Voting: A Moment of Doubt and New Resolve

Nearly a month ago, I announced that I was finally off the fence and voting Obama. Since then, I’ve published a number of posts elaborating on and/or defending my choice. I’ve spent part of an evening making calls, and a portion of several different Saturday afternoons knocking on doors, on the Senator’s behalf. I’ve also debated the merits of my decision with Republican friends and family, all of whom are thoroughly convinced I’ve lost my frickin’ mind.

Then, this morning, after reading this article, I flinched. Surprised? Take a number.

Granted, that article was not the sole catalyst behind my moment of doubt, but it certainly contributed to a larger set of concerns that have been brewing in the corners of my mind since Friday last week. Those concerns can be summed up thus: A Democratic-controlled Congress will fuel Obama’s leftist tendencies and a slew of well-intended laws will be enacted, worsening our economic situation through a cascade of unintended consequences.

It could happen, although I continue to hope Obama is smarter and stronger than his most-liberal tendencies, and that his oft-lauded circle of economic advisers will persuade him to move more cautiously. Still, it concerns me. Despite Alan Greenspan’s recent epiphany — regarding how the long-term self-interest of free-marketeers can be summarily trumped by short-sighted greed — I still believe what I’ve believed and benefited from for the last 20-plus years, namely this: The entrepreneurial spirit is the engine that drives economic benefits to the largest possible mass of people and should thus be treated with the most cautious of taxation schemes and regulatory constraints.

But even if Obama does not share that belief — even if he acts contrary to it — I will still vote for him tomorrow, for two reasons.

First, I believe the world’s most prosperous nation must finally solve the challenge of how to provide access to affordable health insurance for all its citizens. I’m further convinced the costs of not cracking this code are greater than the costs of cracking it. I also know that my only child stands to benefit in a few short years from the right solution to this recurring problem — and I believe Obama’s proposed solution holds far greater promise than McCain’s.

Second, I believe the restoration of America’s moral standing in the world and our related commitment to the rule of law will be far more critical to our long-term survival and prosperity than any short-term set of laws manipulating commerce and economy. If errant, the latter can be fixed with comparative ease to the substantially more difficult restoration just described. Andrew Sullivan’s tour de force from earlier today explains best, I think, why Obama is the preferred captain at the helm of this restoration.

And so — having acknowledged and faced my moment of doubt — I will now enter the voting line tomorrow morning with even greater resolve and conviction. I wish the same level of clarity for all of you, regardless of how and for whom you plan to vote.