Technically, I am an “Obamakin”, a Republican supporting the Obama-Biden ticket. Was I ever really a Republican? Perhaps…
I grew up in suburban/rural Pennsylvania just outside of Erie. Pennsylvania is typically a blue state due to our two largest cities: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. However, the rural areas are as red as they are in much of the country. Raised by evangelical Christians, I was highly influenced by hot button issues such as gay marriage and abortion. In those times I truly believed in voting a “Godly” person into leadership so that God would “bless” our nation. That was before I learned that that theology doesn’t hold up in the New Testament and that Jesus actually taught the opposite.
Matt 16:24-25: Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
That doesn’t sound like the easy road, does it?
As I watch this last presidential debate, I am perplexed and saddened when I think about the perceptions my fellow rural citizens may have about the candidates and the issues and I am deeply troubled by some of their comments.
Uncle Joe, a savy small business owner, buys only American cars because he believes that we should support American industry. In the same breath he decries big government and spews confidence in the free market economy. Confused? I am. If you believe in the free market economy, buy the best car for the best value and allow the free market to send a message to the American auto industry: “Make better cars!”
Cousin Sue studies finance at Penn State University. In defending the GOP, she asked me if I would really vote for someone with the middle name “Hussein” ? She encourages me to vote based on the candidate’s plan for our country and then attacks Obama’s associations with Reverend Wright and Ayers.
Cousin Ann says that it seems “unwise to be allowing this man into power at this crucial point in time in our country. It all seems a little shady.” What does she mean by “this man” and the term “shady”?
Another family member actually visited the Assembly of God church in Wasilla, Alaska. Sarah Palin’s old church. What is curious to me is the fact that Palin’s unwed daughter’s pregnancy doesn’t seem to be an issue. But Obama’s “dysfunctional” family is.
McCain is not such a bad guy. He is a hero and a patriot. He has taken a stand against his own party in the past. There was a time when I was an undecided voter. There was a window in which John McCain could have snagged my vote. It closed quickly and tightly. Although I can’t put my finger on the defining moment. Was it when he said the fundamentals of the economy were strong or when he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate?
I actually think that it was before that. I must admit that I am swept away by Obama’s retoric. But what is truly captivating is not the eloquence in the delivery but the combination of his demeanor and the actual content. He is a great orator. However, that would never have been enough, not even to win the democratic nomination as Hillary so fervently believed. What reaches me is his ability to remain calm and even keeled in the midst of the chaos of our time (and of the Republican campaign). The content of his answers in the debates make sense to me.
Back to my initial question. Was I ever a Republican? The answer doesn’t matter today. What matters is how I see myself now.
I am for (in no partiular order):
- stricter gun control
- gay/lesbian union and legal rights equivalent to marriage
- more government regulation on Wall Street
- more financial support for improving public education
- mandatory health care for children
- affordable health care for all citizens
- the pursuit of alternative energies
- dialoging with our national enemies (Who was it that said we should keep our friends close and our enemies closer?)
Do I sound like a Republican or a Democrat? It’s a shame that we only have two parties… Honestly, my party affiliation doesn’t concern me if I can stand behind a candidate who I believe is straight with me and who represents me. I have found that candidate.
