Robin Williams of Lawrence
To the editor:
It is difficult to fathom the magnitude of the disaster that the Bush administration has wrought. Indeed the full impact of their policies dictated by greed and malevolence on the economy, on health care, on the human race, on bio-diversity, and the biosphere may not be known for decades.
By all historic precedents, the Obama campaign should be ahead by a landslide. With an economic disaster and a war that should never have begun but has not ended after more than five years, any Democratic candidate should have a huge lead by now.
The Republican candidates are a road to nowhere. McCain, who was one of the infamous Keating Five of the savings and loan debacle of the 1980s (indeed no maverick) has steadfastly supported every deregulation bill over the last 25 years. This is why we have the current Wall Street mess. Palin’s views are chilling as well as ignorant on numerous counts. She does not believe in sex education, wants to ban books, and thinks creationism should be in the science curriculum. She has stated that the Iraq War is “God’s plan.” She seems to understand little about Russia’s nuclear arsenal as she threatened that it was possible to go to war over Georgia.
Barack Obama is a learned man who has committed his entire adult working life to public service. He put the public good above going for the big bucks, a path he could have easily chosen with his superb legal credentials. He has spent over 20 years working on political issues, first as a community organizer, then eight years in the Illinois State Senate , followed by four years in the U.S. Senate. He also was the president of the Harvard Law Review, taught constitutional law, and was a civil rights attorney in Chicago. That is more experience than Abraham Lincoln had when he became president.
Like Lincoln, Obama is calm under pressure, demonstrates sound, reasoned judgment and shows in-depth knowledge on a broad range of issues. Joe Biden is one of the most experienced politicians in the U.S. when it comes to foreign policy.
Yet the election is close. Why? While many American voters will judge the candidates based on the issues, intellect and integrity, and cast their votes accordingly, sadly a certain percentage of voters will let prejudice blind them. Those people know who they are. The weight of future generations lies on their shoulders. I appeal to them to do the right thing. Your children’s future and your grandchildren’s future depend upon it.
The voter registration deadline is Oct. 14. For those young, newly registered voters, you hold an awesome responsibility. You can make the crucial difference in the outcome of this election of a lifetime. Make sure your vote is counted; bring a photo ID with you. If you have any problems in attempting to vote, ask to vote on a provisional ballot and call the Voter Protection Hotline at 1-800-792-VOTE (1-800-792-8683.)
Robin Williams
Lawrence

