Over a year ago, long before I settled my vote on Obama, I posted what I thought were the Six top Issues for the Next Election.
I revisited them, for the first time, today.
I still stand by every one of them, and Obama is on the right side of every single one
But I have to say that in the intervening months some other criteria have become even more important.
These are the primary reasons I am now voting for Barack Obama:
- He puts America first.
It's one thing to say you put your country first. It's another to actually do it. When the economic crisis hit—while McCain was grandstanding about canceling his campaign (which he didn't do) and rushing to Washington for photo ops—Obama refused to turn a national emergency into a way to get votes.
He risked criticism by getting on the phone and talking to the experts, before he did anything at all. He made sure he understood what was good for the country before acting.
It could have cost him the election. But he was more interested in meeting the crisis.
There's no better indication of how a candidate will behave in the White House than what he does during a crisis like this, with his campaign still on the line. -
He's honest.
Everyone in the country knows exactly where Obama stands on the campaign issues.
He hasn't said one thing when the cameras were on him at a rally, then had his V.P. nominee say something else.
He hasn't tried to make McCain's associations with George "the plumber" Liddy, or McCain's service on boards that gave money to Khalidi's organization into false slurs on McCain's character.
This is a very good indication that he won't be lying to the country, as president, or lying to congress. -
He's smart.
It's not possible to take the high road, as he has done in this campaign, and still be winning this close to the election, unless you are bright.
And lets face it. In the world George Bush has left us, the President of the United States needs to be very bright. He needs to be a man of deep understanding, who thinks before he acts.
The last thing we need is another president who can be outsmarted by a terrorist. -
He's decent.
He refused, early on, and in spite of a barrage of false accusations from the McCain campaign, to call McCain a liar.
He has repeatedly been criticized by his supporters for treating McCain with too much respect.
He has born being called a "socialist" and accusations that he was connected to terrorists, without once calling, or allowing his campaign to call McCain a name of any kind.
While his opponent has encouraged booing of Obama, and disparaging comments about him at rallies, Obama has consistently stopped any such behavior at his own rallies, standing up to his own supporters.
And, while his opponent has been running an anti-Democrat campaign, attempting once more to split the country in order to get votes, Obama has refused to run an anti-Republican campaign in response.
He is the candidate who has demonstrated his ability, and willingness, to reach out to the other side, to end the partisan manipulation and infighting we've had these last eight years, and get this country back on track.
And he's demonstrated it in the midst of a very nasty political fight, where, if his high-road approach had failed, it could have cost him the election.
As I said at the beginning, he's right on the issues, as well. But right now, it's more important that we have the right kind of person in the oval office.
Barack Obama is that person.
It's been a long eight years.
