Glass Houses

We have seen in the last week or so, the onslaught of the McCain campaign trying to paint the Obama economic plan as a socialist proposal. They have been fixed on this premise of the redistribution of wealth. But what we have overlooked the fact that we have and have had since the introduction the federal income tax a system that is progressive in nature.

That is we who make more pay more that is also a biblical principle “those who have been given much, much is required”. The republican party has always been associated with those principles. But now we have John McCain and his surrogates calling Senator Obama a socialist. We have these ridiculous claims when McCain himself opposed the original Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

I find this to be the ultimate in hypocrisy and just plain political pandering. I am a republican and have been registered as one since 1980. But this year I am seriously considering changing my party affiliation. There is no doubt that I have decided to vote for change and will cast my vote for senator Obama.

Because quite frankly, senator McCain’s behavior has been erratic and some what troubling first he selects Governor Palin as his running mate. I will not take anything away from her most impressive accomplishments. But the fact is as Colin Powell stated “she is not ready to be president”. Over the course of the past few weeks I think that we as Americans have come to realize that she is not ready for prime time.

She may have been able to motivate the base but we are in a national and potentially global crisis and her separatist rhetoric is not conducive to bringing this nation together. When she incites comments at her rallies of “terrorist” and “kill him”, there is something fundamentally wrong with her message. It is not one of healing and camaraderie, but one of us against them. The old divide and conquer strategy of the past. I can’t in light of the critical nature of the serious problems we face endorse these hate mongering tactics that have no place in the our 21st century political scene.

We have a golden opportunity to show the world something very special and concrete. America has arrived. We are living up to the full potential of our creed. We are turning a new page and living up to the dream that Dr. King spoke of so long ago. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." “ I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

I was too young to attend that day, but I have stood on that step in that place with my own children. This is not a race thing this is a human thing. We may disagree on the particulars but let us proceed in the remaining time with a campaigns based on the issues. Not focusing on the old tactics of dividing and conquering and of fear and hate. We face enough hate and mistrust from the rest of the world due to our failed policies of the last eight years.

I close with the immortal words of Dr. King:

“With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.