Everyone, please welcome my guest blogger, Marlon, with an excellent summary of why we support Barack Obama - and why you should too. Comments welcome, let's get a dialogue going here!
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Election Day is less than two weeks away, but the Obama campaign only has a few days left to determine where to deploy crucial resources. Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania said today that he thinks that state might be closer than the polls show. I just made a donation, to be sure Obama can get his message out.I've been meaning to write and send my own thoughts about why I support Obama, but have not gotten around to that. I offer some brief reasoning below. I encourage you to donate, if you can, or to talk to your friends. Let me outline why I support the Obama-Biden ticket.
Senator Obama has a viable health care plan that will preserve employer-paid health insurance while moving to cover more Americans. Health care is a crisis of fairness and of economic competitiveness, and Obama's approach is a more effective way to make progress. McCain's health care plan will likely reduce the number of Americans covered and will tax employer-paid health benefits for the first time ever. Obama's tax plan will likely need to take cognizance of the coming recession, and I would not be surprised if tax increases (only proposed on income above $250,000) would be delayed. But I agree with the principles of that plan -- to move toward balancing the budget through modest increases in progressive taxation, a tenet of the tax code for a century. This would reverse the Bush tax cuts, which provided large tax breaks to the very wealthy, and would restore top rates to the levels of the 1990s. Obama's response to the current economic crisis is thoughtful, while McCain has admitted that economics is not something that interests him.
The environmental, infrastructure, and security challenge of the next several decades will revolve around reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Normally I am skeptical of large government-led efforts at innovation, preferring market-led growth. Yet Obama's energy plan is correct in its two core philosophies. First, Obama wil put all options on the table, nuclear power included. Tomorrow morning I fly to Washington D.C. for a meeting of a National Academies study committee on Land Use, Vehicle Miles of Travel, and Energy, on which I sit. After more than a year, we are crafting our conclusions and recommendations. One thing is clear: Progress on problems of climate change will require that all options be on the table, but also that some options will deliver more "bang for the buck" than others. The most effective options do not include increased drilling, even if that must be part of an overall strategy. Second, government must play a role in promoting transformative technology, through subsidies that make alternative energy sources economically competitive and through policies that directly address the issue of climate change. These two tenets are central to Obama's approach.
More generally, Obama appears to be dedicated to governing seriously, and if we've learned anything these past eight years it is the perils of anything less than a serious, steady approach to governance. Beyond that, I believe the nation seems ready to leave behind the divisive culture wars of the 1960s and 1970s, and engage in the important business of rebuilding our infrastructure, education system, and uniting as Americans. As someone who came of age in the era of Nixon, when politics pitted American against American, I longed for the sense of earlier eras, when Roosevelts (both), Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy united Americans of differing ideals and perspectives behind a common cause. Political eras tend to last about two generations, and I have hope that the country is turning the page on the politics of division and seeks to work to strengthen our entire country. I know many persons who are much more conservative than I. They love America, they are patriots all, and they care about building a better future for their children. All the things that slightly left-of-center (yea, liberals) like me desire. There is much common ground to be found in a philosphy of pragmatic problem solving. Obama will not work miracles, but he has a leadership approach that I believe is right for this moment.
The U.S. is the greatest country on earth because, at times, we have reshaped our polity in ways that are more supple than any other nation, past or present. Those reshapings have always been from the bottom up, from the strength of citizens seeking to perfect this union, to respond to challenges, or to right past wrongs. Those reshapings of our polity have also been accompanied by leadership that gives voice to that moment. Senator Obama will not be the only leader for this moment, but he is one. Senator McCain has served our country honorably throughout his lifetime, but I believe that Obama is best suited to the challenges of the future.
Watch a video message from Barack and make a contribution to support the campaign's final push:http://my.barackobama.com/page/ic/ya4x3lji7ge9wl/SgFTVAcID1oAHkZcVQBc Better yet,watch this clip of Colin Powell explaining why he will vote for Obama for President.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27265369/
Thanks for reading!
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4 comments:
Our whole family is supporting Obama; thanks for laying out the issues so clearly!
As someone who has had great difficulty expressing herself with regard to the issues surrounding this election, I'm grateful for this blog entry. Marlon has given me a succinct picture of what the true issues in this election are. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if the facts I've had rolling around in my head were balls on a pool table, Marlon's post has served as a rack. I feel organized and prepared to speak! Thank you, Marlon, and Barbara too!
As Yoda might say, "You two good team make."
I'm a "person much more conservative than (you)", as you know. Where to begin? You hearken back to eras of supposed unity that "Barack" will replicate. First, none of the presidents listed were as extremely liberal as Obama. Secondly, you like those eras because they were times of conservative capitulation/exhaustion. Third, even when we agree on the problem (and we don't re: global warming), pragmatic problem-solving still usually founders at the solution. No one disputes that health care, my area, is a mess. How to fix it is the critical issue. Or take education, which you cite. We may agree that it's not ideal, but we likely don't agree even on what about it is bad, or the causes. "Barack" will likely advocate yet more funding, little or no teacher accountability, reduced testing, and more affirmative action. But you wouldn't want to send your kids to schools with the highest per-pupil spending, because they're in DC and NY, and they stink. Conservatives believe in accountability for teacher, parent, and child. DC schools stink because so many parents don't support/demand academic achievement from their own children, because teachers aren't accountable, and because teaching becomes refereeing.
I'm getting verbose, so one final question: with the possible exception of nuclear power, when has government ever succeeded in subsidizing a "transformative technology" into competitive status?
A reminder to all you liberals out there: if you're standing in front of a cliff, "progress" is not desirable.
Steve S., I agree with you, but I love you Barbara!
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