2008 Presidential Election
This week, I’ve spent a chunk of time watching the Democratic National Convention.
I struggle with politics. Sometimes I feel like the entire system is broken. I didn’t vote in the last election since I was feeling this way. I have to say I consider myself an apathetic independent. But this much I know: the past 8 years with Bush and Cheney running this country will go down as the greatest squandering and misdirection of any period of time in our history. To put it bluntly, we’ve gone from the greatest country in the world (some might argue in the history of mankind) to a country through its government that steps on the rights of it’s citizens, engages in wars it shouldn’t, tortures our fellow brothers and sisters, squanders our wealth, engages is croneyism and favoritism, expands government and bureaucracy like no other time in history, and in the end, basically a government that hasn’t done much good (and possibly irreparable harm).
Our country has major problems. MAJOR problems. But in the history of our country, the best of our times have come by facing major problems and overcoming those problems. And those greatest times have had nothing to do with the specific ways we solved those problems. They could have been solved 10 different ways. They came about because a great leader helped guide us to some solution. And nuances weren’t important. It doesn’t matter what specific plan gets put down to address health care, it needs to be fixed. It doesn’t matter what specific plans gets implemented to address our financial challenges, they need to be fixed. It doesn’t matter how we restore diplomacy and our relations with the rest of the world, we need to rise to the highest standards of understanding and compassion to the world family.
I just finished watching Barack Obama give his acceptance speech. (Read his speech — Watch his speech) Based on what I say tonight and following him the last little while, Barack Obama is a great leader. He’s someone that when I look at him and his story and listen to him speak, I trust him. I may differ with specifics of his changes if you laid out micro-details of what he wants to do. But that’s not important to me. Solving our problems in some way is what is important to me, and I believe history will show that Barack Obama will be one of those leaders who can bring our country together and solve our challenges. We need leaders to lead the American people to that greatness and moments of the best humankind has ever reached. There is no guarantee that the United States will be here in 100 years, in 500 years. Every government and civilization in the history of the world has failed. The only way we won’t is to let our amazing democratic system work. The way it’s worked before is that great men and women lead the citizenry through tough and critical times. John McCain and the Republicans are not going to lead us to this greatness. Maybe I’m wrong, but this time around, I’m not an apathetic independent. I’m an independent that is going to proudly cast my vote for Mr. Obama, and hope and pray he wins the election in November. I feel like we have to have someone that is a leader and a visionary at the helm of this country. We need major changes if we want to have hope at solving our major issues.
PS - I promise my next post won’t be about politics or the financial problems facing America! 
Posted by Jeremy at 11:47 PM
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My one comment… are we really a democracy? My reaction is no. The voice of the people only goes so far as the officials they elect, which transfers it to a representative republic. And while I may be splitting hairs, I think it’s something the general populace grossly misunderstands.
Frankly, the Founding Fathers feared a democracy in the form most people think of it because of its inherent failures. They feared the power of the masses as much as they feared the bias towards minorities. Essentially what I’m saying is that the U.S. is not and has never been a democracy and it was never intended to be so. This is one of the biggest reasons people need to get out and vote for their local leaders on a community, city and especially a state level. That’s their voice.
All that being said, I think it’s also important to note that what Barack Obama or John McCain may or may not be able to do on a political level is nowhere near what the media makes it out to be. Presidents aren’t kings. They’re presidents bound by our Constitution. Their powers are great, but they are limited and checked against the powers of those elected by the people. At the end of the day the question almost becomes “Who do I want to follow as a leader” and less about who makes stupid claims like “more jobs, less taxes” that they have a very small part in. More jobs? That’s up to you and me. Congrats on the Inc. 500 and congrats on creating jobs, you should run for president
Russ, that’s a great point! I think one of my favorite parts of his speech last night was when he said that the role of government is to do things for people they can’t do for themselves. It’s not to do everything, it’s to let the people go make it work. And you’re spot on: leadership is the key. Thanks for commenting!
