Comments on Mel, A Dramatic Mommy: Dipping My Toes In

I will not vote for Obama. I did not make my deci...

2008-09-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

I will not vote for Obama. I did not make my decision based on his color. I made it because of his Abortion stand. I cannot in good conscience vote for a person who sees no moral wrong in killing an unborn child.
Personally and family wise, my family is very multi racial. We are Chinese, Jewish, Hispanic, Irish, American Indian and African American. Some of us have red hair and blue eyes with freckled skin. Others have black hair and almond eyes. Still others have very curly black hair and brown skin. We are a very connected family who loves one another because we are family. We all share DNA.
I am sharing this so you will understand that my objection to Barak truly is not because of his race. There was another black man who ran for president. His name is Alan Keyes. He had my vote. Why? Because I agreed with his platform.
I think it is great that you opened up this forum. I usually do not post on opposing thoughts because I do not want to receive ugly notes from the "other side." I did, however, find yours very thoughtful and non threatening.
Thanks for letting me have my say also.

Aaryn emailed me with an addition to her thoughts ...

2008-09-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Aaryn emailed me with an addition to her thoughts above:

"I forgot to mention in my rant on your blog that I'm voting for Barack Obama because he wants to bring our troops home from Iraq and see to it that all our vets are properly taken care of by our society. That was a HUGE omission."

I'm voting for Barack Obama because I feel like he...

2008-09-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm voting for Barack Obama because I feel like he's the candidate who will restore America's reputation to the rest of the world. I'm voting for Barack Obama because he's rational, thoughtful, purposeful, intentional, and smarter than me. I'm voting for Barack Obama because he will not shove his ideology down my throat. I'm voting for Barack Obama because he has a plan to improve the economic situation of the average American, a *plan* to fix health care and social security and to improve education. I'm voting for Barack Obama because he cares about the least among us. I'm voting for Barack Obama because he will fill his cabinet with intelligent and qualified people. I'm voting for Barack Obama because, though I don't agree with all of his stances, I believe he is genuine when he says, "this election is not about me, this election is about you."

He will not be perfect; he will stumble; at times he will be thwarted. But he will use diplomacy first in all his dealings, and will bring a restoration of transparency to the hijacked, duplicitous, secretive government of BushCo. He will bring with him dignity, respect and composure and intelligence when he sits down at the table with everyone from world leaders to beloved, important and---of late---belittled community organizers. And he will kick some ass if and when the time calls for it.

That he is a black man has nothing to do with why I'm voting for him. But I will be so thrilled to be on the right side of history when we elect him as the first black president. And I can tell my daughter, "See honey? He looks like you." And she'll see herself reflected back, knowing her options in life are limitless.

Vote Barack Obama '08.

I'm voting for Barack because he makes me feel hop...

2008-09-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

I'm voting for Barack because he makes me feel hopeful.

Part of the Barack package is his being black. But there's so much more to it than that. I want us to show the world we're not who we've been the last 8 years.

I guess I come at this from the POV of someone who...

2008-09-10T03:02:00.000-07:00

I guess I come at this from the POV of someone who isn't a fan of either of the two major parties. Since I have no affiliation with either party, I kind of can't vote along party lines.
That kind of blind party loyalty is as frustrating to me as voting based on race or gender (whether voting for OR against).

Here's where I add my own (possibly hypocritical) caveat - I do vote Libertarian when given the option to do so, but then I've yet to come across a Libertarian candidate who didn't share my beliefs. And I'm not voting blindly, either - I actually research.

The person I vote for is the one who makes me beli...

2008-09-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

The person I vote for is the one who makes me believe that they can make things better than how they are now.
The person I vote for gives me hope.
This is a wonderful post.

I agree that voting for Barack on the basis of rac...

2008-09-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

I agree that voting for Barack on the basis of race alone is akin to voting for McCain/Palin because there's a woman on the ticket.

But, people vote solely on the basis of party line whether they like the candidate or not and that doesn't seem to be an issue.

I am wondering if some of the other folks read thi...

2008-09-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

I am wondering if some of the other folks read this all the way thru. The whole point is not about voting for him because he is Black but because he is about change.

I think this is an excellent post.

Well, I'm jumping in today too, Mel. But I didn't...

2008-09-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm jumping in today too, Mel. But I didn't read that you are voting for Obama because he is black, but that because he is black he has had experiences that have provided him a perspective that is meaningful to change and hope. Not that a white guy, white woman or black woman wouldn't come with his or her own unique perspectives too. But you said that you are voting for him because he is about hope and change, and so are you. And so am I. And I believe he's our best shot at change and hope too.

ok, since you went ahead a posted what could be a ...

2008-09-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

ok, since you went ahead a posted what could be a controversial post, I'll go ahead and answer with what could be a controversial response ...

You know that phrase "two wrongs don't make a right"? Well, that's how I feel about this issue. Yes, racism has been a big part of our country's history (and it still affects us today) but being racist in return - or even making decisions based only on race (which I'd say IS racism too) - won't fix anything.

What ever happened to choosing a candidate whose personal beliefs and political stands match your own? This email says "forget what you believe and vote only based on color" - now THAT is racist to me.

Ok, I said my bit. Anyone can feel free to contradict me, but that's what I believe.

My thoughts? Woo. My thoughts are until we stop se...

2008-09-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

My thoughts? Woo. My thoughts are until we stop seeing color, we'll see racism. Until we stop seeing gender, we'll see sexism.

Do I understand the sentiments of this message? Absolutely. Do I agree with them? I cannot, else I will be forced to vote for Sarah Palin simply because she's a female.

I guess in my perfect world (which I realize exists only in my tiny head), we would vote based on a candidate sharing our beliefs on the issues, not anything else.

But hell, I'm a white girl. What do I know?