Joshua Minton’s Online Pulpit : I’m Still Not Voting for Barack Obama but I Hope He Wins

I’m Still Not Voting for Barack Obama but I Hope He Wins

Posted by Josh in August 28th, 2008

I am not a fundamentalist about anything. I will always reserve the right to change my ideas but I will never change my core values. In college, I avoided thinking about politics at all; opting instead to get my spiritual and artistic core values down. After matriculation though, I made it my task of tasks to find out what I believed in morally, economically, and politically.

I’ve read a lot of books in the past eight years. I’ve listened to a lot of political speeches. I’ve read lots of blogs and articles and I have twice sat on the steps of Thomas Jefferson’s back porch at Monticello and pondered what individual liberty really means.

The other day, I wrote about my core values of economics, law, and politics but I want to apply it to a political reality in America that I am surprisingly very hopeful about. For the first time in our history a candidate of darker skin color than my own has been seriously nominated for the Chief Executive position in what still remains a very proud nation despite being erroneously taken off track by Low Men in Yellow Coats who have tried their best to make war the organizing foundation of our economy, our politics, and our social relationships with each other.

This sad detour is about to have a jarring course correction back to ascending altitude.

The energy I have seen coming from the Democratic National Convention has been nothing short of sublime. The media was not successful in driving the wedge between the two major candidates up for nomination. One hundred years ago in Denver, the “Dixiecrats” as the Democratic Party called themselves back then, held their Presidential Nomination Convention where they voted down, by a majority, a woman’s right to vote and the nomination of a candidate of color as part of their party platform.

Look at the difference 100 years makes. It’s astounding.

And as much as I have been impressed with the speeches of my own Governor Ted Strickland, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Bill Clinton–there is much I disagree with in terms of my core values.

I believe that the IRS and the current form of taxation in America is economic slavery and should be peacefully revolted against as a tyranny opposed to individual liberty.
I believe the War on Drugs is one of the most tyrannical social programs ever subjected upon any people by any governing entity and should likewise be revolted against through the peaceful means of argument and legislation.
I believe any action taken by a government beyond protecting the lives and property of its citizens is an act of tyranny and must be struck down peacefully through the collective action of concerned and educated citizens.

I simply cannot support any candidate for office who believes that the ends justify the means because eventually the ends end up justifying the ends and the purpose gets lost. The purpose is always individual liberty and it always will be and governments will always be subject to the will of their people if they want to last.

I have been mentally trying Barack Obama on as Commander in Chief for the past three days and I have to say that it feels right in my gut. But it doesn’t feel right in my heart or my head and I’m still writing in Ron Paul on election day. But if Obama wins, I hope my gut feeling is right–that it would be a good thing for this nation at this time (of course I felt the same thing about Bush in 2000 and 2004 so take this all with a grain of salt).

If the solidarity and focus on fixing what’s wrong in our country and in our hearts and minds as free individuals (the precious content of our republican democracy) remains in the Democratic Party; when the sums are measured, I believe America will be in a greater place than it has ever been under Barack’s leadership.

But until his party renounces wealth redistribution and social meddling in the affairs of free individuals around the world–I cannot support their candidate and will remain firm in my decision to write in Ron Paul for President in November on the Ohio ballot.

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fantastic Bastard Said in August 28th, 2008 @1:25 pm

I very much so agree with this. I’m defeinitely not behind McCain and I can’t check off the box for Obama either. I’ll write in RP, assuming the fucking electronic machines will let me, and that’ll be it. Again, my vote will not matter much in the big scheme of things but it will clear my conscience, again, for the four years to follow.

Infidel753 Said in September 1st, 2008 @1:25 pm

Who made that sign? I’d like to think that Thomas Payne knew about the correct usage of the apostrophe.

Reverse_Vampyr Said in September 19th, 2008 @1:36 pm

I like your post and agree with most of it, specifically our shared views on individual liberty and the peaceful means of rolling back the tyrannical aspects of our government. However, everything I’ve read and heard about Barack Obama indicates he would use the power of the White House to further encroach on personal freedom under the guise of change. His dedication to economic redistribution and the roots of Marxism seems to permeate his entire career and I don’t believe this tiger would change his stripes once in high office.

Josh Said in September 19th, 2008 @9:53 pm

I agree Doug–thanks for the comment. How’ve you been man? Haven’t heard from you in awhile.

Richard Said in November 2nd, 2008 @9:17 pm

I would say that the political realities of Washington have changed fundamentally over the last 20 years. Obama is a real bridge to something new. I don’t know if it will be a good thing or not, but it will be more…well socialistic…You saw this in the Republicans for Bill Clinton movement, and over the last 8 years George Bush has furthered this change in response to 9/11. Now isn’t it a two pronged attack from Washington? We have the question to attack our civil liberties or economic liberties. Republicans tend to assault us on the front of civil liberties (Patriot Act) and the Democrats tend to assault the wallet with taxes. The only problem is over the last 20 years those lines have blurred and it is difficult to tell one party from another in many ideological areas. Save the wedge issues, the two parties do not address the issues or needs of the people in many ways.

This year Republicans are faced with the same problems the Democrats had 4 years ago. They won’t vote for Obama, but they don’t really want McCain to win either. Now you know how it feels to have a Gore or Kerry running, ugh, awful. That happens from time to time. The more unusual thing here is a fiscal conservative president getting on television and asking the country to give 700 billion dollars to companies in order to keep the country from going into a depression. Hasn’t the country just shifted in a meaningful way toward socialism? Now not only are Republicans willing to limit civil liberties, they are also willing to betray their followers, their beliefs and cave quickly into giving Wall Street Welfare. They will give it to companies but they won’t give it to the people. I believe republicans have a much bigger problem right now, they over the last 20 years have traded their beliefs to win elections by using fear and religious conservatism to win while selling out their fiscal responsibilities. If they get back to cutting government out of our lives, people in this country, the majority more conservative than liberal would start voting for them again.

How’s it going Josh? I thought I’d throw in my 2 cents, but I don’t want to start a flame war. Stop by EWRs message boards for some writer’s talk. I’ll drop by here every once in awhile and make your readers like really mad if you want. Let me know if you’d rather me not. Hope all is well, Richard Site looks great by the way.