while cutting general assistance funding for the poor. Take one read through Ryan’s budget proposal. These two men are idealogues. They represent an establishment that can be both pro-life and pro-war; cut taxes and pay for an empire; and at the same time be pious and reckless. These people would rather bankrupt a family with medical bills than provide them affordable access to healthcare. They would turn our schools systems into cash cows of the profit-driven machine. They would invade a country if it meant better business.

The Republican establishment has veered far off the road of small government and freedom of choice philosophies into neo-religious fundamentalists insistent on shaping America in its image. I cannot stand by and let people who think in such a closed-minded and arrogant manner to impose their will on the people of this country. The American idea is audacious. It begs the question: what is impossible? We invented electricity, gave humans the gift of flight, and built a virtual world. We can aspire to great things, and we cannot be held captive in the economic bonds that a Romney-Ryan Presidency would impose on us. We cannot feed the hungry, educate our children, take care of our sick and elderly, and invent the next step in human evolution if we are stuck being conformed into an image of a country from the Middle Ages where a few nobles and lords profit on the backs and work of the poor and lower classes. We must think bigger. What is our next Man On The Moon project? Can we put a woman on Mars? Can we create a food grid capable of providing every person on planet Earth with food to eat? Can everyone have the opportunity to live in peace?

Such audacity cannot come from an Administration bent on cutting the scale of human achievement for the profit and betterment of a few.  It must come from a truly inspired people. We do not have such a capable candidate like that in this election. It is no secret that 2012 Obama is not 2008 Obama. He is not inspired, but he is sensible. He may have a shady war, hypocritical finance policy, and watered down reforms, but I think if we are loud enough he will listen.  Romney would not. This election is not about who is in office; it is choosing the grounds on which we will fight the war. We can either expend our energy rallying and protesting the austerity policies of a conservative agenda or we could spend that time pushing a potentially inspired man—we have seen it before—into more radical reforms. And if he doesn’t answer, then we take it upon ourselves to make change happen. But we can start on the level ground of incompetent government instead of a profit-driven-bought-off-autocratic-war-profiteering-elite class of the wealthy who have no idea what it is like to live in real America.

2012 Barack Obama is not the perfect candidate for President. I would have preferred someone more socially minded who would a) guarantee housing, food, and gainful employment through (b) tax raises on the 1%, (c) ending the military-and-prison-industrial complex, (d) ending the drug wars, and (e) propagating programs that would aim at empowering the poor instead of burdening them with the debt of reckless government spending, but until that day I am going to stand with the working families who stand to lose something in this election.  I am going to vote for a likely President who will appoint wise and prudent Judges to the Supreme Court who could decide the fate of the futures of my children. The only people that stand to gain from a Romney Presidency are the richest among us. Everybody else will be burdened with the debt of war and gambling.

A viable third party would be fantastic. Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala have made an excellent example of a campaign well-messaged, but Democrats and Republicans have drowned their voices in the avalanche of superPAC money. Until one of those justice-seeking people has a chance at the Oval Office we need to put a President into office that will be less of an obstacle to true economic and social justice. That is our work. Our current government has proved that it does not have the tenacity or fortitude to lead a nation of dreamers. Even the People’s candidate failed to implement systematic change. But the fight must go on, and I think we have a responsibility to set up the board before we launch our assault. Let us set off up the path of least resistance on our way to the promised land.

On November 6^th I am going to vote for Barack Obama for President of the United States. I will cast this ballot not with a sense of approval or endorsement, but in solidarity with those working families who stand to lose their futures under a Romney-Ryan administration. Rest assured this vote does not signal surrender. On the contrary, it constitutes a declaration of accountability. Those who stand to gain from the casting of this ballot undertake a responsibility to lead this country forward in a way that is fair, equitable, and just. If any of those who stand to gain from this ballot do not act responsibly with the direction of our country, We, the People, will be holding them personally responsible.  

"Stop the Vote!" or Voter ID Laws and the Aristocratic Effort to Systematically Deny Marginalized People of their Votes and Voices

     Remember that time back in 2008 when thousands of people voted in the Presidential election two, three, four times with fake addresses and criminal records? Remember how the country came to a stand still while the government figured out how to deal with the rampant voter fraud that ended up deciding the election? Me neither: because it didn't happen. As a matter of fact, it has never happened. Statistically one has a better chance of being struck by lightning than encountering an instance of voter fraud. Between 2002-2005 there were 26 federal convictions for voter fraud: 18 were cited for voting while ineligible, 5 for voting multiple times, and 3 for registration fraud. In 2004- a Presidential election year- the rate of voter fraud was an astronomical .0002%.[1] There clearly is no countrywide epidemic of voter fraud. So, what's all the hubbub? Why is the GOP spending so much of its time and resources trying to create a solution to a problem that doesn't exist (and winning!)? My thesis: so Barack Obama will be a "one-term President."

