Voting McCain? Read this first.

People who convince others to change their political views have all the effectiveness and likeability of those who aim for religious conversion. It’s clear that I’m voting for Obama, but I get that Obama is not for everyone. When people vote against Obama because they want us to continue our strategy in Iraq or because their income bracket means lower taxes with McCain, I can respect their vote while not sharing their views (or income bracket).

However, I cannot respect a vote based on misunderstanding. The following are reasons I’ve heard people voting against Obama and why I believe these to be largely a result of bad information and bias.

Reason 1: Obama will raise my taxes.
If you make under $112,000, you’ll pay less taxes under Obama than McCain. If you make over $161,000, you’ll pay more. Obama’s tax increases on the wealthy are actually a reversal of the Bush tax breaks set to expire in 2011, returning the tax code to its Reagan state. Because of the Bush cuts, America now has the widest gap between rich and poor since the Great Depression. If you support the Bush tax code, McCain is your candidate. (For a nonpartisan breakdown on how the proposals would affect you, click here.)

Reason 2: Obama lacks experience.
I concede this as the most valid criticism of the Obama candidacy. I don’t believe, however, that experience equals effectiveness. George W. Bush has had eight years of presidential experience; enough said. McCain has had an effective tenure in the Senate, but he’s shown himself to be a victim of his bad temper and one who rewards yes-men while shunning any who disagree. Such a man hasn’t served us well these past eight years. I’ll turn to conservative columnist George Will, who blew me away with this column:
“It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?” McCain Loses His Head, WaPo, 9/23/08

Reason 3: I’m a Republican/Libertarian. I favor small government.
I’m the wrong person to defend this, as I’m not a fan of minimizing government. I hear people calling universal healthcare socialistic and I recall that Medicare was opposed on the same grounds. I hear people calling for no taxes whatsoever, and I wonder who would pay for roads or public schools. So to break away from my bias, I’ll turn again to conservative George Will:
“The political left always aims to expand the permeation of economic life by politics. Today, the efficient means to that end is government control of capital. So, is not McCain's party now conducting the most leftist administration in American history? The New Deal never acted so precipitously on such a scale… Does McCain have qualms about this, or only quarrels?” McCain Loses His Head, WaPo, 9/23/08

Reason 4: I don't vote Democrat because I oppose abortion.
The next president will likely select a Supreme Court justice. With a Court that currently has four justices opposed to Roe v. Wade, this would spell doom to reproductive freedom in America. Please note: Supporting Roe v. Wade does not mean supporting abortion as quick-stop birth control. Almost all of us can agree that the goal is to minimize the need for abortion via sex education and affordable birth control, both of which are shunned by McCain and soon-to-be-grandma Palin. Obama has stated his commitment to age-appropriate sex education, prevention of unintended pregnancies, and access to legal and safe abortions for those who need them.

My criticism of many anti-choice voters is that their concern for human welfare largely ends when one leaves the womb. For those who oppose Obama because they respect life, I’d like to ask them:

• What about the lives of soldiers and Marines in Iraq who are dying for a war waged on very precarious grounds and still lacks an exit strategy? McCain wants to keep them fighting.
• What about the lives of the sick who are unable to obtain health insurance because they have a pre-existing condition? The McCain proposal does nothing to help them.
• What about the uninsureds who fill ERs with illnesses that could have been avoided with preventative care or been handled by a GP? There is a hidden tax on all of us when uninsureds turn to the ER for care, leaving the tab for taxpayers.
• What about prisoners in Guantanamo Bay who are denied legal representation by their American captors? Haven't we prided ourselves in how we treat our friends AND enemies?

Being "pro-life" should mean protecting and defending the lives and health of those around us.

Reason 5: But Obama’s black and will likely be assassinated.
Holy crap, I actually heard this one and nearly lost all faith in humanity. For people with this amount of reason and logic, I beg of them to stay home and not vote at all. Ugh.