Why I'm going to vote for Obama...

I've pretty much decided, for certain, that I'm going to vote for Obama.  I'll go through some of my reasons:

1. I could have potentially considered McCain... several years ago.  He used to be a moderate, and tended to work across party lines for the right causes.  Sadly, as time rolled on, he began pandering to the Religious Right more and more, and voting party lines with Georgie W.  His gut instinct to pick Lieberman would have impressed moderates everywhere, and then Obama would have had a real political fight on his hands.  However, McIdiot picked Palin.

Palin wants to outlaw ALL abortions, except in cases where both the mother and "child" will die (ie. ectopic pregnancy).  She wants Creationism to be taught in schools.  She believes that homosexuals should be treated like second-class citizens.  (To her SLIGHT credit, she did veto a bill that would have banned state agencies from allowing same-sex partners to purchase health benefits through the state-employed partner, but she says she only did it because if she hadn't, she would have violated her oath of office.)  Oh, and I should mention her connections with dominionist, neo-fundamentalist Christian sects.  (They're the psycho type of Christians who should scare even the normal Christians.  Look for references to her pastor, Mike Rose, and other Assemblies of God people.  Please read through that last link.  If you don't know about these people, YOU SHOULD.)  Additionally, she's a moron who thinks that Founding Fathers wrote the Pledge of Alliegence.  In fact, she might even believe that Alaskans aren't really Americans, or shouldn't be.  Oh, and her 17-year old daughter is PREGNANT, but she wants abstinence-only sex-ed taught in schools.  Fucking moron. 

So, not that I'd have voted for McCain anyway, but if any of you had been considering it before... maybe you should reconsider.

2. Barr.  No way in hell.  Just a tiny bit of background research beyond his stances on the major issues, and I discovered a majorly flawed candidate.  As a Representative, Bob Barr actively promoted a bill to have Wicca banned on military bases because it wasn't a real religion.  He considers Wicca to be one of the causes of youth violence found in adult culture.  On abortion, he's consistantly voted against a woman's right to control her body and reproductive functions.  His record on women's rights and gay rights is abominable.  Actually, he flip-flopped.  In 1999, he voted to ban gays from adopting, but in 2008, he "criticized" efforts to restrict the rights of homosexuals.  Makes me wonder.

Also, on religion in schools:

• Voted YES on vouchers for private & parochial schools. (Nov 1997)
• Let schools display the words "God Bless America". (Oct 2001)
• Supports requiring schools to allow prayer. (Jan 2001)
• Supports a Constitutional Amendment for school prayer. (May 1997)

Overall, he's been absolutely inconsistent over the course of his time in public office:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Bob_Barr.htm
I can't trust him as far as I could throw him.  Although I'm more of a Libertarian by nature, this guy isn't someone for whom I could vote.


Given all the options, Obama is the only viable choice for someone with my perspectives about civil rights, liberties, and what America should be.  I don't agree with him on every tiny detail, but there's nothing with which I strongly disagree.  I don't know a lot about Joe Biden, but nothing I've seen so far has sent up red flags.

So, yes, it's official for me:

OBAMA '08