DONE (Democrats Over Nominating Elitists)

As a black male Democrat, I just made a decision that hurts my heart.

I’m voting for McCain and urge you all do the same. I disagree with John on many issues, and true he has the same character flaws all human beings do: sometimes we lie, sometimes we cheat, sometimes we flip-flop. But John McCain’s long military and political record shows his love and loyalty to America. And all Americans can agree with his intolerance for out-of-control spending and earmarks and his insistence on energy independence.

As for my boy Obama…sigh…where to begin? Yes, he has the same character flaws all human beings do — lie, cheat, flip-flop, we all do it. Unfortunately, but a few unique sticking points are impossible to explain away.

His constant race baiting sucks. I was shocked by his implication that Bill Clinton — of all people — is racist and remain shocked Democrats actually fell for it. Bill Clinton a (reformed) liar? Yes. Bill Clinton a racist? Never.

Similarly, Obama’s claim that his racist, anti-American church was representative of black people and black churches was dishonest, damaging, and hurtful.

Obama’s inexperience caused his own veep nominee to announce that President Obama would face an “international crisis” in his first year. Based on Obama’s naive and dangerous pledge to sit down with enemy states with “no preconditions” in his first year — the worst and most stunning foreign policy idea of the campaign — I agree.

And though we all have kooks and questionable relationships in our closet, Obama’s chosen associates are unacceptable for a President: his mentor Rev. Wright, an anti-American racist; his patron Bill Ayers, an anti-American terrorist; and his buddy Rashid Khalidi, an anti-Semite.

Lastly, on the economy, Obama’s tax plan is nakedly socialist. His “spread the wealth” comments to Joe the Plumber worry me. His complaints about the Constitution being too “constrained” and not being “radical” in “redistribution of wealth” scare me. The Constitution was indeed constrained — and wisely so — by those who anticipated the day when individual property rights would be threatened by people like Obama! The thought of one-party rule, with Pelosi, Obama, Dean, and Reid conspiring to radicalize the Constitution is the stuff of nightmares.

In short, you cannot be serious about the American Dream and vote to redistribute wealth and radicalize the Constitution, nor can you be serious about national security and vote to invite international crisis.

I do understand that some on the left DO genuinely prefer the European model; if that’s you, then by all means vote Obama.

I remain a liberal-leaning centrist, but I am as dismayed that my party is swinging so far left with Obama as I suspect may conservative-leaning centrists were dismayed when the GOP swung so far right with Dubya. There is a difference between being a social Democrat — taxing the super super super super duper mega uber rich to establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and support the general welfare with policies and programs that benefit everyone — and being a socialist: taking money from workers and giving it away to those who don’t work as Obama would do. As a black man and Democrat, it is hard for me to not support Obama, to stand in the way of the history he is trying to make. It really hurts me to oppose him. But I just cannot stomach socialism.

I would like also to point out that the vast right-wing conspiracy brought Obama upon itself. They would painted centrist Democrats like Al Gore, or like Bill and Hillary Clinton as ‘liberal socialists’ –
nevermind that these ’socialists’ pushed through free trade, gutted welfare, balanced budgets, and cut spending to create budget surpluses — something Reagan never, ever did. These are the policies
of pragmatic centrists, not of socialists, but the GOP didn’t want to hear it. Then, they pushed through Bush twice when he was an obviously inferior candidate both times, not to mention a big spending extremist.

Now in Obama, a left-wing Bush in blackface, we have a real, bonafide, tried-and-true socialist with a capital ‘S’ who could very well dismantle the American way of life. Too bad for everyone that Republicans cheapened the word so much that nobody seems to notice or care. Reap what you sow much?