an educated choice

yesterday, this post caused an uproar in the comments section between people voting for obama and people voting for mccain. the thing i was most appalled by - beside the fact that someone brought up a hatred for the name 'barack' as an apparent fault with barack obama as a person - was the fact that quite a few commenters seemed to think that those voting for barack obama for president (as i did) were 'silly' and were voting for someone like a celebrity or only because someone else vouched for them. it is extraordinarily dismissive to think that because someone chooses a candidate that they have done so without thought. i mean, really people. we are all adults, right? we make responsible choices (for the most part). so i would like to understand why a lot of people apparently think that it is an educated choice to pick mccain but somehow not to pick obama. i am confused.

i made it a serious point to educate myself about every single issue supported or disapproved by each presidential candidate. i still choose obama. proudly. i made a serious effort to educate myself about every single candidate and issue on my absentee ballot this year, as i have done every time i have voted thus far. it would be irresponsible and an abuse of my right to not make an educated choice. i do not vote strictly along party lines, but rather for or against the person or issue that i feel aligns with my values. 

please, visit project vote smart and educate yourself about your choice. it's a wonderful resource and it presents facts that will allow you to make a responsible choice instead of only paying attention to what biased media organizations feed you.

phrases like 'rabid liberal' have been used to describe those voting for obama and i personally take strong offense. yes, i am much more liberal than most, but i do not shove my views down people's throats. i have never thought of the term 'rabid' as one that would describe myself, my behavior, or my views. everyone is entitled to their opinion and if we happen to disagree, i look forward to an intelligent discussion about why exactly we disagree. it's refreshing (though admittedly, sometimes angering) to learn about other people's views. it is childish, rude and unbelievably ignorant to simply shoot down someone's opinion without consideration for how they came to have that stance on one issue or another.

i am a proud supporter of barack obama for president of the united states. i am not a silly girl. i am not morally defect. i have strong family values. i value life and freedom and realize how sacred they both are. i am also pro-choice and damn proud of it. i am educated about the economy, educational policies, foreign affairs, etc., and made it a point to be so. because of all of these things and many more, i choose barack obama. 

if you happen to disagree, then that is absolutely fine. you have your vote and i have mine and we will see what happens on november 4th.

GO VOTE!

image via ehow.com