Yes we Can, but No I Won’t.
First of all, I am a racist fundamentalist who clings to guns and religion and could never vote for a black man and besides, I think he might be a secret Muslim communist sympathizer, who should have left that evil, evil church a long time ago.
Now that that’s out of the way, here are the real reasons why I will not vote for Obama:
1. Bad Fruit from a Bad Tree
The tree I refer to here is not his mixed heritage or unconventional upbringing. The bad tree that has borne Barack Obama is the Democratic Party. For one, the notion that we have to choose the Democrats over the Republicans because they’re the lesser of two evils is flawed and ignorant. If you got your political coverage from somewhere other than the idiot box or major newspapers, you might discover that there are a whole number of political parties, and if, God forbid, you do some research, I’m certain that you’ll find one that reflects your values more than the Democrats and Republicans, no matter what your values are.
The Democrats have failed at every turn to stop the funding for Bush’s war, they have failed to impeach a President and Vice President that have broken the law and the Geneva conventions, and they have failed to convince me that they will truly change the way business is done in Washington. The donkey party has had it’s fair share of scandals, and I’m not talking about oral sex in the Oval office, here. Once they are back in power, we will quickly be reminded that they can be just as corrupt, inept, and smug as the Republican machine. The party is a bad tree, and anyone who comes out of it can only be bad fruit.
2. Realism
The realism here is not what most people complain about in regards to Obama’s ideas. Many of his critics say that he’s naive for promising to end the war in Iraq, to bring more Americans healthcare, and to heal the divisions in Washington. I say that we would be naive to believe him. If you listen carefully to his speeches and read his policy statements, you will find nothing radical in his rhetoric. His promises of bipartisanship are nothing that a hundred slick political anglers haven’t peddled to the American public a thousand times already. Critics will say that he has a radical voting record, that he is by far the most liberal member of the senate. Other than his extremely creepy voting record on abortion, I see nothing radical at all in his proposals. He’s progressive on abortion, gun control, and immigration. But I don’t see Obama being progressive on the issues that really matter.
When you hear him wax on foreign policy, he’s so eloquent compared to Bush that you can easily believe that he will end our destructive imperialist policies. But he promises to do no such thing. Barack Obama has no intentions of ending the permanent state of militarization in this country; Obama has made no promises to address the military industrial complex, which is the single greatest impediment to our own democracy, and to the lives and freedom of people around the world. Obama speaks of managing America’s image and empire in a more responsible fashion, but he never has shown a desire to “end the mentality that got us into war in the first place,” as he has promised so many times.
The realism needs to come from the American people here. Are we going to believe that one charismatic man can solve every foreign policy issue we have, just because his name is Barack Obama? Talking to terrorists and rogue states is not a radical idea, we have been doing so for decades without any serious intention of engaging their interests. Talk is hollow when it is done from a point of unprecedented military leverage. Obama has no grandiose notions like nuclear disarmament or withdrawing the hundreds of thousands of troops that we have stationed all over the globe. No, there is nothing radical about his ideas at all.
3. Arrogance
The issue of character will rear its ugly head again and again during this election. I am not going to claim that Obama has any less character than the lying Clintons or pandering Mccains, but one thing I do take issue with is the fact that his entire candidacy is based on a platform of arrogance.
Talk to any supporter of Barack Obama and try to see if they can find any flaws in him. I’ve tried, and I’ve come up short every time. Obama has done a superb job of convincing us that he is the coolest fucking thing that has ever walked the Earth. The groundswell of his support comes not from people who desire a real change in American ideas and actions, but from people who believe with all their hearts, minds, and souls, that Barack Obama can fix anything. It’s a point that he has hammered home again and again by claiming he feels the most qualified in the realm of foreign policy, when the man has absolutely no experience in the arena. There is no doubt that Obama is a confident man, and people line up behind confidence like sheep line up to get skinned. My problem is that Mr. Obama’s arrogance has become the driving point of this campaign season, and almost everyone down the line has fallen for it, except for the radical conservatives who will despise him no matter what he does or says.
The media loves Barack Obama. The people love Barack Obama. But don’t forget that the person who is most enamored with the Barack Obama phenomenon, is one Barack Obama.
Ralph Nader will not be our next President. But I’d rather back a humble civil servant over an egomaniacal, slick snake-oil salesman any day of the week. 
Read this author's blog.
So who do you support? If Barak is not the lesser of 2 evils, who is?
I’m of the opinion that presidents rarely make much of a difference. I don’t like President Bush much, but the seeds of his administration’s messes were sown a long time ago, by other administrations from both parties.
