Why I voted for Obama

This is an edited version of a post I made on The WELL yesterday, in a discussion with (among others) a guy who is constantly raging about the evils of America. Much of what he says is valid, but he’s the kind of guy who has no solutions – just complaints.

Seems to me some of us here are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.

The entire American political system is gravely infected – hardly anyone would deny that. Opting out of the process altogether seems unwise, though – silence = consent and all that.

At the very minimum, we have to see to it that another Republican is not elected president this year. Better yet, make sure the Democrats win a lot more seats in both houses of congress this year, so righteous men like Henry Waxman and Pat Leahy can do more of what they’ve been do with the limited power they have under the pent thin majority.

Long term, we need more people to participate in Democracy so the political complexion of the country more closely resembles the true face of our population. And we need to either fix the Democratic Party or replace it with something that has a better chance of putting people ahead of corporations for the good of the planet.

I wanted Edwards; I am fine with Obama. I find him inspirational, and I don’t see where this “too slick” charge has much merit. You can’t get very far in this deranged society of ours without plotting a course down the middle and making sure you don’t frighten the horses. Otherwise, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel would still be in the race.

Hillary Clinton would make a damn good president compared to almost anyone else on the horizon. Not the president I’d like to see, but I’m pretty extreme compared to the American mainstream. The problem is, she’s red meat to the VRWC, and if it’s Clinton versus McCain, I fear the worst. If Obama can inspire a few million voters to turn out and thrash the Republicans, more power to him. [WELL neighbor] can’t tell the two apart, and on a certain level he is right that there isn’t that much of a difference. But the difference is significant on a practical level, and that is why I favor Obama and urge others to do their part to make sure he’s the candidate in November.

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