Why I voted for Barack Obama

The question of why I voted for Barack Obama has been posed incessantly. Finally I have a forum where I can explain the reasoning behind my vote. I feel that people have not given clear reasons as to why they voted for Barack Obama and many Republicans I have spoken with cite this as a reason for the “blind optimism”. Now, I cannot give a perfect answer as to why every person has voted for Obama. I can only explain the reasons why I filled in his bubble on the ballot. I will break down the three issues that are most important to me and score each candidates position on my personal scale.


The Economy:
In my opinion, the candidate that hits closer to my home is Barack Obama. As a son of a union laborer, I feel that Obama’s policies will help my family in the ways in which we need it. Free trade agreements such as NAFTA and the proposed FTAA have an adverse effect for middle class families. I completely and whole-heartedly agree with Obama’s stance. He will use the United States’ position as the important economic player to our benefit. He will pressure the other countries in those agreements to raise both environmental and labor standards. This will reduce the incentive for American companies to outsource jobs for cheaper manufacturing, thus keeping important manufacturing jobs in our borders. Obama has also stated that he will raise the minimum wage in conjunction with inflation. I believe it is abhorrent that while prices rise, Americans workers do not see an increase in their pay. Those are the types of practices that anger me. An important social institution such as the American middle class has been the enemy of many current economic policies. John McCain is a proponent for lower barriers to trade. He wants the United States to “level the global playing field.” Well guess what Mr. McCain, the field is not level to begin with. The American working class is at a disadvantage in the current international political economy. McCain assumes that our education system is prepared to train the next generation. But guess what, some surveys put our education system at #18 in the world. We are not in the same world as it was in 1990’s. Other countries have begun to close the gap. We are still in a great power position and I believe we need to use that to our advantage by manipulating free trade agreements in our favor. Once the United States has done this we will see a strengthening of the middle class. With a strong middle class, they will go out with their new found purchasing power and disposable income and spend. The owners of these businesses will see a rise in profits and this country will once again get back on its feet.
1 point for Obama


Foreign Policy:
This is an issue that most Republicans think they have the upper hand in. I completely disagree. I remember feeling angry during the days after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. I was all worked up and wanted to travel to Afghanistan and find Osama Bin Laden myself. I put the blame on the Republicans for not hunting Bin Laden. They had both houses of congress, a popular president in office and a country that wanted to find him. We gave them special privileges like authorizing a blank check for war with Afghanistan and yet he is still out there. I do not know, maybe they wanted to keep him out there as a political tool and as a means to scare people into voting for a “sense” of security. Now, I am not going to get into Iraq. I am one of the few Democrats that supported both the original invasion and the troop surge. I feel that it is in our best interest to end the Iraqi occupation with all deliberate speed. I am a proponent of wielding American military might to ensure that our national security will never be breached like it was on that Tuesday in 2001. I believe in exhausting all other possibilities before wielding this power though. Diplomacy and utilizing international organizations are the keys to working in the current international system. We have to be willing to sit with outside leaders. Obama has said he will sit down with Iran and discuss the demands of the United States. He will not be ignorant enough to state that he will attack Iran without having one discussion with them. In conclusion, I believe Obama’s plan is more in tune with what I want to accomplish in terms of foreign policy. He believes that the pen is mightier than the sword, but that its important to have a sword ready.
1 point for Obama.


The Supreme Court:
This is an issue that is not very important to most voters, but I am not like most voters. I consider myself an amateur scholar of the Supreme Court. I also realize that the next President could likely appoint three new supreme court justices. John Paul Stevens is eighty-eight years of age. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter have both hinted at possible retirements. For some of you who do not know much about the current court, these are the three most liberal justices. There is a good opportunity that all three of these could be gone during the next four years. Judging by my article from two weeks ago, you know that I am pro-choice. And with the justices being 5-4 on abortion, the potential shift could cause a major change in the United States.
1 point for Obama.


3-0 for Obama…..…Enough said.

-Javaris Squire My Swag Magazine Fashion Editor