Pre-Election Night Visual Aids

The clock is ticking down to Election Day, and despite the media's strong desire to portray the campaigns of John McCain and Barack Obama as nearly neck and neck, all signs point to not just a strong finish for Senator Obama, but a potential landslide. Senator McCain's desperate attacks on his opponent's "association" with radicals and his substanceless claims of widespread voter fraud - which even they now admit have never materialized - appear to be falling not so much on deaf ears, but on the ears of a public too jaded and fed up with imperial Republican mis-rule to pay them heed.

Nonetheless, it is worth talking briefly about a couple of things: the need to close the deal and ensure that everyone who supports Mr. Obama actually casts a ballot, and the gut-level arguments that may sway the remaining undecideds to put their votes behind the Democratic nominee. With that in mind, I have cobbled together a few (only somewhat tongue-in-cheek) visual aids to keep in mind and share with any friends who may still be sitting on the fence.

First, Sarah Palin is not "just like you and me" and she is woefully unprepared to assume a leadership role in national or world politics:


Second, paying taxes is not socialism, and the active participation of government, in partnership with the private sector, has a very strong track record in the United States:

Third, the modern Republican Party has made its bones by convincing people to vote against their own interests. It is in the economic interest of the vast majority of Americans to vote for Senator Obama:

Fourth, think about where the country was before the ascension of George W. Bush. The Onion was tragically prescient when it satirically reported in 2000 that President-elect Bush had declared, "Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over". Even the guys from Budweiser's carefree "Wassup" campaign have noticed that the past 8 years haven't gone very well for anybody who isn't at the top of the income heap:

Finally, remember that EVERY vote must count, and make sure that yours does, too. We have come too far and worked too long to let John McCain - or anyone else - steal this election:

I have detailed in previous posts why I am voting for Barack Obama (here, here and here). While he is certainly not perfect, I believe that he is a far superior candidate to John McCain on the issues, and because of where we currently sit within the broad arc of national history. As we reach the finish line of this election - an end to the beginning, if you will - I have also come to believe increasingly that Senator Obama has the potential to be a truly transformative president; one who has a chance to actually attain some of the lofty and difficult aims he has laid out for himself and for the country.

I'm not alone. As corny as it sounds, hope is a powerful force that, well-managed, can bring about wholesale improvements in the lives of everyday people, and transform individuals:

I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.

My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.

It may be that we never reach the goals expressed in Mr. Obama's platform, but it is certain that we will fail if we embrace the status quo of John McCain either directly, or worse, through the apathy of non-participation.

Please vote tomorrow. We're all in this together, and we need your help.