A Republican for Obama!

A VERY interesting article in WASHINGTON POST (how many more ex-president family members need to come out and endorse Obama so people finally realize that OBAMA needs to be the NEXT PRESIDENT!!!)

I like Ike...and Obama. Why I'm Backing Obama
By Susan Eisenhower
Saturday, February 2, 2008; Page A15

Forty-seven years ago, my grandfather Dwight D. Eisenhower bid farewell to a nation he had served for more than five decades. In his televised address, Ike famously coined the term "military-industrial complex," and he offered advice that is still relevant today. "As we peer into society's future," he said, we "must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow."

Today we are engaged in a debate about these very issues. Deep in America's heart, I believe, is the nagging fear that our best years as a nation may be over. We are disliked overseas and feel insecure at home. We watch as our federal budget hemorrhages red ink and our civil liberties are eroded. Crises in energy, health care and education threaten our way of life and our ability to compete internationally. There are also the issues of a costly, unpopular war; a long-neglected infrastructure; and an aging and increasingly needy population.

I am not alone in worrying that my generation will fail to do what my grandfather's did so well: Leave America a better, stronger place than the one it found.

Given the magnitude of these issues and the cost of addressing them, our next president must be able to bring about a sense of national unity and change. As we no longer have the financial resources to address all these problems comprehensively and simultaneously, setting priorities will be essential. With hard work, much can be done.

The biggest barrier to rolling up our sleeves and preparing for a better future is our own apathy, fear or immobility. We have been living in a zero-sum political environment where all heads have been lowered to avert being lopped off by angry, noisy extremists. I am convinced that Barack Obama is the one presidential candidate today who can encourage ordinary Americans to stand straight again; he is a man who can salve our national wounds and both inspire and pursue genuine bipartisan cooperation. Just as important, Obama can assure the world and Americans that this great nation's impulses are still free, open, fair and broad-minded.

No measures to avert the serious, looming consequences can be taken without this sense of renewal. Uncommon political courage will be required. Yet this courage can be summoned only if something profoundly different transpires. Putting America first -- ahead of our own selfish interests -- must be our national priority if we are to retain our capacity to lead.

The last time the United States had an open election was 1952. My grandfather was pursued by both political parties and eventually became the Republican nominee. Despite being a charismatic war hero, he did not have an easy ride to the nomination. He went on to win the presidency -- with the indispensable help of a "Democrats for Eisenhower" movement. These crossover voters were attracted by his pledge to bring change to Washington and by the prospect that he would unify the nation.

It is in this great tradition of crossover voters that I support Barack Obama's candidacy for president. If the Democratic Party chooses Obama as its candidate, this lifelong Republican will work to get him elected and encourage him to seek strategic solutions to meet America's greatest challenges. To be successful, our president will need bipartisan help.

Given Obama's support among young people, I believe that he will be most invested in defending the interests of these rising generations and, therefore, the long-term interests of this nation as a whole. Without his leadership, our children and grandchildren are at risk of growing older in a marginalized country that is left to its anger and divisions. Such an outcome would be an unacceptable legacy for any great nation."

BARACK THE VOTE

A lot of rambling

On February 12th, I took my 18 year old sister and we went and voted for the very first time. She seemed as excited about the process as I was, though in a much more subtle way. I know she voted in a democratic race, but she will not tell me who she voted for. I have a suspicion that she voted for Obama but I think it speaks of her growing maturity that she realizes how important this process is to our future and values her decision. I am proud of her and I hope she knows that we had a hand in whatever the outcome turns out to be.
I still have my "I voted" sticker on the bag that I took to New Hampshire with me. The bag that holds so many great memories, including a "Stop Global Warming Sticker," coffee stains from the morning that I fell asleep holding my coffee cup which then ended up in the bag, pen marks from when I was waving my pen around while talking about my annoyance with Rudy (I cant clean that mark off....oh Rudy, How I miss thee!!! haha).
Because of the trip to NH to observe the primary process, I feel that I have gained such an insight on how important this election process really is. I knew that I wanted to always be in an informed citizen, voting on issues that would shape my future, but I did not realize how greatly this trip would benefit me as an individual. At work, my boss refers me to the costumers as the 'Political Junkie" and "Obama girl wannabe." He always brings in articles from news papers and magazines that mention Obama, and we even began to read a book called "The Bound Man: Why we are so excited about Obama and why he will not win." (Needless to say I do not agree with the book but it is very interesting reading a Black mans perspective on why our nation still votes on issues of color....hopefully something we are moving past, but still a sad reality.)
One has to be a very open minded person in order to be able to surround themselves with people who are not just diverse in race or ethnicity but instead diverse in political and religious beliefs. I believe that this is also a very hard thing to do, people do not want to be disagreed with.
I know that I have friends who have a different position on political issues, and I know that I do not want to bring politics up with them. I can not expect to change their beliefs and would be offended if they wanted to do that to me,and so I think it is a lot easier to talk politics with people who at least share a basic similarity on political issues (not saying this is the right thing, just the easier choice).

Results of Tuesdays Election........ I am left a little SHOCKED!
While in NH Professor GP and Muir stressed the importance of the role that Media played in the election process, and I think I have been noticing it more and more. I went to sleep thinking that Obama had lost Ohio but it was ok because he had won Texas. I woke up to a whole other story. But what was shocking was the huge deal they were making the election to be. "She is back from the dead!" they kept repeating about Clinton and making the situation look very scary for Barack (I am not doubting that they did the same thing for the last 12 elections that Hillary lost to Obama....but maybe I am a little more biased about this!) But the fact remains that Clinton only received 4 more delegates than Obama did, but you'll never hear that on the news. They like the exaggerate this results so much that we don't even know what is really going on.

To quote Toi..."now I'm just rambling!" haha I guess that's what you get when you wait to post and you have so much to say you don't know where to start and go to...... I need a couple more posts before I get everything out of my head and onto this blog!
By the way, I AM STOKED ABOUT THE REUNION TONIGHT!
See you soon,
Homa