Beyond Obamamania

Watching the activities by democratic candidates and their campaigns during this primary season has reminded that voting on the issues are only one part of a much more complicated equation that should be used to elect the most powerful person in the World, The President of the United States of America. That equation needs to include variables like personal expectation, societal evolution of political evaluation by the everyday voter.

Beyond the jokes, the "zingers", the pandering, and the campaign mailers your vote must be educational as well as emotional. It is an investment in a candidate and that investment must yield as high a payout as you can get for your community not just you as an individual.

For instance:
If you believe Senator Barack Obama will bring "Change”, there may be feelings of:
An inept Washington, D.C. since the 2000 elections
Real change comes from the bottom up through grassroots initiatives and real people
An inability to get Congress to move on criminal justice reform
Embarrassment and/or disgust about the Bush II years
Sen. Hillary Clinton is a professional politician not a representative of people, or maybe
Sen. Barack Obama is the best orator since President John F. Kennedy

-or-

If you believe Senator Hillary Clinton represents "Experience”, there may be feelings of:
Nostalgia of the good ole' 1990's
Real change comes from the top down through grasstops initiatives and experienced professionals
A person who Congress is ready to work with
Embarrassment and/or disgust about the Bush II years
Barack Obama doesn't now how Washington works, or
Sen. Hillary Clinton is a realist with concrete goals and the toughness to make things happen

But issues ain't everything

Whoopi Goldberg who claimed she was leaning towards supporting Barack Obama voted for Hillary Clinton on Super Tuesday (Febraury 5, 2008). She reported this during her regular appearance on the daily talk show "The View". Whoopi based her rationale for doing this on the fact that Hillary Clinton was the “first” person in this year’s race to announce they would bring industry jobs back to the US. Of course to do this Hillary Clinton would have to denounce the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, which she has refused to do outright.

Whoopi’s public announcement on live daytime network television amplifies an otherwise cerebral debate voters are having as primary dates and the November election approaches them. Superficially Whoopi’s decision and rationale makes sense but by basing her individual vote on individual issues she demonstrated the risk we all face when voting solely based on issues and pandering.

It has been proven in election after election that promises on issues are never kept without organized pressure from the people who the promises were made to. Just ask Black and Latino church leaders who were promised by George Bush II that Faith Based Initiatives would increase social services and poverty programs in their communities. Or the promise by Bill Clinton that Black and Latino communities would be better off post Welfare Reform. The irony is that Faith Based Initiatives was actually written by Bill Clinton to be the answer to Welfare Reform in urban communities. What President Bi Clinton didn’t tell people was that the majority of those welfare recipients would begin receiving state assistance through the criminal justice system and he would ensure they would get those services by passing and expanding federal mandatory minimum and 3 strikes and you’re out laws.

With democratic participation comes a great responsibility and when voting on promises made by a candidate our role in democracy becomes too powerful to allow a pandering, political weather cock to represent us.

We must vote beyond issues. We need to see consistency on our issue, commitments to proposed timelines to resolve those issues, accountability of the candidate to the voter, and both access and communication to and with the candidate so progress on the issue can be monitored.

Just voting because of an issue has resulted in some disastrous results. Consider these few:
• NAFTA – Killed local economy’s by sending jobs over seas, thus killing the middle class in the US
• Welfare Reform - Fast tracked mentally ill and drug addicted to prison, created the working poor demographic, increased overdose deaths, and decreased access to pre-natal care
• Universal Health Care – created fines for businesses and forces people into day labor jobs
• Defense of Marriage Act – Turned heterosexual people against people in the LGBTIQ community
• Iraq – No weapons mass destruction, no Bin Laden, and No-Bid contracts for Bush cronies
• Bringing home the Troops – Congress?? - I guess the jury is still out on that, right!

When voting for a position as powerful the President of the United States we can not allow our vote to be reduced to a simple decision on an issue or two. That decision has to be made by analyzing the information being presented on your issue. We must have historical facts, know the context of the candidate’s larger agenda, and finally a gut feeling telling you if you do or do not trust the person pandering for your vote. Then WE all have to be prepared to hold them accountable if they win.

Here are some youtube video links on some of the issues being addressed. Don’t pull a Whoopi and allow pandering politicians to not only shift your personal vote but then use your influence to shoft a bunch of other people’s votes in one irresponsible sweep.

Health Care
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjA6eJ3R-UQ

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y3HWDXmXrY

Economy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-fmAYXeSUU

Sub-Prime Mortgages
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pguJNOcssg

Iraq war
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMY3dPPVucA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMajrjJ5Q5I


Shame on you Barack Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmet77JCniU

Silly season of politics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wniuF3-QQZ4