Perception vs Reality

In this hot political climate I have been bombareded with emails from supporters of both sides as Iam sure many of you have. I got one yesterday in response to a reply I had sent out regarding Barack Obama, whom I openly support in his candidacy for President. I am going to cut and paste a portion that I took very personally as well as my response to that particular part. The entire email chain is much longer and I made every effort to keep it on the issues with the exception of the parts I am cutting and pasting. I am very interested in your honest appraisal of the exchange.

Here is what was sent to me that I took personally:
"I vote the way I vote because of my fundamental economic & spiritual beliefs, as foreign as they may seem to you. I'm a religious man, an economically mindful man, and these are the principals I hold to... or would it be better to say that I'm just one of those ignorant mid-westerners clinging to my religion and my guns? Obama, and all he stands for, is everything I happen to be against. I'm against giving people hand outs, I'd rather give them an arm to help them up, I'm against having my vote negated by just one case of voter fraud, I'm for showing an I.D. at the polls to prove who I am and protect my right, I'm against taxation without representation, such as some state gas taxes that automatically increase annually, I'm for governments trimming the fat instead of adding pork, I'm against removing nativity scenes & changing sports team names because a few people complain, I'm for reciting the national anthem with "Under God" in the passages. These are the principals I hold true... what are your principals? "

Here is my response:
"I cast my vote for the person I believe will do the best job in making the best decisions for the good of the entire country, not what is necessarily best for me. I think of all the things you write this one is the most hurtful, to even infer that somehow your economic principals and spirituality are somehow superior to my own is incredible. You forget, I know as much about you as you know about me and there is little doubt in my mind that my morals can at the very least stand equal to yours and I would never remotely believe I am more or less superior than you. That is total invalidation and completely false. You want to eliminate the "fat", the "pork" get line item veto power, something that your party is dead set against, sadly too many Dems are too. You say hand out? Exactly what hand outs are you talking about? The programs being proposed are exactly what you say you are for, a helping hand to help people be able to make a better life, not to GIVE them a better life. Look it up. I am against people being able to have a gun designed strictly for the taking of human life. You want a gun for home protection, get a shotgun, you want to hunt get a rifle. How dare you presume your morality to be superior to mine. Under God, In God We Trust, the National Anthem are all words that we absolutely should keep IN our culture and Barack Obama is NOT against their use, if you think he is, please show me some offer of proof of this. You want to talk about principals? Mine are rooted in a lifetime of helping others and serving my country, have you ever served? Have you ever trusted the man next to you to protect you as you would protect him? Have you? My principals are very simple, those that can give back SHOULD. By the way, Under God is NOT in the Nation Anthem it is in the Pledge of Allegiance. Again your facts are faulty."

Obviously I was fired up when I responded, yet today, a day later I am still. I like to think that my principals and values are on display each day as evidenced by how I conduct myself in my life on a consistent day in and day out basis. Am I perfect, no, have I made mistakes? yes. Will I make more mistakes as I live, yes. Somehow this has really irked me in a way I probably should not let it, but yet it has.

I'd like your honest feedback for better or for worse.

Thanks,

Rick