I sympathize with, and even share, many of your frustrations. But there's a difference between choosing one's tactics and voting strategies, versus venting and asking for support. You have my support, but why bother trying to convince you Obama is better?

I am 100% sure you know the answer to your question, "then why is he so hawkish on Iran?" you know the answer for his "tough" rhetoric so why do you ask?

I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s (almost) a complete waste of time to try to understand the psychology of leaders/politicians…it doesn’t matter that much what part comes from “true beliefs” and what part comes from “compromises so I’m more electable” what matters is “what types of policies are they most likely to implement if/when in office” given various scenarios such as apathetic public, or such as activist progressive movement by the public etc.

I won't try to convince you that the difference between Obama and McCain are larger than the difference in 2000 between Bush and Gore..but the fact is that even if Obama WERE as bad as Gore, my decision algorithm would be the same:

monitor polls closely and if my state is “not close” then vote for the best candidate, probably 3rd party…if it’s close, then vote for the lesser evil (which I would have done even in 2000, as bad as Gore was, had my state turned into a close fight, which it did not) and certainly would do for Obama.

Oh, in addition to the tax breaks for those under 50,000/yr you forgot: To boost retirement savings, he has also proposed a 50% federal match on the first $1,000 of savings for families that earn under $75,000.

And you forgot: that he'd give a tax credit worth up to $500 per working person ($1,000 per family) to offset the Social Security tax on the first $8,100 of earnings

But I could also name bad things about some things Obama has said that you didn't. Bottom line, don't get yourself all depressed or PO'd in an immobilizing way. Pressure Obama, yes, in all the ways you can that are constructive, both before and (if he wins) then also after.

I've given you my algorithm for how I'll vote in my state, monitoring polls closely, it's how I'd want others to act, but you can disagree, no point spending hours debating individual tactics. Let's work together to move the country in a saner direction, both before AND after the election, we must not stop in this work.

Question: Why should we support this guy? What is Obama going to do about the recession? What will he do about Afghanistan and Iraq?

Answer: Stop Venting

I will NEVER vote for a Democrat. The crap they pulled on Ralph Nader in '04 has turned me off to them forever.

The question was not, "Why is he hawkish on Iran?" but "Why does he represent the politics of change?" Of course his rhetoric on Iran is the same kind of bullshit coming out of every other politician in the US. That's exactly the problem.

This situation parallels of the run-up to the war on Iraq. At that time, senate candidate Obama was saying the same thing everyone else in Washington was saying: "We have to disarm Saddam." A couple problems with that statement being 1.) there was no evidence Iraq had wmd's and 2.) there was no imperative to disarm Iraq. So the national debate consisted of "We have to disarm Iraq now!" verses "We have to disarm Iraq soon!"

Similarly, there's no evidence Iran is close to having nuclear weapons, nor is there evidence that Iran represents a nuclear threat. But every politician, from McCain and Bush to Obama is calling for Iran to be disarmed. So where is the foreign policy we can believe in?

I'll evade your question by saying your asking the wrong question.

I'm amazed sometimes. If the activist left spent half as much time strategizing about how to actually accomplish their political goals as they do hand-wringing over whether to support the Democratic party, we would be much better off.

Were Gore and Bush really that much alike? Is Obama a suitably left candidate or no? In the end, these sorts of questions are a distraction from what really matters: a strategy which will accomplish the goals of the left.

I challenge anyone to show me an example of when significant, structural changes for social or economic justice occurred because we up and elected a Democrat. More likely, the democratic party voted for legislation which only became possible because of a successful social movement.

In short, build a movement, not a party.

As in, either you build a movement or you consider involvement with the Democratic Party? Are we really wasting that much time on this issue? Isn't one of the most pressing questions of leftist political activism, 'Is involvement with the Democratic Party worth it?'

What has the DP done for us lately?

Congressional democrats caved on domestic spying and telecom immunity. They are still unwilling to stop war funding. Pelosi, Reid, Rockefeller and others recently supported secret funding for special operations in Iran.

Obama supports escalation of war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Reid just said he's willing to talk about opening up offshore drilling. The democrats have long been proponents of neoliberal free trade. I could go on and on.

Yet every four years, I watch my friends on the left volunteer for the Democratic Party, pour valuable time and energy which could be better spent accomplishing something lasting.

When their candidate loses, there is no lasting network of support. When their candidate wins, they quickly sell out their grassroots network.

For what it's worth, I don't think this is isolated to the left. Where is the apparently amazing grassroots Ron Paul campaign now?

You do not want our help.I like Oboma but I do not sure that Obama would be a good politician. Can he do what he promises?
..........
Nishantha
<a href="http://www.addictionrecovery.net/new-hampshire>Addiction Recovery New Hampshire</a>

He betrayed us on the FISA bill. First it was unconstitutional (as it is) and then when the Dems got lots of lobbying money from the Telcos, he then supports it. To top it all off, he missed the vote.
If he will falter on a critical issue allowing the government the ability to spy on us, how can he be trusted?
I'm voting 3rd party.

*I would blow mad lines with him, but it would be cool, because afterwards, he would get me health insurance!

*He will solve America's growing hipster problem by holding a campaign rally in a Rhode Island nightclub!

*Obama is going to bring back everyone's favorite 80's bumper sticker, Ayatollah Assaholla!

*He will adopt an old dog and young Uzbek.

*In Touch Weekly will hear that Obama was weeping while browsing the affordable Johnson & Johnson-shaped products at a dollar emporium.

*Obama will lead us into the desert and we will ride the snake until the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Act of Fiscal Year 2011.

yes god yes

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