The Voice of the LC Dems: Why I am voting for Barack Obama

This exasperatingly long election cycle will finally draw to a close next Tuesday with the election of the next President of the United States. Both candidates offer positive and negative attributes that could either plunge America further into the quagmire in which we currently find ourselves or reassert America’s much-needed global leadership.

Senator John McCain is a commemorated war hero whose dedication to the United States from Vietnamese prison cell to Senate floor should be respected and applauded, but during this campaign he has shed his maverick spirit for tactics that deviate from his independent past and ideologically conform to the Rovian paradigm. McCain’s use of robocalls lodging false character attacks against Senator Barack Obama is a page taken directly from the Bush playbook – one we truly must avoid. Attacks like these have revealed a candidate fixated on the past with no new vision for America’s future.

Senator McCain’s choice of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate presents his greatest obstacle to the White House. Gov. Palin has been unable to address the issues in this election and her disengagement with the campaign has led to widely reported animosity between herself and McCain staffers. Gov. Palin is unqualified to be Vice President of the United States and is a dangerous person to have a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Senator Barack Obama is not a perfect candidate. Last year I campaigned against him in support of Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden because I felt Biden presented the clearest policies and was best prepared to lead the United States. I had reservations about the clarity of Senator Obama’s positions, but since winning the Democratic nomination, Sen. Obama has distinguished himself as the singular individual prepared to lead America into what promises to be a tumultuous decade.

While Sen. Obama has run negative ads in this campaign, they have been supported by fact and have focused solely on the Republican ticket’s political record, never containing malicious lies intended to create fear through deceit.

Obama has chosen a running mate who complements his strengths and provides legitimacy for his assertion that America can regain the global respect we once commanded. Obama’s policies promise a return to the unparalleled economic prosperity of the Clinton presidency and a new, much-needed approach to post-9/11 foreign policy: diplomacy through engagement. General Colin Powell noted in his endorsement that Barack Obama is a leader who has the capacity to lead a new generation of Americans.

It is because I trust his leadership and I look forward to brighter future for America that I will be voting for Barack Obama for President of the United States.