5 REASONS WHY I'M VOTING FOR OBAMA
By Matt Rentschler
Holons News
January 8, 2008
Original Link1. His third way politics: not ideologically driven, and not merely political compromise, but a pragmatic flexibility that allows him to move from left to right on, and ultimately through, issues.
2. His cognition, self-identity, and morality are seemingly Green to Teal or higher, which means he meets the prerequisite altitude(s) to handle the complexities of 21st century foreign and domestic policy.
3. As a result, what he lacks in experience or age (his two biggest criticisms) he more than makes up for in political judgment and intuition, as exemplified in his decision to not authorize the invasion of Iraq in the first place, as well as his current stance on Iran.
4. His image. Or more specifically, his face and name. As a man of color with a Muslim background, Obama has the potential to rebrand the long war against global extremism as a truly connected and impartial effort to minimize human suffering, rather than some profit-driven imperialist adventure or fundamentalist crusade.
5. His faith, or "secular humanism." With so much terrorism carried out in religion's name and with the US itself facing a similar pressure cooker, Obama's complex, mature spirituality is a huge asset in both foreign and domestic policy.
I could come up with 5 more reasons, but those will do for now. Probably more so than any other presidential candidate, Obama offers a way to transcend several dualisms and dichotomies: liberal v. conservative; atheist v. fundamentalist; black v. white; Christian v. Muslim. Whether or not he can make good on this potential remains to be seen, but presidential elections are always a gamble, no matter who you vote for. So, as it stands now, Obama has my vote if he gets the nomination, because he holds the most promise of being an "integral leader."
(For an excellent, and I believe Teal, perspective on Obama's candidacy, see Andrew Sullivan's article
"Goodbye to All That.")
Matt Rentschler
Managing Editor
AQAL: Journal of Integral Theory and Practice
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