     This last comment, by house majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), crystallizes the theory that the GOP is not focused on issue politics this year but on partisan squabbling and empty political victories. The new voter ID laws sweeping the country are a case in point. In the above paragraph, I outlined the unrampant nature of voting fraud. So why have the conservatives gone to great lengths to make sure that this doesn't happen (even though it never does)? To make sure that Barack Obama is a "one-term President." You see President Obama won the last election with 96% of the African-American vote, 67% percent of the Latino vote, and 63% of the Asian vote. In addition, Mr. Obama also won 68% of the 18-to-24 vote. Why is this relevant? Because 25% of black adults, 20% of Asians adults, 19% of Latino adults, and 18% of the youth don't have photo IDs. Is it a coincidence that the four biggest blocks of Obama supporters are the four main groups that could potentially suffer the effects of such an unnecessary law? Most likely not. Mike Turzai, a Republican state rep from Pennsylvania's fightin' 28th, has been quoted extensively as saying that the voter ID law is going to "allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania." Is this evidence that voter ID is a concerted effort by the right to deny certain people of their right to vote because they generally vote Democrat?

     Philadelphia, for instance, has voted Democrat in the past nine Presidential elections. Since 2000, there have only been ten cases of in-person voter impersonation. In a city of three million people how is cutting down on these ten acts of malfeasance going to allow Mr. Romney to win? By denying lower income and minority voters their rights.

     What prompted this egregious and blatant abuse of influence? Incompetence. Far right wing Randian maniacs such as Dick Armey, the Koch Brothers, and Karl Rove have successfully confused the language of smaller more efficient government (traditional conservative politics) to mean unchained and unfettered capitalism. This kind of elitist upper-class warfare is a breeding ground for racism, marginalization, and oppression. When the interest of a few is weighed against the needs of the many and the few have all the resources, it is easy for them to tip the scales of law and justice.

     This voter ID law is a case in point of far right extremists (it is worth noting that many of these people are Randian disciples) high-jacking the democratic process. They have crafted a platform that is not only suspect but also downright ludicrous. More tax cuts for the rich?! Military escalation in the Middle East?! Slash and cut social programs that keep the most vulnerable among us afloat?! How could a politician hope to pass such absurd and socially damaging legislation? By marginalizing those who stand to lose. When the winners are the only ones voting it is easy to see why the conservative agenda has become so extreme.

     This country is lauded as a democracy. In a true democracy people have equal access and opportunity to participate in the political process. The recent waves of voter ID laws being introduced across the country are an attempt to stifle this process. These laws are structured to deny traditionally marginalized communities their right to have a voice in US policy and programs. Voter fraud is not a problem in this country therefore any strategy that seeks to solve this "problem" is going to be tarnished with ulterior motives. Read the statistics, research the laws, and discern the motivation for these laws yourself. In 2008- a very popular election- only 60% of eligible voters voted. Any inhibition to the everyday American getting to the polls on election today is a travesty and should be fought at every level. We have a right to participate in this country—demand it.

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[1] During that same election the American Center for Voting Rights initially claimed there were a 100 cases of voter fraud involving 300,000 votes. A review of the study revealed that only 185 of these votes could be potentially fraudulent.

Addendum: Thank you to MotherJones.com, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU, Politico.com, and the New York Times for the help on statistics. 

Tweedle-Dee, Tweedle-Dum, and You (a commentary on the 2012 Presidential election and the superfluous nature of voting in our current political system)

The Presidential election of 2012 demonstrates the minute differences between the two American political parties and the big-money-backed business platform on which they both run. Think about the current state of the world: Economies are collapsing all over the globe thanks to the "work" of greedy mafia-minded banksters; the American war-machine strikes civilian populated areas through the red eye of a drone's camera lens; and all the while our civil liberties slowly erode at the hands of an aristocratic  oligarchy determined to maintain and expand their power. They preach peace and security in an Orwellian irony while the everyday American citizen settles for the mind-numbing droll of television. 

It makes me wonder why I take the time to vote at all. Democracy is based on the idea that my voice- added to my communities'- will help shape public policy. However, between corporate backed super PACs, voter ID laws, and a trustee philosophy of governance my vote- and yours- has devolved into little more than a Facebook "like." Yet corporations and the rich spend millions- and soon billions- of dollars on advertisements in order to sway and brainwash the everyday American with soaring rhetoric about change, lower taxes, and a "better America." Meanwhile, you and I are essentially forced to work until we ache in our bones just to pay the rent and keep food on the table. Not to mention the struggle to maintain health insurance, a retirement, and education for our kids. But politicians are out of touch with our reality. 

