A Democrat’s Disheartening Dilemma

A Democrat’s Disheartening Dilemma

9 March 2008

If there has ever been a time when the Republican Party should be fighting just to remain a viable party it is now. This government has violated our own Constitution and ignored the Geneva Convention. Our economy is in shambles, the dollar has fallen in value by more than 40% against the Euro during Bush’s presidency, we are almost universally distrusted and disliked by the peoples of the world, and we are continuing the senseless killing of the innocent citizens of Iraq in a five year old war while threatening their neighbors in Iran with a similar fate. We are experiencing the very unlikely situation of a recession in the middle of serious inflation. Record numbers of Americans are losing their homes. The future looks very difficult since we have such an enormous debt and we owe it to those who will probably be our adversaries in the near future. It really is hard to conjure up a more disastrous eight year presidency.

Then why is the Republican Party still strong and even able to put up a candidate who calls for more of the same? The only answer that presents itself is the woefully inapt leadership shown by the Democrats.

For a while in early 2008 it looked like there would be a new awakening in America. There seemed to be a ground swell of hope and determination lead by a new generation of young people who wanted a better world than the one their parents were leaving them. I really began to hope for a new flower power revolution; the reintroduction of idealism and decency into our political pageantry. But, alas, the insiders from Washington used all their experience in the belt way corruption to impede the progress and reinvigorate the Republicans. Do we really want anyone with Washington insider experience to continue leading America? Are we so blind that we think that just changing one insider for another will make fundamental changes in the way things are done in our government? Will it just be another year of voting for the lesser of two bad choices rather than embracing a real hope for fundamental change in the way our government runs? Is it even worth making the effort to vote?

Experience is why we paid those CEOs of our financial institutions many millions of dollars so they could lose many billions of our money. I want a change. Political experience is why we embraced a Vice President who was exceptionally successful at making his old company and his friends even more enormously wealthy. Political experience is what is paid for by the lobbying firms when they buy insider knowledge with huge salaries for failed political loyalists from either party. Political experience dictates that to win you need the financial support from wealthy special interests. I for one am ready to forgo insider Washington experience for experience in life of overcoming immense challenges successfully. I want a fundamental change in the way Washington does its business. I’m not sure that is a realistic hope but I do think that an African American who has been successful against enormous odds has the very best chance to make such a change. I think there are very many of my fellow countrymen who also want such a change. All we need is a charismatic leader who really does believe in the principles we all were taught in school civic classes. That is why I support Barak Obama for our next President.