and a step to the center

Well, as I predicted, many liberals are tiring of "Barack Obama's Change", I am one of them. Don't get me wrong, I will campaign for him, and deliver my vote, but I hope I don't have to vote while holding my nose. Senator Obama's leap to the center is a complete abandonment of "hope". From Rev. Wright, to FISA, to the Death Penalty, to Faith Based Initiatives of the Bush Adm., it has been a leap.

I do not suspect this move will continue after inauguration, but nonetheless, it is worrisome to some of us. The FISA issue is the biggest of all of these. No, not the statement in January, that is the one progressive patriots liked, it is the recent one that pisses me off, and many others. Liberals look for conviction, not political expediency. The late Senator Wellstone stood for the values of a Minnesotan, and while he was a liberal, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents voted for him. Not because they always agreed with him, but because he was honest and stood by his votes. We honor the memory of Paul Wellstone, and he set a standard, a standard we expect from the Democratic Party.

The Death Penalty is a touchy issue for many Americans, but it is not policy I believe in. At a young age, I mourned the deaths of family members, heroes like John Lennon or Keith Moon, and heard Peter Werbe discussing the death penalty. I was moved to oppose it from the age of 11 until now. The Supreme Court ruling on the death penalty for child rapists is "cruel and unusual punishment" happens to be a ruling I agree with. Senator Obama was not in my camp on that issue.

Next up, Faith Based Initiatives.Obama is Tearing a page out of George Bush's playbook to pander to the religious folk, wants to continue these policies that put our tax dollars in Church pockets. Why? To get votes. As someone who is not religious, I cannot see how feeding the hungry with passages in the bible before they can get a meal is humane. Yes, many of these charities do great work, but we have an underfunded and understaffed Departments of Health and Human Service programs in every major city.

Senator, whether you like it or not, your base is liberal or liberal leaning. We helped you get to this point, we expect a candidate who won't choke at the finish line. We expect conviction, and honesty and zeal from a candidate. I recognize the need to court all voters, but you are supposed to sway them, not the other way around. I wish you luck, the Presidency, and all the "Hope" we have been dreaming of, just not at the high price that "sellout", "choke" and "flip-flip" cost.