[GCFL-discuss] Our vote - my vote

[Discussion of the Good, Clean Funnies List]

Lance, I wish I had some details of exactly what you mean by "the rest of
his stances." There are so many of them. Unfortunately, when we vote for
candidates, we have to pick one whole human being, with all their
strengths and character flaws, sort of the same as we have to marry one
person whom we did NOT get to design as our perfect mate. We also don't
get to carve up two or three candidates, then stitch together our ideal
president, which would unfortunately resemble Frankenstein's monster.

On the other hand, we are not electing a god (we don't get a choice about
that), nor even the next American Idol. We are only electing a president.
No matter how big the federal government has grown, it is still a
government of enumerated, and limited, powers. The president only has
certain things on his plate, and the rest is really irrelevant. I don't
have to share his religion, because his faith does not become the
official faith. There are a lot of things that belong to the states, so
why should we care what the candidates for president think about them?
Now, who will pay what share of the federal tax burden, that is something
the president has some influence over, although congress has to approve
it.

Anyone who can get up at a Democratic national convention and announce
"We worship an awesome G-d" in blue states or any states is one step up
in my book. I actually have only a couple of small problems with Jeremiah
Wright, and less problems with his church. I've talked about what my
pastor said on Sunday September 16, 2001, and he said it better than
Wright, but in any case, Obama is clearly many steps BEYOND the world
Wright continues to live in.

Abortion is, in my view, irrelevant to a presidential election. It is
morally important, and it may be important in certain respects at the
state level, where any laws belong, but its one of those things that some
presidents like to talk about, but no president has any business acting
on. Carla and I are voting differently because we have different core
values, and that is the way it should be. But, just because either of us
feels strongly about something doesn't make it the president's business
to act on it. I think the woman in Missouri who said "I'm against
abortion, but that's between a woman and her G-d" had it about right.

My core values and intuition tells me that Obama has a certain humility
that was best expressed by Abraham Lincoln after his Second Inaugural
Address, and all through it: men do not like to be reminded that the
Almighty has purposes other than theirs. I don't want a president who
thinks "G-d is on my side." I want a president who knows that G-d can't
answer all prayers, since we contradict each other's petitions, and G-d
will do what G-d thinks best regardless. Then try to see how G-d is
moving.

I've already shared what a disabled veteran told me about McCain's voting
record, so I won't repeat it. The more Sarah Palin reveals herself to
have the maturity of a ten year old and the sort of opportunism that will
toss out any vacuous phrase to get a rise out of a crowd, the more
irresponsible and unreliable McCain seems for even considering her as fit
to be a heartbeat from the presidency. Kathleen Parker, no liberal,
softly hinted that it would be a patriotic service on Palin's part to
voluntarily withdraw from the ticket, but Palin is far too power-hungry
to do that. This election isn't coming down to how Carla or I vote, its
coming down to how the last 5% who really haven't made up their minds
vote. And its impossible at this late stage to know WHAT will actually
motivate each, but it will be different for every voter. G-d help us
every one.

Charlie
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