Thoughts about this election...

Tomorrow we head off for family gathering in Maryland.  On Saturday we will share a memorial service for my sister Beth who died in early August.  Mostly I'll be too tired to even think about blogging, so I am going to share a few thoughts about the up-coming election n the US between Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney.  Not that my thoughts will have an impact on any one's voting - I have a very limited readership - but more as a prayer and act of conscience. 

+ First, I am an unapologetic Obama supporter.  I am not an automatic Democrat, but I am a fan of the the President and will vote for him without qualification.  I believe he has done a credible job with a horrible situation:  he saved the financial industry, he rescued the auto industry, he moved the US forward with universal health care, he has been judicious in the use of violence in the Middle East and has found a way to disengage from two unnecessary and ill-conceived wars with a measure of dignity.  There are things he has not accomplished - and at times I have been disappointed that he has not advocated more radically for the poorest of the poor - but overall I share his vision and support his actions.  He is a nuanced thinker grounded in Niebuhr rather than the cowboy mentality of the American frontier.  He supports women's issues - particularly reproductive rights - and will appoint Supreme Court justices who will not turn the United States into a neo-theocracy. 

+ Second, I have come to see Mitt Romney as a crass opportunist who will do and/or say whatever it takes to get elected.  Having run for elected office a few times, I both know this temptation and understand why you sometimes have to do some questionable things to win.  In electoral politics there is only winning and losing, so if you want to make a difference you have to win.  That's one of the reasons I got out.  Jesus said it best:  What does it profit a person if you win the whole world and lose your soul?  In this election, Romney has exhibited an almost Faustian willingness to compromise his deepest principles to win - he is an outright liar - and his shameless pandering disqualifies him as a person of integrity.  To be sure, he is probably a kind and loving man on a personal level.  But when it comes to using deadly force in the international arena, Romney has chosen the neo-cons of the Bush regime to shape his directives.  When it comes to fiscal policy, the Ryan budget attacks my deepest Christian values re: caring for the least of these our sisters and brothers.  And I fear what American would look like with Romney's appointment to the highest court.

+ Third, whomever wins the world will not end.  David Brooks in the NY Times recently speculated that because Romney is such an opportunist, more is likely to be accomplished on his watch than under Obama.  That is probably true - mostly I wouldn't like what was accomplished - but bigger things are likely to take place. Look, we survived Nixon and Reagan - and some good things happened under both of these leaders - both of whom I disagreed with profoundly.

+ Fourth, Barrack Obama more clearly articulates and works for a vision of America - and the world - that resonates with fairness, compassion and integrity.  Just compare the two speeches the candidate's wives gave at their respective political conventions.  Ann Romney told us that Mitt was a good dad who loved his family.  Michelle Obama said much the same.  But that was all Mrs. Romney told us.  Mrs. Obama spoke of shared sacrifice.  She noted that her husband's track recond in life was defined by something deeper than the profit motive.  And she articulated a family history that understands and celebrates the importance of a fair and creative federal government.  Even Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey gets that now that Hurricane Sandy has destroyed his coastline.  Mayor Blumberg and General Colin Powell get it, too.

When I get back home from my sister's memorial service, I am going to enthusiastically cast my vote for Barrack Obama.  I like Joe Biden.  My kids and I think he would be a hell of a lot more fun at a party than Paul Ryan.  A hell of a lot kinder, too.  I won't be writing much over the next few days as I deal with complicated feelings and family realities.  But I ask God's blessings be with you as you get ready to vote. (Here's a video a couple I married this summer just put out...)