There was a wonderful article about Senator McCain today and I just can’t help a welling up of sadness in my heart. This was the John McCain who could have been President of the United States. A man who has dedicated his life to serving the United States of American. A man of conviction, a man of courage, a man of moral integrity. A man who would make the right decision even if it meant going against his political allies. A man who could have led this country back to the light.
Then, he decided he wanted to get elected and threw it all away. He sold his ethical outlook to collect money. He spat out vile lies and attacks to get votes. He picked a running mate not out of moral conviction but of political expediency.
This man, this senator, this warrior is an absolute bell-weather indicator of what is horribly wrong in the United States of America. He needed the religious vote so he turned against his own standards in an attempt to climb to the presidency. Governor George Bush and his hatchet man Karl Rove taught McCain that he couldn’t run on his moral conviction. They attacked his military record, they called him crazy, they used every dirty trick in the book and they won. McCain learned well that game. Meanwhile the country and the world loses.
Oh, the horror, the horror.
If you love your country, please, please, vote for men and women of conviction even if they tell you things you don’t like. If they go against their party standards and fight for what is right, vote for them! It’s not too late even in this election cycle. Look up Gary Johnson. But, more importantly, look at your district, your state senator, your local mayor, your county dog-catcher. Vote for the candidates that gives you realistic answers. Don’t vote for anyone who tells you that his opponent will destroy the country. Don’t vote for anyone who tells each new audience exactly what they want to hear.
Better yet, run yourself. School board, assembly-person, whatever. But don’t sell your convictions on any issues! Never give in to expediency. State your case, tell it plain, and if the voters want to bring change, you’ll win. If not, it’s hopeless and you sold your convictions for nothing.
Tom Liberman
Sword and Sorcery fantasy with a Libertarian Twist
New Release: The Hammer of Fire