Some Thoughts by Emma

My niece Emma and I think a lot alike when it comes to many issues, including politics. We are sort of the odd ducks out in our larger family because most of our loved ones are Republicans & Conservatives, and of course we love them just the same! (And they, us!)

However, a few of us in our family have a view that Obama is our candidate of choice, and so I have asked for and received Emma's permission to put her thoughts into this hub. So, here goes!

Senator McCain gave a very good speech last night. It was not heavy on actual policy (when is it ever at these conventions on either side?), but it was extremely touching and did show a strong man who has accomplished a lot. John McCain was once my state senator, and I do appreciate him as a good politician and a truly great man who has sacrificed everything for this country. However, his choice of VP deeply concerns me and made me lose a lot of respect for him.

Before, I was an Obama fan because of the environment, war, and the upcoming supreme court justice appointments; however, I wouldn't have been totally horrified if things went a different way and McCain somehow won...but now, I am truly scared for our country to have Sarah Palin a potential heartbeat away from being our commander-in-chief.

Today on Fox news I saw two reports talking about John McCain's ticket, and comparing Sarah Palin to Margaret Thatcher. Before we start comparing Sarah Palin to Margaret Thatcher, we should wait for more than one 25 minute speech full of invective, wedge-issue, divisive, distorting rhetoric and see what the "left wing, liberal media" finds when they vet her, in much more detail that the impetuous John McCain did. And we should look below the surface right wing evangelical talking points to see what is really inside her.

The Republicans have spent 3 nights using bumper sticker slogans and distortions of the Obama positions on everything from Iraq to taxes, health care, housing, energy, education and all the important issues and have offered not one solution for our complex ills that the Republicans have given us over the last 8 years other than "drill, baby, drill" when everyone with half a brain knows that drilling won't impact the price of gas for 10 years and then have only a couple cent impact (and the oil will be priced and sold on the world market, not just the US Market).

Listen to the T. Boone Pickens commercials. The drilling controversy misses the point - we need to find a way to eliminate our addition to oil by forcing ourselves to develop the technology to use alternative fuels, not try to find more oil - that's like treating a heroin addict by helping him find new sources of heroin. The reason there have been no issue discussions is because McCain/Palin have the same economic, energy, tax, and health care positions that George Bush has and that got us where we are today - he voted with Bush 90% of the time and his proposals are more of the same. And McCain thinks the economy is in good shape - what planet is he on?

Let's find out why Palin actively sought earmarks when it was politically expedient to do so, and now rails against them, why she was for the bridge to nowhere when it was popular and then when it started getting bad press she reversed her position. Let's discover how much debt her city had before and after she was mayor. Let's ask her why she said the invasion of Iraq was " God's will" and the reason Israel is subject to terrorism is because they are being punished for not accepting Christ as their savior.

I wasn't aware that the Governor of Alaska had a direct pipeline to God's thought process. Perhaps she would suggest we re-create the Crusades and slaughter all non-Christians.

And since when was it good to deride community organizers, who are the ones who actually do the hard daily work of helping the common people overcome job loss, home foreclosures, decaying neighborhood, etc.? Seems to me we should be praising that kind of work, rather than mocking it.

And unless you make more than $250,000 a year, your taxes will be cut under Obama's plan, and we will repeal the outrageous tax cuts given to the wealthiest 5% of the people- cuts that McCain would continue and make permanent. And Obama did pass laws and reach across the aisle to get compromises in his 16 years of elected life. Why do the Republicans feel compelled to lie all the time.

As for the social wedge issues, Obama is personally against abortion but supports the right of the woman to choose in consultation with her doctor, family and religious leader, and wants to unite both sides of that argument to seek ways to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies (beyond abstinence-only, which we know doesn't work so well), and he supports abortion to save the life of the mother.

Certainly a more reasonable position than Palin's which is to outlaw all abortions regardless of circumstances, including rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. And while I believe in some form of supreme influence in man's creation, I believe that is a religious matter to be dealt with in places of worship and not a scientific one that should be taught in public schools as if it were a science. It is a matter of faith, not science, and should be treated as such. Teach it as a part of a religion class that outlines the beliefs of all the religions.

And Obama, as a constitutional scholar, believes in the 2nd amendment to protect weapons for private citizens but that there should be some controls to guard against them getting into the hands of criminals or the mentally unstable. He also believes in the federal system of government which places some powers in the hands of the States, not the federal government including the issue of marriage.

He believes in civil unions to protect the rights of people who have made a life commitment in such areas as health care, social security, visitation in hospitals, but he does not favor gay marriage. But again, as a constitutional scholar, he recognizes that each State has the right to make its own decision on marriage.

And for those who may have lingering doubts, he is not a Muslim, never was one (his registration in a secular Medras was because his father was Muslim by birth and the custom was to show the religion of the father on the school records), and is a practicing Christian. And my position is that it doesn't matter what religion a candidate is - in 1960 JFK had to overcome anti-Catholic bigotry and that is what the evangelical right wing spouts - bigotry.

It wasn't right in 1960 and it isn't right now. So if a candidate believes in the kinds of policies and vision that I believe in, he or she can be Buddhist, Mormon, Muslim, Agnostic - it doesn't matter because there is not a religious test anywhere in our Constitution.

Finally, I think it is an interesting type of "Maverick" who would have preferred selecting someone like Tom Ridge, a very moderate, successful administrator, or Joe Lieberman, an Independent with moderate social and economic views, but instead selected a far right wing conservative whom he had met once before to satisfy his base. A real maverick would have told the Karl Rove crowd to butt out and let him do his thing.

His first significant decision as a candidate, was done purely for political purposes and done hastily at that - Whereas Obama did a thorough vetting and analysis and recognized he could better govern by selecting a seasoned senior type who can help him work the halls of government to get things done. He made a rational decision based on governing, not politics. I can only pray that Obama/Biden will pull through, and there will be a better hope of a future of this country for MY children. McCain/Palin will prevent PROGRESS....and right now, that's what we need the most.