I figured I’d share the process with all of you nice and not so nice people here on the zone (You know who you are). This has been the most exhausting election in history. I’ve essentially tuned out of the political chatter online in the last month or so because I’m tired of it and all the bullshit from partisan assholes. I have continued to watch the news and debates however.

For a while I was sitting on the fence. As a Hillary supporter I was bothered by Obama’s very thin resume. At the same time I admired McCain for his fiscal conservatism, his concern about global warming, his history of reaching across the isle, his maverick breaks with Bush on torture and the early tax cuts for the wealthy, his early demands for the surge and the removal of Bumsfeld, and of course his courageous and patriotic personal story. I don’t like the fact he’s pro-life but I doubt he would be able to have any real effect on Roe vs. Wade.

Several things have happened that have tilted me away from McCain. The first is Sarah Palin. She gave a fabulous speech at the convention, but has since shown an alarming ignorance of world affairs and economics when being interviewed. Reagan wasn’t the smartest guy in the world by any stretch, but at least he was INTERESTED in what was eventing in the world. At least he read the newspapers and cared, even if his conclusions were at times wrong. Palin’s ability to be a quick study does not make up for a lifetime of disinterest. Seeing her one 72 year old heartbeat away from the presidency is an unsettling proposition. In short, she’s no Hillary Clinton.

The second thing is Obama himself. His ideas on health care reform, war and peace, restoring our world image, and most importantly energy independence are in step with my own views. Further, he has over the last couple of months managed to morph himself into something very close to Bill Clinton. Some of his ads look like Bill’s with the fireside chat look. He uses many of Bill Clinton’s populist style talking points. I've found this reassuring that he can indeed lead America out of the disaster that is the legacy of Bush and his neocon scum.

This brings me to the next point. McCain is not a neocon, but he has gotten into bed with them for this election, and that by far is his biggest mistake. It ties him irrevocably to the disastrous policies of the Bush administration which have devastated not only our nation but the entire planet! These elitist bloodsuckers have ruined the economy with their governance for the few policies, have worsened the environment by making us more dependent on fossil fuels than we were at 911, all the while waging wars that have created more terrorists than they’ve killed and turned most of world against us. Like it or not, when McCain allowed the neocons into his campaign he allowed their policies to be associated with him in my view.

Lastly, I think it would a culture-transforming event to elect an African American to the presidency. It would be a tremendous symbol of social progress from a nation that only a generation ago was experiencing race riots. Even without all the points I have made above, I think I would have ultimately voted for Obama simply because I could not bring myself to stand in the way of history. The way the last few months have gone I don’t need to make that my primary reason for picking Obama.

So as I write this last sentence I am filling out my ballot and voting for Barak Obama to be my president. There, done. And now it’s time to begin anew!