WHY OBAMA?
I received an email from the Obama campaign today asking why I am supporting him. This is my response; it includes key sections of posts I've previously written.
I grew up in a small town of 800 in Kansas. I went to Stanford University and spent 19 years in the Bay Area, four years in Portland, Oregon, and I now live in Vegas.
Open letter to February 5th voters
FOR MANY YEARS I have bemoaned what seems to have been lost in Washington, D.C.; indeed, what seems to have been lost across the country: a sense of the common good, of our collective heritage and of our shared future.
Only one candidate in either party embodies this sense as a core value of his or her campaign: Obama.
Only one Democratic candidate looks beyond this election as simply being about returning a Democrat to the White House; only one believes that this is an opportunity to build a new nationwide majority that moves beyond partisan politics. Obama.
Only one person vying to occupy the White House wants to bring all the rest of us along, to re-connect Americans with the promise of our Constitutional government and re-ignite a shared sense of responsibility for solving the challenges confronting us. Obama.
Over the past few years I have become increasingly pessimistic about our future. I have worried about threats to our civil liberties. I've worried about our ability to continue to grow our economy in a world of limited resources. And I've worried about my nieces growing up in a world that would be far bleaker than the one I grew up in.
And then, last November, I started listening to Barack Obama as he spoke about why he is running for the Presidency. And somehow, against all the odds, I began to hope again. And for the first time since 1992, I am voting for someone, voting for something. In 1996 I voted for Nader, a protest vote against Bill Clinton who I had supported in '92. My votes for Gore and Kerry were essentially anti-Bush.
But like so many who have been electrified by Obama's message of possibility and transformation and change and MOVING FORWARD, for the first time in my life a candidate has me believing in our ability to transcend our differences and not simply "beat the other guy."
Why I support Obama
Since I began following the presidential race in high school, I've always been drawn to candidates on the basis of their experience, integrity, and principles.
Unfortunately, that's rarely been a successful strategy as most of the candidates I've picked have lost out early in the process.
And, in fact, I've only once voted for the winner in a presidential election, in 1992.
But this year is different: the candidate who has the integrity that I look for has inspired the imaginations of millions of other voters.
I chose Obama because he shares my sense that the country has lost sight of the common good and that partisan politics in Washington is poisoning our national well-being. I chose him because I believe he is a once-in-a-generation figure who has the ability to enlist the American people in rising to the challenges facing them, someone who asks us to be better than they know ourselves to be.
Obama's strategy of visiting so many states
You might argue that Obama's record of visiting almost every state that's voting is a function of the delegate race. But I'd respond that to the voters of the states he visits, the message is very different: You matter, that's why I am here. It's only together--all of us--that we can make a difference in Washington. He's essentially looking ahead to being President and saying, "When the time comes to make change, I'm going to need the support of voters across the country, not just in the big states." And ultimately it will be the weight of all of those supporters pressing on their Senators and Representatives that will shift the path that our government is on.
Different visions of change
Earlier today I saw Hillary on TV speaking at a rally in Maine. I had the sense that she thinks she's the best candidate for president because of what she'll do for people. Then I read the Cleveland Plain Dealer's endorsement of Obama and this idea really solidified: with Hillary it's really all about her, about her knowing what's best for us, about what she'll do for us when she's in Washington.
What is challenging about Obama's candidacy is that he asks us to get off of our collective ass and be the solution we've been waiting for. For all his intellectual and oratory gifts, it's ultimately up to us to find our way out of the darkness.
I grew up in a small town of 800 in Kansas. I went to Stanford University and spent 19 years in the Bay Area, four years in Portland, Oregon, and I now live in Vegas.
Open letter to February 5th voters
FOR MANY YEARS I have bemoaned what seems to have been lost in Washington, D.C.; indeed, what seems to have been lost across the country: a sense of the common good, of our collective heritage and of our shared future.
Only one candidate in either party embodies this sense as a core value of his or her campaign: Obama.
Only one Democratic candidate looks beyond this election as simply being about returning a Democrat to the White House; only one believes that this is an opportunity to build a new nationwide majority that moves beyond partisan politics. Obama.
Only one person vying to occupy the White House wants to bring all the rest of us along, to re-connect Americans with the promise of our Constitutional government and re-ignite a shared sense of responsibility for solving the challenges confronting us. Obama.
Over the past few years I have become increasingly pessimistic about our future. I have worried about threats to our civil liberties. I've worried about our ability to continue to grow our economy in a world of limited resources. And I've worried about my nieces growing up in a world that would be far bleaker than the one I grew up in.
And then, last November, I started listening to Barack Obama as he spoke about why he is running for the Presidency. And somehow, against all the odds, I began to hope again. And for the first time since 1992, I am voting for someone, voting for something. In 1996 I voted for Nader, a protest vote against Bill Clinton who I had supported in '92. My votes for Gore and Kerry were essentially anti-Bush.
But like so many who have been electrified by Obama's message of possibility and transformation and change and MOVING FORWARD, for the first time in my life a candidate has me believing in our ability to transcend our differences and not simply "beat the other guy."
Why I support Obama
Since I began following the presidential race in high school, I've always been drawn to candidates on the basis of their experience, integrity, and principles.
Unfortunately, that's rarely been a successful strategy as most of the candidates I've picked have lost out early in the process.
And, in fact, I've only once voted for the winner in a presidential election, in 1992.
But this year is different: the candidate who has the integrity that I look for has inspired the imaginations of millions of other voters.
I chose Obama because he shares my sense that the country has lost sight of the common good and that partisan politics in Washington is poisoning our national well-being. I chose him because I believe he is a once-in-a-generation figure who has the ability to enlist the American people in rising to the challenges facing them, someone who asks us to be better than they know ourselves to be.
Obama's strategy of visiting so many states
You might argue that Obama's record of visiting almost every state that's voting is a function of the delegate race. But I'd respond that to the voters of the states he visits, the message is very different: You matter, that's why I am here. It's only together--all of us--that we can make a difference in Washington. He's essentially looking ahead to being President and saying, "When the time comes to make change, I'm going to need the support of voters across the country, not just in the big states." And ultimately it will be the weight of all of those supporters pressing on their Senators and Representatives that will shift the path that our government is on.
Different visions of change
Earlier today I saw Hillary on TV speaking at a rally in Maine. I had the sense that she thinks she's the best candidate for president because of what she'll do for people. Then I read the Cleveland Plain Dealer's endorsement of Obama and this idea really solidified: with Hillary it's really all about her, about her knowing what's best for us, about what she'll do for us when she's in Washington.
What is challenging about Obama's candidacy is that he asks us to get off of our collective ass and be the solution we've been waiting for. For all his intellectual and oratory gifts, it's ultimately up to us to find our way out of the darkness.
Labels: election2008
posted by michael at 1:41 PM
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1 Comments:
Great points. I have always felt like I was chosing the 'lesser of two evils.' I know alot of voters feel the same way, and yet for the first time in my 46yrs. there is an option that speaks to me, not at me, and includes me in the process. That candidate is Senator Obama. If anyone needs any convincing on his leadership or organizational skills, they need look no farther than his primary campaign--a truly awesome feat. On a personal level, I'm from Salina, Ks. Which 'big town of 800' did you start your life? Thanks for your views. They are very reflective of many voters throughout the US.
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