Danger, Danger, America, We May Be In Danger

I, as well as many others are quite afraid of how close the presidential race is and all that is at stake if the Republican's gain control of the White House for another 4 years. I, like millions of others, have been inspired to become more politically astute and active in the past couple of years. My interest started shortly after moving to Philadelphia and really peaked when I saw the energy and vision that Michael Nutter was bringing to his campaign for the Mayor's race. This is why I did my small part to help him get elected last year. I have also become inspired by Barack Obama and cannot believe that we may actually have our very first Black President, and it's not the year 2100 for it to happen. While I also liked Hillary Clinton, I chose to support Barack Obama during the primaries, and low and behold he won the Democratic nomination. I am now 2 for 2 in my brief political career and hope with every fiber of my soul that I am 3 for 3 come November, because there is so much at stake in our country.

I have been following the presidential race closely, like millions of Americans and those abroad who are interested in seeing how things play out. I was surprised when McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his running mate. While she is well spoken, tough and carries her own, I don't think any of these characteristics qualifies her for the Vice Presidential position. I went through some things when I saw her speak at the Republican National Convention and lost count on how many times she zinged Barack Obama in her speech, which was full of sarcasm, with no substance. If you were a fly on the wall of my apartment, you would have thought I was crazy, the way I was reacting to the comments of Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin. I think from that I've learned that I need to watch the upcoming debates with other people that can empathize with my reactions, because I get too worked up and emotional about this whole race. I hope I don't have high blood pressure by November......LOL.

I understand the hype around Sarah Palin, but I hope it wears off before November and that people will really look to what she's about, what she's done and stands for. I hope women, who should have the right to dictate what goes on with their bodies, understand that electing this particular Republican ticket to office could undo many years of Feminist activism. I hope those that are on the fence will realize that MCain's decision to choose someone with so little national and foreign policy experience can be a really dangerous thing, especially with him being as old as he is and having pre-existing health conditions. As we age, health status can change very quickly and without much warning. I don't know about you, but I have no desire to have someone with so little national and foreign policiy experience running the country. It's one thing to run a state, while the largest area-wise, is one of the smallest population-wise, with fewer citizens in the entire state than a borough in NYC. But quite another to be responsible for the well being of millions of Americans in such a critical time of economic hardship, war and the countries declining status as an international super power.

We need to take into consideration the claims made by people who know her record in Alaska about how vendictive and vengeful she can be, in part underscored by the allegations of abuse of power that she is presently under investigation for. This is not a favorable characteristic of someone who we need to lead our country and not only improve our damaged relations with other countries, but inspire the millions of Americans who have been ashamed of how our country has been run for the past 8 years.

We don't need folks who are in bed with the oil industry, and for all his talk about oil independence and supporting renewable energies, McCain's voting record in the Senate doesn't support this. However, he knows this is a sticking point with Americans, so he is now changing his tone. Not to mention, that the use of oil and fossil fuels are adding to the Global Warming epidemic (though his running mate tries to minimize their impact), so drilling more, while it may be warranted to at least decrease foreign dependence, still needs to take a back seat to biofuels and other environmentally safe ways to keep our cars moving and power flowing. I'm not saying that Obama doesn't have his own blemishes in this area, however when you compare the two, you can see how Obama's plan is better. His voting history reflects his support of these initiatives before his run for the presidency.

There will be more to come on my thoughts. Later in the week, I also plan to post about an effort I have just become aware of by the Republicans who are galvanizing in Michigan (a swing state) to challenge voter eligibility of persons who may have had to move from their registered voting district due to a home foreclosure. This is shady business, but not unexpected from the party who hijacked Florida in the 2000 election and implemented other shady acts in 2004 to regain the White House.