Yay! A counter-point.

Special K has posted his thoughts on my thoughts on the presidential candidates. I don't agree with all his ideas, but I don't disagree with all of them, either.

One note in response to several comments - I understand that the federal government doesn't handle a lot of this things I listed in my blog post that are paid for by taxes. My point was that there are things in the world that I want, and the government in general pays for them. I also want some specific things that the federal government does pay for, like Medicare for my parents' hospitalizations, to name one very specific case.

Special K makes what I consider to be the most valid point I've seen anyone make for voting for McCain, however, in the final bit of his post.

I'll probably vote for McCain as an obstruction to the other party so that only the plans on which there is some agreement make it into law.

This is the most valid argument for a McCain vote that I've heard. Our government is built on a system of checks and balances, and our current two-party system is so locked into party politics that the only way those checks and balances can occur is if there is dissent between the executive and legislative branches of government.

Here's a concrete example. Prior to the Democrats taking a majority in Congress in 2006, George W. Bush vetoed exactly 1 one bill. Since the beginning of last year, he has vetoed 10 bills, and used the power of the pocket veto once. So we went six years with only one disagreement between a company's board of directors and it's CEO? Yup. That's what happens nowadays when the President and Congress all sit on the same side of the aisle.

So do I want Obama to lose? No. I think he's the better man for the job and for our country right now. I think even a potentially empty message of hope is more in line with what the country needs when so many people are feeling beaten down and punch drunk from the economic turmoil of the last 8 months (and I still stand on my soap box claiming that it's equal parts the fault of the lenders, the borrowers, big business and the media that's blowing everything out of proportion, but that's another debate).

So I'd like some dissent between Congress and the President, but I don't want Obama to lose. I think the Democrats in Congress have shown themselves to be pretty ineffectual in the past two years, and can't foresee them doing too much harm with a carte blanche from the White House. And if they do, we get to elect new Congressfolk every two years. So as long as we pay attention, we can change 5-6 seats in Congress and move the majority in the other direction. I reserve the right to be wrong about the number of seats the Democratic majority now consists of. I didn't feel like doing the research.

So there's my response to Special K's well-expressed rebuttal. I'd like to find that patriot, too. Eight years ago I wanted nothing more than a McCain-Colin Powell ticket to win the White House, because I wanted a change from the constant grind of hearing about how awful the President's morals were. Now I want Obama (still unsure about Biden, but that's the baggage I get) because I want a change from the constant grind of saying how awful the President's policies are.

I got a change eight years ago, even if wasn't the one I wanted. I'll get a change again this year, and who knows if it'll be the one I want?