Living in Wyoming, a strong red state, I knew my vote was not going to change the outcome of the election. However, I believe one should vote his/her conscience and so I did. It wasn't that I didn't like McCain or his ideas; I didn't like the way he campaigned and some of his ideas. I didn't like that he chose Palin to be his running mate; it was obvious that he picked her for the conservative base and for attracting the Clinton supporting women. I chose Obama not because I agreed with all of his views and ideas, but because I thought he would do the best job as president. Though he has negative ads attacking McCain, they were about McCain's policies and not about McCain's character.
Because I'm a Mormon (a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), I am a minority in registering as a Democrat. I actually don't like to label myself as Democratic or Republican. Labels are so misleading. Not all Democrats are alike. The problem with being a member of the LDS Church is that most people expect you to fit a certain mold, i.e. be a Republican. We have ideals that we try to live up to and when one does not meet that ideal, it is seen negatively. I love my faith and I do not want to paint the people of the faith in a negative light. For the most part, the members are wonderful people. I merely want to point out that there is a tendency toward assuming that if you're a good member you must ....(fill in the blank). For example, if you're a good member, you must have lots of kids. This kind of thinking is an obstacle to a unified body of Christ.
There's a wonderful article on LDSLiving.com about an interview with Elder Marlin K. Jensen on the need for diversity in political views. I was really glad to read Elder Jensen's call for members to avoid the "division of along Mormon/non-Mormon, Republican/Democratic lines".
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