“the role of government is to do things for people they can’t do for themselves”. Can you give me an example of that? What really can’t we do for ourselves that we need the government to step in and handle for us?
Come on! The real problem is government overstepping its bounds! The role of government is to abide by the constitution. It’s not to solve our problems. Anything government gets involved in turns into a problem. If the government stuck with its charter dictated by the constitution our problems would be minimal.
I agree, government does overstep its bounds. But you have to have a government to govern. To the extreme, what you said would mean no government. The founders didn’t write a constitution for that. Government has the role to protect its people from harm abroad as one example. Government has the role to provide a common currency and to facilitate commerce. The government enacts and enforces common laws for the common good. As 3 examples. The people cannot do these things alone. But you are exactly right. Probably 10/10 times, even in those things the government needs to do for us as citizens (and that the constitution empowers them to do), it messes them up or does or tries to do too much. Thanks for commenting!
Yikes! Voting for someone even though you disagree with their position doesn’t make any sense at all. Are you aware of the details of what he wants to do? Don’t vote for him just because he is a good orator, just because he is young, or just because he isn’t Bush. If you really believe is what he believes in, fine, but don’t do it just because he’s a fresh face and got you excited.
Democrats are sounding more and more socialist every time I hear them speak and it scares me to death. I do not want my country turned into Russia or China. No one is entitled to a home, healthcare, or retirement just because they live here. I am not going to stand by and let Obama win and raise my taxes so that he can guarantee these things for everyone. I believe in helping those that help themselves (with those that cannot help themselves being an exception of course, but most people can do something). In Obama’s speech he stated that this country is ruined and that we are a mess because of SUVs we cannot afford, credit cards we cannot pay off, and homes we are foreclosing on (not quite “ruined” in my opinion, but true thus far that these are major problems)… that the government has failed us. What? Huh? How on earth is that the government’s fault? Why on earth is it their responsibility? How about we take a little responsibility for our own mistakes instead of expecting the someone else to bail us out?
This bullet point from The American Conservative Union’s Statement of Principles summarizes my position perfectly (bullet eight under Sharon Statement):
“That when government interferes with the work of the market economy, it tends to reduce the moral and physical strength of the nation; that when it takes from one man to bestow on another, it diminishes the incentive of the first, the integrity of the second, and the moral autonomy of both;”
It’s not about “disagreeing with their position” it’s about disagree with some of their positions or some of the specifics of their positions. You’re never truly going to find a candidate who you agree 100% with. I think If you think you do you probably don’t fully understand their position. There’s bound to be things you don’t like or agree with.
As far as the “take from one man to bestow on another” conservatives generally focus on the welfare program as the example. I agree it has issues. But I think a much more egregious violation of this principle is one that Republicans often support. Taking from the many to give to the rich. A couple of local examples are the city of Draper giving IKEA around $30 million to put their store here. Lehi gave Cabellas a similar sum. Who paid for that? The tax payers. That isn’t capitalism. That’s getting the government to make my investments and take my risk so I can make more money.
Ryan, your exactly right. Previous to watching Obama speak, I read every section on his site covering all his positions on all the issues. Many of his positions I agree with, many I don’t. But for me, I’m looking for a leader to help navigate very complicated and divisive issues. And I’m looking away from the Republican party since what they say they’ll do I mostly agree with, but what they’ve done is a disaster. And Wade your right too, we need to put more of it on our shoulders. We’re so spoiled in America, and are always looking for someone to blame for our own problems. At some level, everyone politicking for office says I can fix everything and make all your wildest dreams come true. Then there’s the actual doing of that, and I’m going for someone that I think might actually be able to lead us to some solutions, and solutions at this point are better than nothing at all, or moving us in the wrong direction. Thanks for commenting!
I was considering not voting at all since I didn’t like either option. But have since decided I need to pick the lesser of two evils. Might want to review his pocketbook. He is not a friend of small business, though he is excellent at giving speeches.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usvG-s_Ssb0
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