Why I'm Not Voting For Barack Obama

For the record, I voted for Ron Paul in the GOP primaries.

Much has been made about senator and presumptive presidential candidate Barack Obama's relationship with his now former Reverand Jeremiah Wright. I say presumptive just as I do with John McCain because if you followed politics as long as I have, you know that things change on a dime. Remember when the "media" i.e. FNC, CNN, etc... was saying that everyone with the exception of Ron Paul was going to win the nomination? Go figure!

My main problem isn't necessarily whether Wright believes AIDS is a white person's invention (one is free to come to their own conclusions no matter how absurd it may be; heck I believe in UFOs and the existence of other life forms in outer space!!!).

My main problem is that he is doing it merely for his own self-promotion and usually I have an issue of pastors putting themselves as 'head of the church' when Jesus should be. Pastors are human and they do human things. They are NOT God. That is the thing to always keep in mind.

In spite of resigning from Jeremiah Wright's church, is he truly separated from him or was it just for appearances? I suspect the latter to take the media glare off of him as being connected to Wright at least until after the Democratic National Convention in late August.

In addition, as a state senator, Obama directed $225,000 of Illinois taxpayer money to Father Michael Pfleger; In the U.S. Senate, he has earmarked $100,000 as U.S. Senator to Pfleger. People, if any Republican candidate for President appeared as if they were taking orders from Pat Robertson or even Billy Graham, we would be outraged. So why should we give Obama the benefit of a doubt?

One way to determine an elected official's values is to look at their voting record.

I find quite interesting the number of "Not Voting" votes on his record especially for someone who has only been a senator for a little over three years. Barack Obama has missed 245 votes (42.0%) during the current Congress, yet the "media" glances over this. Why?

While Barack Obama says he will withdraw troops from Iraq, he has actually voted along with the Bush administration most of the time or not voted at all. Keep in mind that Bush is not a conservative at all. He is actually more liberal if you will than Ted Kennedy if you can imagine that. Call him what you will, but a conservative he is not.

On 5/24/07, Obama voted 'no' On the Motion: This $120 billion dollar package was passed in the Senate by an 80-14 vote. The bill primarily focuses on funding for the Iraq war but also addresses other unrelated topics.

A previous war funding bill was vetoed by the president because it included troop withdrawal deadlines, which were largely supported by anti-war Democrats as well as many people who have called the invasion of Iraq (I'm being blunt here) immoral, illegal, based on lies among other things.

According to the Washington Post, this bill includes 18 "benchmarks that the Iraqi government must meet to continue receiving reconstruction aid."

Seventeen billion dollars in the package is for domestic spending. Out of this funding, $6.4 billion is for Gulf Coast hurricane relief efforts, $3 billion in emergency aid for farmers, $1 billion to upgrade port and mass transit security, $3 billion towards converting closing U.S. military bases to other uses, and $650 million to increase funding for children’s health care. A Congressional Research Service summary states that the “other domestic beneficiaries include state HIV grant programs, mine safety research, youth violence prevention activities, and pandemic flu protection.”

Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hilary Clinton (N.Y.) were among the 14 who opposed the bill.

On 6/5/07, he didn't vote on S 1348: Allard Amdt. No. 1189 to eliminate the preference given to people who entered the United States illegally over people seeking to enter the country legally in the merit-based evaluation system for visas.

Also, on 5/24/07, he voted 'no' on S 1348: Coleman Amdt. No. 1158 which would have amended the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to facilitate information sharing between federal and local law enforcement officials related to an individual's immigration status.

He also has earned 100% ratings from Americans for Democratic Action, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Organization of Women, the NAACP and the NEA. Hardly conservative organizations. So, in spite of his claims that he is a conservative, moderate or even an outsider, he operates very much like an insider with a love of big government.

In a head-on race, Obama wins over McCain hands down. His relative obscurity helps him and granted he simply looks better than McCain. But for those hoping Obama will deliver us to the Promised Land, you will be sorely disappointed.