One thing I hear a lot from people who are still on the fence this presidential election is that they don't know where Obama stands on the issues. They know he's inspirational, optimistic, and inclusive, but there's this nagging doubt in the minds of some that there's little beneath Obama's confident and persuasive exterior. To those people I say: It's 2008--use the Internet as the powerful tool it is and not just to update your Facebook site.
First of all, I think the reason many don't know more about Obama's platform is that the media doesn't specialize in in-depth coverage--they go for sound bites. And which sort of sound bite do you think they're going to choose?
That is why the real choice in this campaign is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich versus poor; young versus old; and it is not about black versus white. It is about the past versus the future. (from his "The Past Versus the Future" speech in Denver)
Or do you think news will instead share the following:
Fewer than half the states screen all infants for the American College of Medical Genetics’ full recommended panel of 29 disorders. Many of these conditions, if caught early, can be treated before they result in permanent impairments or even death. And parents are often unaware that the tests are available. Barack Obama believes that we should ensure that all states have comprehensive newborn screening programs. (From his 19-page fact sheet in Disabilities.)
So, please stop blaming Obama for being a great speaker capable of sharing great sound bites that the news wants to carry.
Furthermore, he's a smart candidate. He knows people don't show up to his speeches to hear him drone on about policy; they show up to get a measure of the human being he is. Barack knows--right or wrong--that people make election decisions based on their guts. Do they like the candidate? Do they trust him or her? Would they invite him or her into their homes? Do they trust the future of their country and their children in the hands of this person? And so Obama complies with speeches that inspire more than they inform.
But this doesn't mean Obama doesn't have detailed plans for the policies he'd enact as president. He knows he isn't being elected as Inspirer in Chief (not that there's anything wrong with that) but as President of the most powerful nation in the world. And all one has to do is
visit his site to find out everything they'd like to know about his stands on the issues.
If you're the kind of person who believes Obama only talks about change but has no plans for change, then I hope you've got a couple of hours on your hand, because
Barack's Blueprint for Change is 64 pages long!
If you only know that Barack wants to cut taxes for Middle Class taxpayers, then perhaps you should learn about his STOP FRAUD Act to fight mortgage fraud and protect consumers against abusive lending practices; his Making Work Pay tax credit to offset the payroll tax on the first $8,100 of earnings while still preserving the important principle of a dedicated revenue source for Social Security; his plan to mandate a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score, which will provide potential borrowers with a simplified, standardized borrower metric (similar to APR) for home mortgages; his plan to ensure that the IRS uses the information it gets from employers and banks to give certain taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return to the IRS or online; his plan to eliminate the federal bankruptcy law’s Chapter 13 provision that prevents bankruptcy courts from modifying an individual’s mortgage payments, forcing people who seek bankruptcy protection to continue paying the full amount of their existing mortgage plans; his American Opportunity Tax Credit, a credit that will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans; his plan to create a mortgage interest tax credit for the two-thirds of Americans who do not itemize their taxes, thus making the mortgage tax benefit available to all and not merely wealthier taxpayers who itemize their deductions; and his plan to reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit for their child care expenses.
So, that prior paragraph was a long one, wasn't it? Did you read it all? That only summarize the first
third of Barack's detailed
Economic Agency, which you can download from his site.
If you don't know where Barack stands on the issues, whose fault is it? Get to
BarackObama.com and learn more about the candidate before it's time to vote.
Just imagine, not only can you vote for the guy because he's smart, invigorating, genuine, and principled, but also because he has defined plans to do positive things for this country! I don't know about you, but it's been a long time since I've been able to vote for a candidate who appealed to both my heart and my brain!
