A Vote for Obama is a Vote for Freedom of Relationship Choice

OK, folks, for the next 72 hours or so I'm going to go all political on ya, but I'll do my best to keep it light. If you're a regular reader and you don't want to hear/read it, feel free to move on, but please come back soon! I'll miss you.

Yes, I'm a proud Obama/Biden voter. I believe him to be fair-minded and open-minded. I'm hoping that will translate to at least not actively opposing alternative relationships. He's shown no sign of intention to do so, his unwillingness to grant full marriage rights to same-sex couples notwithstanding.

I'm greatly impressed with Barak Obama's intellect and approachable persona. He reminds me so much of Bill Clinton in that regard. Whatever he may lack in long-term Washington experience is to my mind a good thing. He's been a senator long enough to know how things work there, but not long enough to become like so many of the long-timers in Congress, i.e. cynical, jaded, and out of touch.

Like so many others, I'm very tired of the Washington political operative game. Still, I like Joe Biden just fine. I have always believed he is one of the exceptions. He's managed to keep his head on straight and to work the political process to his constituents' advantage, and as a long-time senator he will bring that long-term knowledge of how things work in Washington, as well as his significant foreign policy experience, to the Obama administration.

Considering how the Bush administration has stripped away significant portions of our right to privacy and personal freedom, I've been ready for a change for about seven and a half years now. Considering Bush's cozy relationship with the religious right, there was no way in hell anything would happen that would facilitate the furthering of rights for polyfolk. In fact, for a good while Bush sought to have the U.S. Constitution amended so that legal marriage would only be available to ONE man and ONE woman only.

I think Sarah Palin is both annoying and downright scary, what with her religious extremist views, her smug rejection of global warming as a concept, her inability to cite one major newspaper she regularly reads to stay informed, and her inability to put together a complete, intelligent, non-bullshit sentence. (Sound familiar??)

Palin doesn't and really can't have a clue. Her educational background is shoddy at best, and as a public servant limited to a backwater town and state that in no way is representative of much of the rest of the U.S., she has been used to being able to abuse her power (troopergate) in a way that was stupidly naive. McCain's picking her as a running mate is abusive, cynical, and downright cruel. Clearly he doesn't think he needs a functional VP, and clearly Palin doesn't have the brains to see that she's being exploited, or that said exploitation has backfired bigtime. Besides all that, she and George Bush have way too much in common - why would we want to give a female version of W a chance at the oval office? We've had enough of that kind of idiocy.

I suppose I could live with John McCain if I had to - if God forbid he wins, I don't have much of a choice unless I'm willing to move to Canada or some other country, which I'm not. I'm one of those patriotic Americans who thinks that moving out of the country makes a person a big part of the problem. I believe in staying put, speaking my truth, and working for change. Yet I'm also all for personal freedom, including the freedom to not love America, to not live here, and to not be an American citizen. I won't like you much if you do that, but I support your freedom to make that choice.

I think Obama's meme that McCain will bring another four years of disastrous Bush policies is right on and not simply an empty soundbite. It's clear to me that McCain is just as out of touch with all but the wealthy elite in the U.S. as Bush is.

There are a few conservatives with whom I am close. One good friend, one quasi-partner, and just about all of my family of origin, though saying I am close to the latter is probably an overstatement.

Please tough out the long lines, assuming that's what happens, and cast your vote. Please cast it for Barak Obama. Neither John McCain nor Sarah Palin are poly-friendly people AT ALL. We've just experienced eight years of an administration that actively seeks to limit our personal freedom - why would we elect someone who brings four more years of the same?

I promised to keep it light so here ya go - enjoy!