Endorsement: Obama for America
Broken are the bonds that long united Americans in the public forum.
Gone is the view of government as a place of common good, where citizens came together to forge toward a national purpose. In its place festers a deep-rooted sense of resentment, fear and anger.
Faced with a long list of challenges, the next president above all else must help America regain its fading sense of civic duty; its faith in democratic government.
The Democratic nominee, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, promises the transformational brand of politics that could achieve that goal. The Republican nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, offers four more years of a politics unworthy of America.
The last eight years have left the United States faced with the daunting task of reclaiming the civil liberties crippled by Bush-McCain policies.
American soldiers are dying in two separate conflicts with no ends in sight.
Millions of Americans can’t afford to see a doctor when they’re sick.
Near-sighted lawmakers are ignoring the greatest existing threat to humanity – global warming – to focus on issues of the hour rather than the issue of the generation.
And a beleaguered economy is wilting under the weight of a global financial meltdown.
Not since the Great Depression has the need for change been so clear, so urgent, so dramatic.
There’s no turning back. The next president must act quickly to transform the deteriorating fabric of American society on all of these levels – and more.
Never so clear were the differences between Obama and McCain as when the candidates made the most important decision of their respective campaigns – choosing a running mate.
In Deleware Sen. Joe Biden, Obama found a worn and wise statesman whose inspiring personal story comes straight from America’s soul. In Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain found an unsure political novice.
Joe Biden could be president. Sarah Palin could not.
It’s fitting that the best candidate to bring that change is the one who, by becoming the first black president, would drive a stake through the heart of America’s greatest sin – the one destined to forever haunt the land of the free.
Each time the Illinois senator’s mettle is tested, he rejects the divisive politics that have splintered national discourse. Instead, he seizes upon adversity, crafting from it an opportunity to raise the level of debate in America.
To the presidency Obama will bring fierce intellect, a deep understanding of the nation he leads and a somber sense of duty. Perilous times, when the need for change is so pressing, require a leader with gravitas. Obama has it.
It is in that spirit that The Franklin strongly endorses Obama for the presidency of the United States.
