I believe that America has finally arrived at the moment in history when we will live up to the hopeful words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and will judge people, and in particular our next president, not based on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character.

This presidential election has the potential to be one of the great general election campaigns in American history, with two extraordinary nominees for president this year.  The two political parties, almost by accident, have selected as their standard-bearers two candidates who defy the nearly two decade long political strategy that has divided America. (I am writing this while the Democratic Party has not yet had a candidate emerge as the winner of their party’s nomination battle, but am going under the assumption that Senator Barack Obama will emerge as the winner.) Both have the potential to appeal to a growing independent, populist movement that is redefining the landscape of American politics. 

It is my belief that the winner of this election will depend on the willingness of either the Republican or Democratic Party’s bases and leadership to be receptive and empowering toward the voices of this movement. So far, Senator Obama has shown a much more capable and adept instinct to integrate this independent and populist movement into his campaign. This is, I think, unfortunate. If America is going to live up to the promise of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. vision, it is my estimate that Senator John McCain’s experiences, leadership, accomplishments, and demonstrated judgments would make him a superior choice for our next President and Commander in Chief of the United States of America. 

We can never know the true content of anyone’s character, (but possibly our own), and when attempting to judge those of modern day politicians, one is participating in an exercise that at best can be compared to walking through a minefield, full of examples of candidates who have compromised their principles in order to survive in modern elected politics. The purpose of this blog is an experiment to document the rational of my own selection of the next president, and to gage the reaction from a political base and mindset that, although not entirely foreign to me, nonetheless is one that I have fundamental disagreements with.

So why should I be so presumptuous to think that anyone cares what my opinions or rational is? The truth is, with so many columnist and political pundits, I may only be adding to the white noise that is creating a visceral distrust toward modern journalism, perceived by many as all subjective and with partisan overtones. But if the American citizen is going to be empowered to reclaim their governments, it is through the participation of forums like this. Despite my reservations on the value of yet one more voice participating in the overcrowded field of political pundits, lets move on to who I am and why I think my experiences gives me credibility and insights that are worthy of your attention over the next seven months.

I was born in Oceanside, CA in 1970. My father was an enlisted member of the Marines who served stateside; my mother was his high school sweetheart. They returned to upstate NY (Utica/Rome – Syracuse area) and I grew up in a poor/working class environment. I have a twin brother who has an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and did graduate studies at the University of Chicago. Today he lives in NYC and works for a not-for-profit focused on US/Chinese relations. I have a younger brother who is a chef in Aspen CO, and a younger sister who remained in upstate NY.

I got involved in politics in NY working on several state assembly and local Democratic races in a heavily Republican area, served an internship for Governor Cuomo while attending a community college, was hired for a temporary position in his Ombudsman’s office and then joined the Army Reserves in 1991. I moved to WI after basic and AIT with the intention of attending UWM, but have only attended community colleges and non-credit courses at the University of Chicago. I am a veteran of Bosnia (IFOR - 96), Kosovo (KFOR – 99/00), and Iraq (OIF – 03/04). Although I had occasionally volunteered in Democratic politics while living in WI, it wasn’t until the 2000 presidential election while deployed to Kosovo that I truly became interested in politics again. 

I returned from Kosovo and moved to Chicago.  I became progressively involved in Democratic politics in Chicago and nationally, and joined grassroots efforts upon my return from Iraq in April 2004 (my 12 year enlistment was up) to attempt to elect Sen. Kerry. At that time, I worked as a community organizer in Chicago focused on public safety initiatives, and became progressively knowledgeable of Chicago politics. I returned to a corporate job in the summer of 2005 and worked there until December of 2006 when I quite my job to run for alderman in the City of Chicago. 

That experience, along with my experience in Iraq and the Democratic Party’s position on the war effort, will figure greatly in future post that I will attempt to rationalize why I believe the Democratic Party has made a fundamental mistake in the selection of Barack Obama as their nominee, and why every American, of every political persuasion, should elect Senator John McCain as our next President.