I Have to Say It...

It’s no secret. I’m an out of the closet Barack Obama – Joe Biden supporter. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had some heated discussions with some very close and respected friends and co-workers about whom I’m supporting. The overwhelming question is, “We hear about all this change he proposes to bring to the country – I want to know what he’s going to do.”

Keep in mind that I cannot recall a time in my eligible voting past that a candidate has revealed letter by letter, line by line their descriptive plan to instill any of the “changes” they have all proposed. With that in mind, my feeling is that wanting change at this point is better than the alternative, and whilst the current Democratic candidate may or may not be able to / have the influence to / have a solid plan to instill such change, at least he’s not happy with the current state of affairs and recognizes that middle class America is in trouble. And he's supported his disapproval of the decisions that have been made in Washington with his record as a Senator. Anyone can shout that they don't like the way Washington is running the show, but I'm sorry, when you've voted for 90% of the things that are at least partially responsible for getting America to where she is today, you're just as culpable as the moron in the oval office. That, in my book, is pretty damn important – and probably is for most of my readers.

Here’s a transcript from a recent political ad put out by the Obama campaign. I’ve added some editorial comments of my own, for entertainment purposes only:

In the past few weeks, Wall Street’s been rocked as banks closed and markets tumbled. But for many of you – the people I’ve met in town halls, backyards and diners across America – our troubled economy isn’t news. 600,000 Americans have lost their jobs since January WITH GAS $4.25 A GALLON, NO ONE CAN AFFORD TO BUY THE PRODUCTS THAT THEY ARE MAKING. Paychecks are flat and home values are falling WE COULD HAVE SOLD OUR HOUSE FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS MORE A FEW YEARS AGO – THAT’S A FACT. It’s hard to pay for gas and groceries and if you put it on a credit card they’ve probably raised your rates ALL I CAN SAY IS THANK GOD I HAVE A STATE JOB. You’re paying more than ever for health insurance that covers less and less I HAVE A BILL ON MY TABLE RIGHT NOW FOR A $350 DEDUCTIBLE THAT I DIDN’T HAVE A FEW YEARS AGO. This isn’t just a string of bad luck. The truth is that while you’ve been living up to your responsibilities Washington has not. That’s why we need change. Real change. This is no ordinary time and it shouldn’t be an ordinary election IT WON’T BE. But much of this campaign has been consumed by petty attacks and distractions that have nothing to do with you or how we get America back on track LIPSTICK ON A PIG – GIMMIE A BREAK. THERE ARE MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES RIGHT NOW HAVING TO DECIDE BETWEEN A GALLON OF GAS OR A GALLON OF MILK. Here’s what I believe we need to do. Reform our tax system to give a $1,000 tax break to the middle class instead of showering more on oil companies and corporations that outsource our jobs YEAH, LET’S BAIL OUT AIG. End the “anything goes” culture on Wall Street with real regulation that protects your investments and pensions. Fast track a plan for energy ‘made-in-America’ that will free us from our dependence on mid-east oil in 10 years and put millions of Americans to work SOLAR, WIND, E85, BIODIESELS…IF WE CAN READ AN INTERNET PAGE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY ON A BLACKBERRY, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY ENGINE RUN ON WHATEVER. Crack down on lobbyists – once and for all -- so their back-room deal-making no longer drowns out the voices of the middle class and undermines our common interests as Americans. And yes, bring a responsible end to this war in Iraq so we stop spending billions each month rebuilding their country when we should be rebuilding ours GET THE FOCUS OFF OF WINNING AND LOSING – WE ARE NOT, I REPEAT ARE NOT GOING TO WIN A HOLY MUSLIM WAR. PERIOD. THE KEY WORD HERE – “RESPONSIBLE” GET OFF THE IDEA THAT WE NEED THEIR OIL. Doing these things won’t be easy. But we’re Americans. We’ve met tough challenges before 9/11, THE DEPRESSION, WWII, THE LIST IS ENDLESS. And we can again. I’m Barack Obama. I hope you’ll read my economic plan. I approved this message because bitter, partisan fights and outworn ideas of the left and the right won’t solve the problems we face today. But a new spirit of unity and shared responsibility will.

For all of the naysayers, here is a little more information…

Maybe someone could enlighten me on what McCain is planning on doing for me, in detail…