If I Could Vote For Both Of Them, I Would

I'm inclined to say that both Sen. Obama (D-Illinois) and Sen. McCain (R-Arizona) should be given a pass for the last week's wrangling. The drama, real and manufactured, surrounding the financial bailout in Congress this week, is a miasma so confusing no one person will ever be able to fully articulate it. Both candidates were so obviously blindsided by the landslide of Wall Street crashing into Main Street, really, let's just give them both a pass.

Lately, I've caught myself saying, "If I could vote for them both, I would." I've become more undecided of late. I so strongly oppose some of McCain's positions but I have an equal distaste for some of Obama's, too. And, I've heard all the arguments about how voting is really about control of Congress and the appointment of Justices, etc. Obama was not even my third choice during the primaries, and I'm having a hard time getting over those disagreements. More than that, I still have a little idealism left in me I suppose; I like to think that not voting for someone, while it implies you voted for someone else, is still not voting for the other person. It's six of one, half dozen of the other once I get to the voting booth, though. If I withhold my vote from Obama, due to opposition to him, and vote for McCain, I still voted for McCain. It would make me feel dirty to be such a bad Democrat. I know at least one Republican I plan to vote for in Maine. Maybe I really am an Independent, stigma and all. Almost as bad as being bisexual.

Call me crazy, but I also don't like Joe Biden very much. He seems like business as usual to me. And, as a friend pointed out the other day, anyone who is likely to be truly angry at an Obama win most likely has a gun. I do not want Biden to be President. It's not racist to imply an assassination attempt. Every President, except Johnson, since 1960 has either been assassinated or suffered an attempt. Bush, Clinton, Ford and Nixon were the victim of multiple attempts. The President is not safe, by the very nature of the job. On the other side, McCain is old. His health has also been the subject of quite a bit of scrutiny, although in truth, other Presidents have had much more serious health issues than him. Regardless, McCain is an old man, would be the oldest first term President to assume office. He would also be the target of any number of potential assassins, and a Palin Presidency would be a terrifying ride beyond imagining. I find the notion of Sarah Palin being President just as distasteful as Biden, for a cornucopia of reasons. So, the VP candidates do me no good, either.

So, I find myself back at the same standstill: If I could vote for both of them, I would. This week, I found myself recalling something I used to believe a long time ago. I've thought before that it would be so much better if the Vice President was directly elected, just like the President. Before anyone jumps all over the "directly elected" thing, I know the President is not directly elected, he or she is elected by the Electoral College. But imagine if you had to vote twice, once for the President and once for the Vice President. The closest we have ever come to that in modern times was in 2000 when, due to an electoral loophole, Joe Lieberman (D-Connecticut) almost became George W. Bush's Vice President. I'm not implying the President & Vice-President should be bipartisan, but it would certainly be interesting if there was a possibility. All kinds of scenarios and methods of selection come to mind. Regardless of how exciting that would be, it is a fantasy at least on Nov. 4, 2008.

The likelihood remains that I will vote for Obama come Election Day. But, as I complained during the primaries, I'm just so tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. The last time I got to vote for my first choice in a Presidential election was in 1996. My main objections to McCain-Palin are the dangers they represent to choice issues and to equal rights. Chiefly, both McCain and Palin have directly expressed a desire to see Roe vs. Wade overturned. I'm not convinced of the probability of either of them accomplishing that. The Supreme Court is in practice not answerable to the President, only to themselves and the Constitution. On "equal rights" I more specifically mean McCain-Palin's stated opposition to gay marriage. Still, even on this, both McCain and Palin have stated that they strongly believe it is the right of each State to make their own marriage laws, and that the federal government should have no place in it. And, McCain has expressed support for domestic partnerships. I consider myself a feminist (although not primarily) and as a gay man, I care about my rights. Again, this is why I am still going to put my X next to Obama. But, it could be a lot worse than McCain. Remember Mitt Romney? The creeping poison of fundamentalism that is being peddled as patriotism more openly every day is a lot more frightening to me than most anything else.

While I encourage anyone reading this to vote Democrat, at least vote. Watch the debates, read more than one news source, research the candidates, and make an informed decision. And don't forget your instincts. The greatest mistakes I've made in my life have been because I didn't listen to my gut.