[TravisR]

So I posted a blog on MySpace and thought I'd share it here together. I'm curious to see what people think.
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So I've been thinking a lot lately... about the election, about what's going on in the world and in our nation today. I thought it would be nice to share some of what I'm thinking, and see how others feel. We're sitting at the threshold of the winds of change, and whatever happens in November is going to impact all of us. We're looking at an economy that's sliding into recession, deliberating on the future of an unpopular war while contemplating the complexities of the situation in the Middle East. We're dealing with an environmental awareness that is causing many of us to change our habits in an effort to undo the damage we've done. The face of Congress is changing, and so is the face of America. Our social structure is being rethought, as evidenced by California's Supreme Court's decision to accept gay marriage in the state of California, making California the second state in the Union to do so. We're talking about things like health care, gas prices, the Second Amendment and gun rights, and the extents of freedom of speech. For the first time in our history, a major political party is running a black candidate for the office of the President of the United States. On top of that, they're doing it in a year that is favored to their party. We're stepping away from 8 years of an unpopular Republican President into a race where the Republican candidate is having trouble distuingishing himself from the current Commander and Chief.

I am a registered Republican, and I think that I am pretty darn conservative, but I am looking at what's going on right now, and I don't know that the Republican party has much of a chance this time around. I'm not bitter about it, because as I'm thinking through things, I'm realizing that the Republican party is absolutely broken. Its base is with social conservatives, but that base has been largely ignored by John McCain in favor of reaching out to moderates and people who have been labeled as "disaffected Democrats". I read something a few months ago that really struck me. It basically said that the Republican party isn't going to stand a chance of winning unless they find something to fight for instead of something to fight against. There is so much wisdom in that! Republicans are not united on any one cause. We are not fighting for anything, just against everything. That puts us in the defensive, and it's not a good place to be.

Liberals have taken the first steps in spreading the message of global warming, They are the ones crossing party lines, enacting legislation, and spreading awareness on that issue. They've made it a global issue, and now they're fighting to save the planet. They've chosen their candidate as an ethnic minority in a historical shake up, and so they're fighting for the underdog. They want to bring home our troops and end this unpopular war going on in Iraq, and so they are fighting for peace. They've built a campaign around the idea of change, an idea that is resonating with Americans more and more through the final hours of the unpopular presidency of George W. Bush and as we get deeper into this economic downturn while still fighting a war that most Americans don't even understand why we are fighting. Democrats are fighting for the planet, for the underdog, for peace, for change. They are fighting for the Presidency. What are Republicans fighting for? "Staying the course?" Keeping the Bush Tax Cuts? Privatizing Social Security? Republicans are fighting to keep an office that is bringing in diminishing returns as Congress turns against it. It's not even about standing together to accomplish something. It's not about fighting for a cause. As a party, our only real cause right now is to defeat the Democrats in November, and that's not good enough. For the Republicans, it's not about anything more than party politics. It's about having your party in control.

I don't want to be a party-line voter. I won't be. I didn't register as a Republican because I want to see Republicans in office. I registered as Republican because I care about issues like abortion, military spending, social programs, and taxing. I believe that abortion is murder and that we need to pass a Constitutional amendment to overturn Roe v. Wade. I believe that we need to build a strong military in order to maintain our status and prominence as a major world power. I believe that social programs are too easily abused and used to foster dependence on government rather than aide to help people through rough patches. I believe that taxes should generally be kept low. These are some of the issues that I care about, issues that I am willing to stand up and fight for.

So who will I vote for in November? I don't know yet. I could go either way. If Congress is set to move farther to the left, then I may vote for Barack Obama... not because I agree with his policy ideas, but because I don't want to see four years of nothing but policy gridlock. If the Republicans are set to gain a few seats back in Congress, then I may go with John McCain after all. But I am hesitant to vote for a Republican candidate who I believe misrepresents the heart of the Republican party. I would rather see our party let go of the Presidency for the next 4 or 8 years to regroup and come back stronger than before, rallying around a cause that is worth fighting for.

What about you?

[Steve353]

Most people I know at this point are saying they really don't feel there is a difference between voting for Obama or McCain so they are waiting to see who the VPs are. I tend to agree with them. I've strongly considered writing somebody in. I see very little to be encouraged by in our current political climate. That said my hope is in the Lord so politics can go wherever they wish.