A Libertarian For Obama?

"I did not, have, sexual, relations with that woman...I never told anybody to lie...Not a single time...Never... And I need to go back to work for the American people!" - You know who (1998)

I still can hear President Clinton's unyielding, yet blatantly untrue denial nearly 10 years after the Monica Lewinsky scandal. I was in the 8th grade at the time, and this was the event that kick-started my diseased obsession with American politics.

I started out a staunch conservative, though I must have been one of the youngest in Georgia at the time. "If a young man is not liberal, he has no heart. If an old man is not conservative, he has no head." I was out of the loop regarding the above quote, for had I known exactly what President Clinton did with his cigars (aka, not been a prude), I too would have been just another teenage liberal with a bleeding heart, immaturely giggling at a man sticking the cigars you know where...

Nevertheless, my political ideals have evolved much since I was a wee, nerdy little 8th grade prude, and I now consider myself to be a Libertarian. Basically, government sucks. HARD! I soon realized Republicans are no better than Democrats, as they do not truly embrace the ideals of the founding fathers either, and it seems, especially with the present administration, that the conservative movement just wants to expand the federal government as much as the liberals do. Neither party seems to fully comprehend the basis under which this country was founded: LIBERTY!

"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law,' because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual. ." - Thomas Jefferson

I do not dare attempt to summarize the distinctly pure definition of 'liberty' stated above, for Mr. Jefferson states it perfectly. Government is nothing more than a necessary evil, and it must be reigned in whenever necessary; for if it is allowed full privilege, it will gnaw away exponentially at the innate rights of all individuals. 'Security' and 'liberty' can never truly go hand-in-hand! To embrace absolute security is to totally surrender all rights of the individual. For a society to be truly 'free', each person must have the willingness to let others live a lifestyle which flies in the face of his/her OWN values (as long as he/she is not violating the rights of others).

With that said, I can think of no better current individual to discuss other than the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Senator Barak Obama's longtime pastor. This is a man who fought in the foul, filthy, and nauseating battle for African-American rights in the 1960s. Finally settling down as a pastor in Chicago, he helped develop one of the largest congregations in Chicago, drawing a plethora of diverse individuals in his church. Barack Obama was one of these individuals, and like most religious folk, he developed a keen bond with all those he attended church. I myself am not religious, but I can certainly understand the profound sense of family he found within such an organization.

Maybe Rev. Wright is a disgusting, anarchist preacher, but for those jumping ahead, this long, neandering stream-of-consciousness is not a defense of the vitriolic, un-American outbursts of a presidential candidate's preacher. What Rev. Wright believes is simply wrong. However, simply because an individual is a paranoid, outspoken critic of a government which, for all intensive purposes, has been 'allied' against his race for almost 200 years does NOT mean he/she speaks for all members of a religious organization! Did Obama show poor political judgment in not leaving his 'religious home'? Possibly, but what about the friends he made during the twenty years he attended? What about the multitude of community improvements he helped coordinate through Trinity Church? And what about abandoning a pastor and friend who married your wife and baptized your children? It's hogwash! Countless Americans (including me) have many friends/family who they vehemently disagree with politically! Perhaps one would disagree with a troubled friend, but certainly, few Americans would 'disown' people who have meant so much to their lives.

Phew, I just realized how off topic I have gotten...The main reason I began writing this blog was to state my willingness to actually cast a vote for a big-government liberal (Obama!). Washington is corrupt, unscrupulous, inefficient, and dishonest! Running for office has become a public relations/marketing game, and somehow, the press and insiders hand out points for playful deceit and eloquent issue-dodging.

"Oh, Bill Clinton didn't admit anything, and yet, sounded remorseful! What a masterful politician. (aka, he did it, but didn't admit it)"

It is immensely refreshing to see a major candidate, Obama, reject this trap of politics, and he further expanded his ideological righteousness by tackling the 'race' issue head on. In what was the greatest speech of my lifetime, Senator Obama delved into the nuances and complexities of race relations in America, stating not only shameful stereotypes of each race, but explaining the reasons behind each one. He started off by quoting the founding fathers' ideal of a 'perfect union', and yet followed by giving a brief history of this country's difficulty in achieving just that. Even after all America has been through, this country IS living under a 'racial stalemate', and few politicians have the gall to proclaim such.

Obama's speech has nearly persuaded me to vote for him in November...Not only because of this incredible speech on race, but for the uplifting tone he has generated throughout this campaign. Somehow, 'the most liberal senator in America' is able to get a small-government ideologue excited about America's future...And he isn't even mentioning issues! Accountability, trust, transparency, and invoking the civility of America is what draws me to the his message. It has been severely lacking in nearly every American administration/Congress in the modern era, and yet finally, there is a candidate willing to restore the trust in a part of the federal government. If that won't persuade your vote for the man, I'm not sure what will, for if a belief in the good of America won't persuade you, I'm not sure you belong in this great country of ours.

-American Psycho