CommentaryN08

Issue #62

Last Update February 28, 2009

Commentary July, 2008 This publication endorses Barack Obama for president. He shown that his instincts are accurate. Time after time he has come out on the right side of issues (most notably with respect to Iraq), and, judging by the way he has run his primary campaign, he possesses the managerial skills necessary to be an effective president. His opponent has adopted the disastrous positions of our current president, and has backtracked on all of the issues that might have made him a viable candidate. The last straw was Senator McCain's reversal on the issue of torture: backpeddling on this is a betrayal, not only of our Constitution, but of his own history.

Senator Obama is not without flaws, but he has painted an inspiring picture of what his presidency could mean, and he has earned the benefit of the doubt. His reversal on campaign financing may just be a smart political calculation (McCain has tried to have it both ways, too), but his compromise in voting for the Communications bill despite his earlier promise to filibuster rather than immunize the telcoms from prosecution for illegally allowing government intrusion into domestic communications is most troubling.

It is up to his supporters to make clear that, while reasonable compromise is a positive thing, certain basic principles may not be bargained away. Feminists should ponder the prospect of a McCain Supreme Court; economic progressives should consider the havoc that would be wrought by four more years of Bush tax policies working people should keep in mind the collapse of our employer-based medical care system and the impact on jobs of a ruinous economy; and anyone with any sense should compare the McCain environmental stance with Obama's and conclude that we can't afford to lose another four years before coming to grips with our environmental catastrophe.

Contribute to Obama’s campaign. Vote for him in November. We can't afford another four years of Republican greed and incompetence.

New York Stringer is published by NYStringer.com. For all communications, contact David Katz, Editor and Publisher, at david@nystringer.com