An open plea to all American voters...
2008-10-10 1:32PM / 標準BLOG
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To all American voters:
Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike—I’m asking you to please consider voting for Barack Obama for President. Electoral college notwithstanding, I firmly believe that it’s important for the entire country that he receive as much of the popular vote as possible.
And this is why: The McCain/Palin campaign has brought the entire political process to its knees. In their effort to create an unassailable foundation upon which to build a victorious army of supporters, they have appealed to the very lowest aspects of human behavīor. They have shown themselves to be willing to call into question their rivals’ very love of their country. They have openly derided ideals of education, community service, scientific progress, and a free and investigative press. They have shown no qualms about trading in dishonesty, innuendo, racism, intolerance, and xenophobia.
Any hopes of Americans for a campaign process in which different philosophies about governing this nation were discussed in a respectful manner, a process by which Americans could hear candidates discussing real issues and be encouraged to make informed decisions, all of that has been swept away.
To Republicans, I ask you this: Didn’t you once hope for something better than what’s going on now? Don’t you feel even a little sick inside about what Karl Rove and his intellectual heirs have done to the political process? Don’t you ever wonder if a party’s control of the White House is really worth the scorched-earth tactics being wielded today?
Humor me for a moment and imagine that you’re in a room with all of the other supporters rallying to McCain/Palin. The polls say that some folks are quietly leaving the room, whether to vote for Obama or to step away from the whole mess altogether. And who’s left behind? A supporter who shouts “Terrorist!” when McCain asks who Barack Obama really is. Another supporter who shouts “Kill him!” when Palin calls Obama “not like us.” People who unquestionably accept lies about Obama’s religion or his record, despite both overwhelming evidence and common sense to the contrary. Politicians who sneer Obama’s middle name “Hussein,” turning it into a slur that says anyone who isn’t a white Christian is bad, is a potential terrorist—is not now nor ever will be truly American. Did you really ever think you’d be in a room with these people? That your candidate would tacitly approve their presence, even welcome it? Is this the final shape of the Grand Old Party?
So why vote for Obama? Why not sit this one out? Because whatever your differences with Obama’s policies, a vote for Obama is as forceful a statement against the corruption of Republican ideals as you can make. If even Republicans turn to Obama, the party will be forced to realize how far they’ve fallen out of touch with the country as a whole. With such a blunt repudiation of the Bush/Rove legacy, the party could regain its soul, could transform itself and be reborn in the eyes of Americans as a worthy and meaningful alternative to the more progressive, liberal Democratic party instead of the twisted and bitter husk it is fast becoming.
To disillusioned Clinton supporters who haven’t committed to voting for Obama, I beseech you to seriously assess whether that which attracted you to Clinton can be reconciled with a vote for McCain/Palin. When even Clinton herself sees voting for Obama as the only logical thing to do, when she can get put aside her grievances from the primary to see that the greater good is served by electing the candidate whose social agenda matches her own vision for the country, can any personal hurt on your part justify lending any legitimacy to McCain/Palin?
To Democrats, it’s likely that you’re already planning to vote for Obama, and I rejoice. But I implore all of you, even those of you in the bluest of blue states, to not allow yourselves to become complacent about polls showing Obama in the lead. Even if Obama wins by an electoral landslide, anything less than a total rout in the popular vote could give heart to those who’ve placed their trust in the politics of division, hate, and intolerance.
In short, I believe this election is about much more than the election of one man to the presidency. I believe that this election is a chance for the entire country to decide what kind of country we wish to be, both for ourselves and for future generations. A vote for Obama, no matter what your politics, says, “Enough is enough—let us endeavor to be great once again.”
Signed,
Just an ordinary citizen, and I approve this message
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