I believe in hope, not hate in 08!

I just submitted this as a letter to the editor of my local newspaper. In case it's never published, it has been posted here for posterity.

In my opinion, John McCain is running the most dishonorable and sleazy campaign for president ever. He won't say it to his face, but McCain's surrogates' words and their advertising has been filled with smears and lies intent on destroying Barack Obama's character. At recent rallies, McCain and Sarah Palin supporters have been heard shouting the words "terrorist" "treason" and "kill him" in reference to Obama. This is a direct result of both candidates' inflammatory rhetoric, and neither McCain or Palin have said anything to denounce such hateful behavior.

Is this what we want from the next president and vice president of the United States of America, those who inspire hate rather than hope?

In all of Barack Obama's speeches and statements he has always expressed his belief that our country can come together and work for a greater future for ALL Americans. He inspires hope that we can do better and he knows that we can do it as the greatest nation on Earth. Obama inspires hope that we can overcome our economic troubles, have affordable health care, and use the right strategy for the war on terrorism by proposing specific and detailed plans to help the middle class and to go after those who were actually responsible for the attacks on 9/11. Obama is the personification of the American Dream who came from humble beginnings in a single-parent home and has dedicated his life to public service, and that gives me hope. He inspires hope by just being who he is at this time in history, and the amazing story of his life.

Barack Obama himself put it best in this quote from the 2004 Democratic National Convention:

I'm not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!

People have a very clear choice on November 4th. The question is, will they go with hope or buy into the lies and hate in 08?

UPDATED with video added. This wasn't created by me, but I found it after writing this, and thought it was very appropriate. You have to sit through a minute or so of some McCain supporters' hate speech then it's all good.