Mediocre Tuesday

So, Super Tuesday has come and gone. Republicans seem to have selected their candidate, but Democrats have no such closure. Clinton and Obama are basically neck-and-neck.

As you may have heard, Brooklyn went to Clinton and McCain. However, according to WNYC (I wasn’t able to confirm the data myself), there was one district in Brooklyn that went to Obama and McCain. And that is the district that holds me, Plainclothesman, Oneiroi, Mooseknuckle and Boomstick. Thus, these results can be attributed mainly to our respective endorsements. Right?

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Brooklyn Skeptic on McCain

Our friend Boomstick offers his two cents:

As a rare but extremely insightful commenter on this site, I have been given the chance to counter the prevailing Obama-fest in the Skeptic endorsement efforts. But first, a few words about my experience at the Park Slope voting site was very efficient and professional even after encountering a machine malfunction. I was able to finish quickly enough, allowing for a wonderful sit down diner breakfast before heading off to work. Having worked polling sites in multiple states, this is no easy task, so my congratulations and thanks to those volunteers.

By the time I reached to polls this morning, John McCain had earned my vote. He did so because he like his hero, Teddy Roosevelt, he represents a bold vision for American greatness. This applies across the board, from environmental policies and protections for our vast National Parks System, to the pressing questions of international relations and our foreign policy. I feel this ethos should guide all federal decision making.

While I disagree with his stances on stem cells and largely his views on the issues of marriage and abortion, I do agree with him in principal that these issues should be decided at a state level, and admire his putting words into action by becoming an adoptive father in 1993. “To sacrifice for a cause greater than yourself, and to sacrifice your life to the eminence of that cause, is the noblest activity of all.” Unlike so many politicians today, I think it inarguable that John McCain lives these words and has shown many times his dedication, in the face of death, to them.

On the question of Iraq, we too often forget that a war is going on. Unlike WWII with its all encompassing involvement, or Vietnam with its near unanimous disapproval, the American people are not forced to be involved in our current engagement. This is especially true in urban centers like our home turf in Brooklyn. I think it only right that a country which experiences such incredible freedom as we do, seek to spread that right to all who lack it. I am not and will never be a party line republican thanks to the isolationist impulse of the religious right which in so many ways mirrors the policy lines of the hard left. On the most important issue of our time, and due to the similarities in policy implications if one extreme or the other is elected, I believe the debate between Obama and McCain to be a simple one. What do you believe America’s role in the world to be? Until we define our nation in this way, I don’t believe any substantial progress will be made on the domestic front.

Our greatest eras of progress have always occurred in times of turbulent world order, and I see our current situation as a chance to redefine ourselves and propel our country into its evolving role in our 21^st century world. The challenge before us is best summed up by John, and with his words, I will end this post.

“In Iraq our national security interests and our national values converge. Iraq is truly the test of a generation, for America and for our role in the world. Faced with similar challenges, previous generations of Americans have passed such tests with honor. It is now our turn to demonstrate that our power, ennobled by our principles, is the greatest force for good on earth today. Iraq’s transformation into a secure democracy and a force for freedom in the greater Middle East is the calling of our age. We can succeed.”

-Senator John McCain

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Brooklyn Skeptic on Obama

In honor of Super Tuesday, we urge our fellow Brooklynites to learn as much as possible about all the options and then vote for the candidate that best represents your special, special desires for the country. So Brooklyn Skeptic endorses the act of voting, rather than any particular candidate.

Nevertheless, several Brooklyn Skeptics offer their reasons for supporting Barack Obama on Super Tuesday.

{Plainclothesman}

 I voted for John Kerry in 2004. I’m still a young man and the 2004 election was my introduction to the world of organized politics. As you are almost certainly aware, John Kerry is not a particularly exciting candidate for someone who has recently been given the right to elect the future leader of his or her country. It felt a little like showing up to Chuck E. Cheese on your birthday and seeing the guy in the mouse outfit in the parking lot smoking a cigarette with the mouse head in his hands. Then there were the data irregularities and voting issues which, in keeping with my Chuck E. Cheese theme, was like having the skee-ball machines be out of order.

Something has changed in the past four years, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with Barack Obama. I have seen Obama speak a few times now. One of those times we were put into a separate room because so many people showed up. Listening to him over a loudspeaker, people were still shouting and cheering as they were so riled they couldn’t contain themselves. Nothing had changed since he delivered the keynote in Boston in 2004. People had believed him then, and people still believed him now. As much as I can, I’d like to forget John Kerry and think of Barack Obama as my introduction to the world of organized politics.

{Oneiroi}

We’re slowly coming out of a time when Karl Rove style politics are on the wan. The crossfire standoffs in Congress are rampant, leading to little discussion and impasse. And now we have a new leader speaking about unity, working together, and even has the audacity to say that even Republicans have ideas (in a democratic primary no less).

It indeed makes me hopeful for a different style of politics. Already he has made proposals against lobbyist influences, promises of discussion rather than standoff, and the hope for a more transparent government. These ideas make me excited about politics as a purview for “the people” and less a stage for a soap opera.

I’m purposefully trying to leave out political stances (you can find them), of which Barack may be very similar to the other democratic candidate. I’m leaving out stances which some people with different political stances may disagree. Because what’s the most astounding to me would be the change in representative politics, not just the decay of the Bush agenda, but instead the actualization of a more positive way to go about politics and I believe that having a true leader can make this happen. Obama is that person.

{Mooseknuckle}

I endorse Obama because he is a once in a generation leader.  I think the Clintons vs. the Bushes has turned into a modern-day politcal Hatfields vs. McCoys…Hillary is spending just a little too much time talking about “going toe-to-toe with Republicans,” and even though I think having her in the White House will be a major step forward in many important ways, I think she will be as polarizing a figure as Bill Clinton and George Bush have been, maybe even more so, because for them and the people who support them, the right wing vs. the left wing is personal.

Barack, on the other hand, seems like a candidate prepared to not only put good policies in place, but to transcend the awful, ugly mudpit that is Washington…I think that kind of leader doesn’t come around too often, and I am legitimately excited to have the chance to support him.

{Recklesley}

To be perfectly honest, I believe that Clinton and Obama would make excellent presidents and I would vote for either of them if it came down to it in November. Both represent a shift where our resources will be used to make positive changes for Americans. It will be a great day when our political energies are no longer focused on destroying and undercutting – and either Clinton or Obama are well equipped to usher us into that era.

However, when it comes down to a choice between the two, and feeling that either will be a great step forward domestically, I must choose Obama because of his potential impact on the international stage.  It will be good for all of us when we have a competent, intelligent, articulate, patient, innovative, engaged grown up interacting with the rest of the world. This guy wouldn’t just invade a country. He wouldn’t appoint a jackass to the UN. He wouldn’t fucking torture people. I think everyone else in the world will gradually see this, too. And that will be as good a day as the one where we all have health insurance.

Like my compatriots here on the blog, it is very early into my political life. And I have been so bitterly disappointed with the pathetic state of our political leadership. And of course I am worried that come November, my heart will be broken again. But if Obama has taught me one thing so far, it’s that we can embrace our hopes. And according to him, “there has never been anything false about hope.”

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