In fact, by the time a high-level politician gets elected, he’s (or she) has had to move so far to the middle of the road, that they are pretty much the same as anyone else. This is the way it should be. The election process just needs to weed out the obvious wackos, to ensure that at least marginally competent people get into office.
So I’m voting for Barak. Why? Because he’s interesting. He’s different. Because my choice will probably annoy a lot of people. And because, once he’s in office, he probably won’t make a darn bit of difference.
Let me get this straight - you are voting for Nader instead of Obama because (among other things), you think OBAMA is arrogant? If you think arroagance is a character flaw, you might want to read up a little on St. Ralph before calling him a “humble” civil servant (btw, he’s never been a civil servant - he’s a consumer activist). IMO, the only way to get a candidate you agree with 100% is to run yourself, or join your local party and try to inlflunce it toward policies more of your liking.
Why is this on a *career* oriented blog site? If I wanted random political musings, I would go to a political blog.
Thanks for the condescending post.
Swearing is also very professional of you.
A post about arrogance, realism and “bad fruit” is entertaining coming from a Nader supporter.
After speaking of arrogance by Obama, you claim (with arrogance) that people are essentially stupid for falling for his act.
After speaking of realism, you speak in support of the most unrealistic outcome (a Ralph Nader presidency) with the most unrealistic ideals.
After speaking of bad fruit, you praise a man who has spent his second career as an ego driven presidential candidate (not a civil servant).
I am not an Obama supporter but this strikes me as someone lashing out because of some insecurities of voting decision.
Evil exists. And while the current administration has likely aided in growing the ranks of those who don’t care about liberty or peace, there is a place for a strong military deterence. It sounds as if your answer to diplomacy only involves having a friendly chat over coffee and cheesecake with people whose sole reason for living is to see the destruction and annihilation of any non-believer. There are times when men and women of honor must stand and fight for justice.
Tim, I actually enjoyed your post. Whether I agree with you or not on your choice of presidential candidate, posts like these make me think harder and reconsider the reasons I vote the way I do.
I also think it’s great that you do not support Obama like 99% of our generation does. Very refreshing.
I’m tired of seeing people call Ralph Nader arrogant because he’s decided to run. Winning or losing is besides the point: Nader brings to light a host of issues that would otherwise never even get discussed by the two parties.
Nader is not literally a public servant, but his work as a consumer advocate has done much more good for the country than most candidates can say. His chances are unrealistic because we have been told that we only have two choices, and this is a lie.
@Greg- I am advocating a military policy that does not involve global empires- that doesn’t mean I’m a hippy who would negotiate with anyone over cheesecake. Stop projecting.
@Wicked- If you want to see condescending, listen to Obama speak. I will continue to curse at my own discretion, thank you.
Thanks, Monica- I relish being about the only one in the generation.
Good for you for speaking up, Tim. I admire people who aren’t averse to coherent conversations on political topics and don’t mind the nasty gut responses we so often get online. I agree that people are enamoured of Obama, and his arrogance and the barely hidden attitude of “How dare you?” when questioned on some topics grates me the completely wrong way. As I get older and think more about having kids, I get more conservative; we all have different priorities, and even online, we should respect these differences just as much as we would if we were having a conversation face to face. Thanks for attempting to do that.
Obviously you have never met him. Or even talked to anyone who has. You remind me of the biddies NPR interviewed who were angry at the crowds that Obama draws.
I met the man. Before he was running for president. Before he was on the national scene. And he is anything but arrogant. He is driven. He is really funny. And he is a human being.
You clearly buy the hype, which is sad, because no one is their hype. I have met a lot of truly amazing people in my life time, in average settings, and I can say with all honestly that I am impressed on a “I would like to go shopping with/have coffee with you” kind of way.
Barack is a great speaker. But he is also a really funny and nice guy who is human and normal. And, from my very good friend who works for Hillary’s campaign, she is equally as nice. I think that these politicians are people who have a certain hype around them. Don’t buy the hype. They are human, just like you. Instead of attacking the man, attack the message. If you don’t like the Democrats, fine. But obviously you have never met Barack. A true indication of ignorance is talking about things you don’t know.
As someone who heard him before his first failed attempt to be a state senator I think your comments are off base. I deeply respect your idea that as Americans we seem to have two options, which at many times both seem bad. I also like some of the policies of Ralph Nader. But I cannot agree that Obama is Arrogant or Insincere , especially since hearing him before he was a main stream politician. I am from Illinois and was familiar with Obama when he actually was in the community and spoke at events where there were less than 50 people. I believe that much of what we see about politicians is what the media projects them to be, and not their total character. And also the idea that Clinton or McCain are any less arrogant or insincere than Obama is also uninformed. I think you are on to something, but singling out Obama is not the correct way to go about it.