I know I’m in the minority here in Utah when I say this, but I’ll be voting for Barack Obama come November.

While Obama hasn’t done everything I would have liked him to in the past four years, I feel he has done a lot to strengthen our country and improve a lot of things. He hasn’t been perfect, but, to paraphrase something I recently read, Obama was elected president, not Jesus.

Obama has accomplished a lot of good things in his four years in office. I think one of the biggest things he did was the bailout of the automotive industry. While the bailout wasn’t perfect, I think it would be hard to find anyone who would say it hasn’t been worth it. He’s saved thousands of jobs, GM is much stronger, and it’s also probably saved the city of Detroit from turning into a Mad Max post-apocalyptic society.

He’s also done a lot to advance social rights in America. He’s ended the policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military. Despite what your feelings are on the issues of gay marriage, there’s no reason why someone willing and able to fight and possibly die for their country shouldn’t be allowed to.

He also signed the Matthew Shepard and James Boyd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act into law. The act expands the 1969 hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a person’s gender, sexual orientation or disability. Once again, no matter where you stand on the issue of gay marriage, no one should be discriminated against.

A lot of people have said Obama hasn’t done anything, or have cited the failed attempts to raise the debt ceiling to show his ineptitude. Honestly, I’m amazed he’s accomplished as much as he has with the opposition he has received from Congress.

The Republican-controlled House has flat-out refused to negotiate or work with the Democrats. My 5-year-old nephew has shown better deal-making skills than this Congress, and he kicked his brother in the face the last time I babysat.

I’ve heard talking heads in the Republican Party say they would do anything they could to ensure that Obama fails. Rush Limbaugh said something along the lines of that he would rather see the country fail than see Obama be a successful president.

An article on NPR.org said this is one of the least effective Congresses since the Civil War, even less effective than the Truman-era “do-nothing Congress.” With opposition like that, I think it’s impressive Obama has accomplished anything of note. I would love to have seen what could have been accomplished with a Congress that was willing to compromise and work with the Democrats instead of against them.

I am also a huge fan of the Affordable Health Care Act. I came from a family that could never afford health care. There were many times members of my family didn’t go to the doctor or the hospital, or get stitches, because we couldn’t afford it. Health care is something that should be available to every person. It’s not something that should only be for those who can afford it. It’s not communism; it’s just common sense.

It is clear to me that Obama is the strongest candidate; everything I hear about Mitt Romney makes me feel a little uneasy. He seems untrustworthy, very shady in his past business dealings, and kind of gives me the willies. I think he’d be better suited as a villain in the next James Bond film.

While I know most people reading this are probably Republican, I ask you to think about the issues. Look at the two candidates, what they stand for and what they’ve accomplished. Please use your brain to select who to vote for. Don’t just blindly follow the big red elephant into the voting booth.