rant, rant, rant...

Just so our readers know, I scrutinize Obama because he's our best bet and I want him to be a better candidate. My personal conflict has always been between voting for moderate change [Obama] who can actually win, or voting for someone who represents the real change we need [which is a write-in, because I don't like any of the third party candidates.] Voting for McCain has never been a serious consideration.

Politics are not linear left to right. It's three dimensional. I don't nesecarily want a more leftist candidate. Ideally, I want the smartest, more radical candidate possible, who will look at the big picture and not be concerned with appealing to the lowest common denominator. Clinton was dead freaking center, and that was a big part of why she was a terrible choice. Clintonian centrist politics are over. I would have voted for her in 2004, but not now. We're beyond that. My biggest sticking point with Obama has been his centrist position since the end of the primaries. He has defused all criticism of vagueness with very solid and detailed policies I quite like. I still don't feel he's committed though. He always leaves a back door open to change his mind which makes me very uncomfortable.

My ideal candidate is unrealistic, because anyone willing to tell the truth [like Dennis Kucinich or any candidate I've supported in the past - like Wes Clark, Jesse Jackson and Bill Bradley] are labeled as nuts. The thing about all those guys is they don't act like politicians, and maybe that's why I trust them... and why they never had a chance in this system where anyone with a pulse has a right to determine the future of the country.

I honestly don't think our current definition of democracy is a good idea. We should work on that at home before we force it on Iraq and the rest of world. As a first step, there should be a test at polling stations. Not a pass or fail, but an awareness test. I propose that when people show up to vote that they answer a number of questions about the candidate's positions on key issues and are shown the results. Citizens should be allowed to vote no matter what, but they should be made aware right before they vote of the true policies of the candidates they're about to vote for. We are so influenced by advertisements and tainted media that few Americans have even a basic understanding of the issues. Being faced with unbiased facts right before pulling the lever is not a bad idea or undemocratic.

Personally, I like Barack Obama and want everything symbolic that comes with Barack Obama becoming president. Is he the best candidate for America? No. But he's way better than the alternative. My issue is that we don't have an alternative - which we can blame squarely on the system in place.