I contemplated using one of the catchy Obamania phrases like "Barack the Vote" or "Obama for Your Mama" as the title of this post, but frankly, I wanted to get to the point. I endorse Obama, and here's why.
First, because I'm rarely good at getting to the point, here's a bit of back story. On Super Tuesday, my friend Swerds was eating lunch outside his office and was approached by local newscasters for comments about who he voted for in the primary. Being the eloquent dude that he is, Swerds made an insightful comment about the war and why he chose Obama over Clinton. I realized after talking with Swerds that I had no such pithy remarks prepared and would have babbled incoherently if a microphone were thrust in my face. So without getting into policy points, here's why I voted for Obama this month, and hope to vote for Obama in November:
1. Obama is more than an effective orator. He has ignited a nation of politically apathetic people, especially young people. Yes, actions speak louder than words, but I am truly impressed by Obama's background. I want a President who was a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago; I want a President who taught constitutional law; I want a President who inspires me.
2. More importantly, I think that Obama has the potential to undo years of divisiveness and rancor in this country. In my opinion, Clinton's got an incredible uphill battle in that respect and I still have massive doubts about what shenanigans her husband pulled in terms of welfare "reform" when he was in the White House pandering to the Republicans. I realize that other people applaud former Pres. Clinton for PRWORA and might call him an effective coalition builder, but I choose to put my hope in Obama this time around.
3. I've only voted in two presidential elections. Both were embarrassing failures on so many levels. Both times, I voted against something (someone, some principles) instead of for something and someone I believed in. Either way things turn out, in November, I am going to be excited to vote for the Democratic nominee. Provided it's Obama though, I am going to be elated.
2 comments:
I'm glad you wrote this. I voted for Hillary, as you know, but I think Obama is going to be the nominee. I would like to talk more with you about Obama and why he moves you. So far, most of the confidence in him that I have is that so many people I respect (including you) are behind him. My main conerns are outlined in my blog from sometime last week. What do you think of those? Uniting everyone and ending divisiveness versus talking out of both sides of one's mouth? How are they different? Do abusive insurance companies and weapons contracters deserve a spot at the table? These are my honest-to-goodness questions. What do you think?
We should definitely talk about these concerns. I'm not sure I have great responses. Your post on Clinton and Obama made me think long and hard. I'll try and come up with a comment to post on your blog to see if I have any good retorts. Otherwise, better yet, maybe we can catch up on the phone? Miss you!
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