by Paul Schingle

Created on: July 05, 2008

Unfortunately, my view of Barack Obama has wained a bit since the end of the primary season. He said all the right things I wanted to hear during the primaries. Now that he's nailed down the nomination, he seems to be gravitating more toward the center. I understand that during the election, one has to have more mass appeal, but softening one's stance on issues to gain more votes is classically politician-it's classically Clinton-and it's exactly the reason I was originally hard-core Obama-until now. His original stance on Iraq was one with which I was in total agreement. We need to get out. We need to get out soon. Now, he's saying he may have to alter his stance after a visit to Iraq. Sound like pandering to the right to anyone else but me? It sounds like Clinton.

Don't get me wrong. I still favor Obama over McCain, but as John Adams said, "The lesser of two evils is still evil." Obama came out as the candidate for real change and I believed him. But, as I listen to him more and more, he just sounds like a politician. I may agree with his ideals more than I do McCain's, but there was supposed to be more substance behind Obama. Now, much like Clinton, Barack Obama seems to send up weather balloons to see which way the wind is blowing before he speaks. I'll still vote for him, but I have to admit disappointment.

The two biggest issues on the table right now are Iraq and the economy. Even though Obama is wavering on his stance on Iraq, I do believe his plan is the better of the two for getting our troops out more quickly and more safely AND installing an Iraqi government that can sustain itself. McCain just says "stay the course" and we'll stay there another 100 years if we have to. That plan doesn't cut it.

On the economy, the two plans are so obviously different that if one were a one-issue voter, this issue could decide the vote alone. McCain wants to keep Bush's plan in place. Bush's plan has cost hundreds of thousands of jobs and inflation is out of control. I understand that a lot of the reason inflation is so high is fuel costs alone. We do need to stop our dependence on foreign oil, but at the same time the rest of us are suffering at the hands of the fuel pump while the big oil companies make RECORD PROFITS. Obama's stance is to raise taxes on the highest two percent of the population (those who make more than $250,000 per year) and to stimulate growth by improving infrastructure. This, in turn, will create jobs rather than taking them away. Obama's economic plan is, far and away, the better plan.

A third issue that seems to make the rounds every election year is abortion. If we have four more years of Republican leadership and if even only one more Supreme Court justice needs appointing, McCain could tip the scales to the right for generations to come. If you're a pro-lifer, you'd have to vote for McCain. I happen to be pro-choice. No one with that belief could vote for McCain in good conscience.

So, there you have it. Three pretty good reasons to vote for Obama over McCain. I don't like his wavering, as it reminds me too much of "Slick Willie" Clinton, but his overall plan is much more in line with my ideals for America. Obama '08.

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