Yes we can…what?
A few weeks ago, my friend David Wescott asked me to write about my thoughts regarding the change an Obama administration would bring.
Since my father’s already in the hospital, I’ll note that I voted for Obama. I’ll also note that it’s the first time I voted for a Democrat for president, and that I was a registered Republican until just about a year ago when I changed my registration to Independent. In the past, I have voted Republican based primarily on fiscal and foreign policies, with the expectation that social policies would not deviate far from the status quo regardless of which party was in office.
I’ll frame my answer to David’s question in terms of the reasons I voted for Obama.
First and foremost, the prospect that the next president will appoint at least one new Supreme Court justice figured prominently in my decision. Given the increasingly socially conservative agenda of the Republican party, I did not want a Republican president – particularly one who courted the so-called party base as John McCain did – to appoint those justices.
Similarly, social issues have taken a front-seat over the past eight years as the Republican party has re-defined itself (to its detriment, in my opinion). With federal funding for stem cell research up for debate on the basis of religious objections and state ballot measures such as Amendment 48 in Colorado (which was soundly defeated, thankfully), I’ve had to reconsider the priority I place on social issues.
I voted for Obama in hopes that even if additional personal liberties aren’t acknowledged, at least the ones we currently have won’t be taken away.
Secondly, Obama’s positions on our engagements in Afghanistan and Pakistan figured into my vote. I wrote about this point at The Parental is Political a couple months ago, citing essays by Michael Smerconish – another lifelong Republican – on our failed investments in Pakistani counterterrorism efforts.
A few weeks after that piece, I watched a 60 Minutes segment with the former commander of a US Army Delta Force team that was deployed to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 to kill Bin Laden. In short, somewhere along the chain of command, these guys had their authority taken away and handed to a group of Afghanis who were paid millions by the CIA to lead the charge, and they (the Afghanis) failed miserably – and quite possibly on purpose.
I don’t know if military forces under an Obama administration will be better able to locate and capture or kill Bin Laden, but Obama’s focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan – Al Qaida’s home base – gives me confidence that he will ensure that they have the support and authorizations needed to accomplish that objective.
(As an aside, I’m glad that Saddam Hussein was killed and that the Iraqi regime is no longer in power. However, I do not believe that they were as imminent and direct a threat to the US as Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaida.)
Finally, I was heartened by the stances taken by both Obama and McCain regarding energy policy. Both acknowledge the reality of climate change, and both support alternative energies. McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running-mate gave me pause, and Obama’s articulation of specific energy efficiency and independence goals, strategies, and timelines convinced me of his commitment.
Many companies in the oil and gas industry air commercials about their commitment to alternative energies, but speeches like this one from the Exxon-Mobil CEO demonstrate only a short-sighted commitment to their existing core competency, and they mislead consumers regarding the capacity of finite resources to meet an ever-increasing demand. I’m an admirer of GM’s research and development efforts, and I drive a Toyota hybrid myself, but the auto industry as a whole has responded far too slowly to the increasing global demand for energy and the resulting premium placed on oil. For the sake of both the environment and the economy, we need to make some concrete changes in our energy policy.
So what do I think will change under an Obama administration? We’ll retain the civil liberties we already have, we’ll shift our focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, and we’ll enact energy policies that drive exploration and implementation of alternate energies.
At least those are the changes that I voted for.
I’d love to hear what PunditMom and Mamalogues have to say on this topic!
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“It’s My Party, Too” – perhaps Christine Todd Whitman was onto something after all. Not that Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter would ever admit it. Problem is, they’re contributing to the downfall of the GOP, and they refuse to acknowledge it’s happening.
December 1st, 2008 at 8:04 am
Great post. I’m hoping for the same changes, and hope he’s able to pull them through for us.
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December 1st, 2008 at 9:06 am
What Maria said … love hearing your thoughts on all this.
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December 1st, 2008 at 10:10 am
I’m glad I got to read your opinions on this. Even now, post election, I don’t know what to think. I’m just watching it all, and I’ve vowed to support Obama because I believe he can fix some of the issues important to me.
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December 1st, 2008 at 10:14 am
While I did not vote for Obama, I liked a lot of what he said. His push for change is something that is LONG overdue. However, I have been especially disheartened by his cabinet picks. So far, they are almost all beltway insiders. And Hilary as SoS, yikes! This does not feel like bringing change TO DC.
Having said that, truly great leaders inspire those they lead to do momentous things. I sincerely hope that Obama can do this with the team he has put together. I’m sorry to say, I have my doubts.
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December 1st, 2008 at 10:20 am
Your points are exactly the reason I voted for him, too. I made that argument to W. He did not vote with me (but for Bob Barr), but also agreed that the Supreme Court should not be allowed to go further right.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:31 am
Cara, thank you for bringing up that point – it’s something I meant to include. I’m also wary of several of his choices thus far, especially the holdovers from the Clinton administration. Like Dana, I’m watching closely.
December 1st, 2008 at 11:37 am
What a great post! As a lifelong Democart I can’t imagine leaving the “ticket” and am so impressed by your independent thoughtfulness. Not surprised, but impressed.
I have worked for a president like this one appears to be since I’ve been voting. I just hope he lives up to what he can and is able to lead advocates to a comprehension of why he can’t do what he can’t do so the positive energy remains. It’s been a long time.
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December 1st, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I am surprised by the hold overs too. I guess we shall see eh?
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December 1st, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I voted for Obama for many of the exact reasons that you listed. I too have a history of voting GOP, but I couldn’t do it this time. In 2000 though? I totally would have voted McCain.
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December 1st, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I loved reading this Julie. Not only because you voted for Obama, but because I think the two parties may have finally found someone who represents a moderate voice to lead them. I could have easily written the same thing as you except I have nearly always voted dem even though I was registered Independent for a long time.
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December 2nd, 2008 at 6:53 am
This is a wonderful post. I really have to wonder how many others felt the same way — lifelong Republicans who see things in a way different from the way the party looks now. And thanks for offering up the challenge to me. As you know, I supported two other candidates before I case my vote for Obama, so came slowly to the fold. But, as you said, one thing that was very important to me was SCOTUS appointments.
I’ll put my thinking cap on!
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
You know I am kissing my monitor right now, right?
December 4th, 2008 at 10:30 am
I think it’s important to look at the change we’ve already seen, even though Obama isn’t even in office yet. We have an activist president who is doing his best to get in front of economic issues with specifics. The current president has been remarkably silent and the Treasury Secretary, by his own acknowledgement, has shifted strategies on TARP.
From this I get the feeling Obama has a plan; I get the feeling Bush doesn’t.
And I don’t think it’s helpful that the current president is booking interviews on TV, talking about his “legacy” and regrets and placing blame elsewhere while he’s still in office and should be devoting his time to a crisis.
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August 3rd, 2009 at 12:20 am
[...] December, I wrote about the reasons I voted for President Obama. Reexamining those reasons now, I stand by them – namely, the retention of existing civil [...]