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are poster boys- or should I say playboys?- for the out-of-touch governor. Ryan's budget plan seeks to gut Medicare with a zealous gusto for smaller government as if it were the unchallenged will of the people. But has he or Mitt addressed the real problem with Medicare (i.e. the lack of solvency based on indiscriminate military spending and inept tax policy)? Have the American people become so mad about social safety nets that they are taking to the streets to bring it down? No. The people have not played a role in shaping the GOP platform. The aristocratic oligarchy has kept everyday conservatives so drunk on Superbowls and foxy news that they have forgotten that it is their responsibility to set their own agenda. So their agendas are spoon fed to them like they are sitting in a high chair gulping down bullshit and calling it caviar. (Are they?)

The Democrats are no better. In 2008, President-elect Obama promised us change with a capital "C". He promised the purposeful end to the war in Iraq, deescalation in Afghanistan, real healthcare reform, and that the financial industry would no longer gamble away our pensions and social security on hedge bets. Instead our military was unwillingly thrown out of Iraq at the insistence of the Iraqi government, tens of thousands more men and women were (and are) sent to die in the streets of Kandahar, Congress granted the insurance industry probably the biggest handout yet, and the banks have only gotten more mafia-like. And my favorite: Mr. Obama promised that he would not take unaccountable superPAC money. Yet when the election cycle came back around this year Mr. President wavered, bent, and broke. I haven't even mentioned the 2,100 civilian deaths from drone strikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan alone or Guantanamo's curiously still open doors. And all of this military might is coming from a sophisticated Democratic Constitutional lawyer from Harvard. What the hell are we going to do if a trigger-happy Republican decides that Iran looked at us the wrong way? 

Money and mass media politics have co-opted government to the point of flaccidity. During "Water Gate," Richard Nixon's approval rating was an astoundingly high 26%. The Congressional approval rating for the last few years has been hovering around 9%. 9%! That means for every ten people you meet nine of them think that Congress is a bunch of over-entitled fat cats pulling the marionette strings of public opinion with cockamamy blueprints of a red or blue Eden. Yet they ignore the cries and shouts of anger of the people. 

But what about third party candidates? Surely, Ralph Nader, Ross Perot, and Al Gore have pushed the conversation to the left right? Candidates like Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala- the 2012 Green Party Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominees- have fantastic platforms and campaigns. The Green Party is advocating for political reform, equal rights, and ecological sustainability. And what's their idea of a campaign stop? They performed an act of civil disobedience and were arrested at a Fannie Mae in Philadelphia to highlight the epidemic of big bank foreclosures that are plaguing Americans everyday. That's the kind of President I want! So where are they in this election? Lost in the milieu of obscurity. A staffer on the campaign told me it was because they don't have the money. Our two party system commands so much coin that it is nearly impossible to challenge it. So the Republicans and Democrats buy the billboards, the airwaves, and your attention with mind-numbing ads and empty speeches while we are left pacified by our tvs and our exhaustion. 

Why do we let these people rule us? Rule us. We allow people-mostly old rich white men- who 91% of the country find to be irresponsible, inept, and unqualified to conceive of, implement, and even break our laws. And yet we wave our flags, buy our McDonald's from the wheelchair of our obesity, and belt the Star-Spangled Banner like it was Amazing Grace- at least until we lose our breath from the emphysema. Yet we are the shining beacon of freedom and democracy in the world? Ha! And what's worse is we let them do it. We sit by year after year, choose the lesser of two evils, and shrug our woes off like it was the hand of fate- or God. We are just as much to blame as them for the derelict nature of our government as they are. We should be in the streets with torches and pitchforks! Democracy requires education and participation: we are entertained and pacified.

So you may ask: what do we do? First, we accept our failures. We accept that we have let these bankers rob us blind, these politicians deceive us, and these rich men dictate our paychecks, our privacy, and our dignity. Then we take that fire that arises in our bellies from the realization and direct it toward the real enemy- apathy. If we are to have a real democracy we are going to have to take an active role in tearing down the rich man's temple and build a new foundation based on equality, compassion, dignity for all humans, and fairness. Such are the underpinnings of a just society. Then rich men will not rule us, dictate to us, or manipulate us. We will have direct control over our government and our lives in a true democracy. But it will not come easy. Democracy is never given: it is earned. What am I voting? No confidence.