Politics: The Wind Is Changing

OK, I've talked about almost everything else, so now I must share another passion of mind, which is politics. For most of my life, I've considered myself an independent. I know most gays are supposedly democrats, but perhaps my fundamentalist upbringing balanced this out. I was an independent because (1) neither party ever represents all of my views and (2) it seems that when governments are too controlled by one party, bad things occur.

Things have changed. I am no longer independent but am now a registered democrat. I must say this, BUSH MADE ME A DEMOCRAT. Yes, my party affiliation occurred primarily as a response to the Bush years and the deep damage that he has caused to this country both internally and abroad. Oh well, I encourage myself by remembering that we have only 8 more months to go before we can begin the process of healing.

Moving on, when evaluating the crop of democratic presidential contenders, I took my time. There were things I liked about Clinton, Obama, Richardson and even Joe Biden. I never could quite see John Edwards as president, but maybe that's just me. As time wore on, it became obvious to me that not only was Obama a serious contender, but that he was the best choice irrespective of color. I can't say how happy that makes me as a black man. It is both a testament to how far we've come as a people and a nation as well as helping to continue to move us forward to the day when we will truly be an society where we believe that all men are created equal. We may never get there due to the natural human tendencies toward tribalism, but it is a worthy pursuit that helps make this country great.

Anyway, what makes me happiest, is that I am NOT supporting Obama because he is black. I recall in 1988 when I supported Jesse Jackson. Truth be told, my vote was just to make a statement. I would never have voted for him if I thought he actually had a chance because I thought he'd make a terrible president. But Barak is different. I am voting for him because he can become president and because I believe that he is the best choice to move us beyond the counter-productive partisan bickering that has exploded beyond its normal levels in the past 10 years. I like Barak because of the message that his nomination and election would send to the rest of the world. I like Barak because of what his election would say about who we are as a country.

If Obama doesn't win, I'll be disappointed. But at least I am 100% sure that all of the remaining candidates (including McCain) would be a far better president than George Bush.