Our country is perched on the edge of a cliff. We are staring down a growing economic crisis. Our soldiers are fighting two separate wars—in Iraq and Afghanistan—with no end in sight. Over the last eight years, families have been hit hard by stagnant wages, and the rising costs of everything from gasoline to food to health care. Today, there are more children living in poverty in this country than there were a decade ago. And on principles of fairness and humanity, we have gone backwards. 
The arrogance and lies of the George W. Bush Administration drove us to war. The anti-government hysteria of the Republican-controlled Congress paved the way for the financial bust. The economy and the credibility of this nation have been deeply damaged.
Our next president must have the capacity, judgment and vision to restore confidence, both here and abroad. El Diario/La Prensa endorses Senator Barack Obama as the leader ready to redirect the United States of America towards its promise.Senator Obama wisely opposed Bush’s misguided and immoral charge into Iraq. From Corona to Washington Heights, Latinos have suffered the devastating effects of this war. Senator Obama has pledged to bring the sons and daughters who are serving in Iraq back home by 2010.
Senator Obama has correctly identified that trickle-down economics are not addressing the inequities Americans face. As our economy continues to unravel, Latinos and African Americans are disproportionately affected by foreclosures. Senator Obama has proposed a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures so that some lenders and homeowners can renegotiate terms.
Other problems demand attention. Graduation rates in the United States lag behind that of most other wealthy nations. Senator Obama has committed to investing in schools and to making higher education more accessible.
The nation also needs a humane and sensible immigration policy. While Senator John McCain once appeared as a reasonable interlocutor on immigration reform, he gradually pandered to Republican ultra conservatives by promoting a two-step process emphasizing border enforcement. Senator Obama clearly outlines a far superior plan that will take a smarter approach to immigration, including bringing undocumented immigrants out of the shadows.
Two defining moments of this election cycle have been Senator Obama’s declaration that health care is a right and his speech in Philadelphia on race relations. With both, we saw a leader willing to respond to real-life problems and a visionary who can see beyond who we are now, to who we can become.
We were also impressed by Senator Obama’s advocacy for women. He defended a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body and he challenged McCain for blocking pay equity for women.
Senator McCain has sacrificed for this nation as a captured Navy pilot during the Vietnam War. But he remains far too close to Bush’s economic policies to lead a nation out of this economic hole. As the current financial crisis emerged, he argued that the fundamentals of the economy were strong, that we needed a commission to study the issue and pointed to a few greedy executives—not an unregulated market—as the problem. On Iraq and Afghanistan, he is far too wedded to a single tactic – the surge – to present a coherent vision of these damaging wars. He can’t see the forest for the trees. And sadly, McCain has run an angry and divisive campaign.
Our nation needs leadership that is strong, steady and focused on the common good. On November 4, cast your ballot for Senator Barack Obama.
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