An appeal to single-issue voters – Get over it. Please.
I wanted to take a break from the minutia of the every day mudslinging and talk directly to those who are basing their votes on single issue politics. This is especially prevalent among Latinos who often find local politics or issues relating to their home countries to be equally, if not more important, than issues in the U.S. The best example of this is in Florida, where many people decide to give their votes to the candidate who they feel will be harshest against the dictators who reside in their former countries.
Politics is always local. I have an issue dear to my heart, being a Jersey resident - tort reform. Would I vote for a President based on this? No. With the thousands of single issue items, it is impossible to find any candidate who agrees with everyone, or has even come up with a position regarding every single issue that’s out there.
In the meantime, there are shifts that will impact all of us in this country for the next generation. Our economy needs serious mending, our international policies for protection and diplomacy needs refocusing, our education system needs expanding, and our health care needs to be reformed. How we handle these issues will shape the United States and our position in the world for the next hundred years. The American experiment is at risk, less than 250 years after it began.
The decision as to who we select to lead us through these challenges needs to be decided based on qualities like temperament, intellect, and compassion. These qualities have been tragically lacking in our President for the last eight years, with obvious consequences.
For these reasons, this is the most important election many of us have ever been involved in. It cannot be decided by single issue litmus testing or personality politics. And for that reason, I implore voters, and especially Latinos, to “get over” the politics of the past and help usher in a new way of thinking about what we expect from our leaders.
Would a voter give up a better health care system for a president who publicly bashes the Castros or Chavez? The fact is that despite the saber rattling during the campaigns, the Republicans have never been able to address any Latin American issues decisively. The Republicans have perfected the art of remaining in power by getting people to vote against their economic and social best interests by pandering to personal interests. They have successfully practiced political parlor magic – look into my eyes (or at the pretty pit bull on stage), and ignore what my hands are doing (or more often, not doing)…
But there is hope that more people are starting to see this election differently. A prominent Miami based pundit Jaime Bayly, who in the past has said that he would support McCain simply to “stick it” to Chavez, this week says he is more likely to support Obama because he understands that this country needs a change of direction. Below is my translation of his statement made during his show "Bayly"on Wednesday October 8th:
Politics is always local. I have an issue dear to my heart, being a Jersey resident - tort reform. Would I vote for a President based on this? No. With the thousands of single issue items, it is impossible to find any candidate who agrees with everyone, or has even come up with a position regarding every single issue that’s out there.
In the meantime, there are shifts that will impact all of us in this country for the next generation. Our economy needs serious mending, our international policies for protection and diplomacy needs refocusing, our education system needs expanding, and our health care needs to be reformed. How we handle these issues will shape the United States and our position in the world for the next hundred years. The American experiment is at risk, less than 250 years after it began.
The decision as to who we select to lead us through these challenges needs to be decided based on qualities like temperament, intellect, and compassion. These qualities have been tragically lacking in our President for the last eight years, with obvious consequences.
For these reasons, this is the most important election many of us have ever been involved in. It cannot be decided by single issue litmus testing or personality politics. And for that reason, I implore voters, and especially Latinos, to “get over” the politics of the past and help usher in a new way of thinking about what we expect from our leaders.
Would a voter give up a better health care system for a president who publicly bashes the Castros or Chavez? The fact is that despite the saber rattling during the campaigns, the Republicans have never been able to address any Latin American issues decisively. The Republicans have perfected the art of remaining in power by getting people to vote against their economic and social best interests by pandering to personal interests. They have successfully practiced political parlor magic – look into my eyes (or at the pretty pit bull on stage), and ignore what my hands are doing (or more often, not doing)…
But there is hope that more people are starting to see this election differently. A prominent Miami based pundit Jaime Bayly, who in the past has said that he would support McCain simply to “stick it” to Chavez, this week says he is more likely to support Obama because he understands that this country needs a change of direction. Below is my translation of his statement made during his show "Bayly"on Wednesday October 8th:
“I used to be with McCain to frustrate Chavez…I was always with McCain, not for the good reasons, but for the bad reasons. They were “Who does Chavez hate more?McCain, then we must vote McCain.” But no longer. We have to vote thinking about the future of this country, for the love we have for this country, of which we have become citizens. And I truly believe that Obama is more intelligent than McCain and Biden is immeasurably more intelligent than Sarah Palin just as a polar bear is more intelligent than Sarah Palin…”Like Mr. Bayly, we must get over single issue voting traditions and think about the larger picture. When you see things from that perspective, one clearly sees the continuation of Republican leadership becoming less and less attractive.
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