Prime Time

Here in Ohio there is only one day before the primary, and two days, I think, before our entire state and maybe the country, breathes a massive sigh of relief. Without a doubt this is the most fiercely battled primary in my voting history. By the time the polls open here typically the candidate has already been decided, even in 2004 Kerry had pretty much locked it down by the time it came to Ohio.

I took down an earlier post I wrote about my position on the Obama/Hillary decision, because upon re-reading it, I decided even I didn't agree with my reasoning and in fact I was probably doing the exact thing I had been so annoyed about during my post following Edwards' withdrawal. From the comments I read on Huffington Post, I may be in the minority here, but I like to believe I am actually one of the silent majority. Because I honestly think that the fact of the matter is, we are lucky, as Democrats, to have to make the decision that we do, to have two very good candidates to be President of the United States. If Barack loses the nomination and it goes to Hillary, I will vote for her in the general election, albeit with a heavy heart. My decision to vote tomorrow for Barack Obama is based on his strengths, and not Hillary's weaknesses.

So what are Obama's strengths? Regardless of what some pundits or naysayers have tried to convince me of otherwise, his ability to inspire people and command an audience is a strength and is not a hollow promise. For years, I have heard the constant rhetoric bemoaning the fact that the youth of America is apathetic, and I have heard people my age complain that they feel disconnected from politics. What Obama has done is address these two points, and he has energized the apathetic in a way no candidate has in my lifetime. And frankly, the way that his opposition has tried to spin this negatively just further underscores why people turn away from politics to begin with.

What is happening now in this election is the opposite of what happened in '04. I was one of the few Democrats that actually liked John Kerry and thought he would make a good President. The general unspoken consensus when he took over the frontrunner status, was something of "well he's our best chance, I guess." We tried very hard as a group to hide this sentiment, but let's face it, the Democrats never loved John Kerry. The Republicans loved George Bush. Not being a Republican, I can't speak to the accuracy of a theory I have that this time around, John McCain is their John Kerry. But I will save McCain thoughts for the general election.

I said it back when licking my wounds following the general election, 2004's ballot should have just said "Not Bush," and that is no way to win an election. In reality, people do like to be optimistic when voting, especially when it comes to candidates. It was clear in the fall of 04, that for the next presidential election we would need to run someone that people actually loved. I didn't expect Obama to run so soon, so I was expecting either a return of Al Gore, or to beat a dead horse, Edwards.

But Obama did run. And people do love him. Not to say that Hillary doesn't have passionate supporters as well, but the Obama phenomenon is truly something unique in this generation of politics. They say he's too inexperienced, and yet, he actually has more experience than Abraham Lincoln, who is considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Presidents in the history of our country, and if nothing else certainly had to deal with the single biggest crisis in our nation's history. And did it. Because Lincoln was a smart man who surrounded himself with other smart people. I see no reason to suspect that Obama would do otherwise, in fact he has already promised to include Republicans in his cabinet, apparently agreeing with Lincoln's sentiment that it's not enough to surround yourself with smart people, but they should also disagree with you.

So I will admit it. Somewhere between Edwards' withdrawal and now, I have drank the kool-aid. I am optimistic, I am hopeful, I am inspired. I believe that there is a chance here to witness history. The Obama campaign does not represent one man, but rather the culmination of a grassroots movement that has been growing in this country, the same movement that pushed Howard Dean to the early forefront of the 04 race, and ultimately landed him as chair of the DNC. Obama's momentum has felt so absolutely driven by the people he seeks to represent, to lead, that it is very hard for me not to get swept up in the hope. I want very much to defend that hope, that optimism, from the people who seek to strip me of it. I want to make them see what it is that I see in this campaign. I am tired of the hatred, the bitterness, the cynicism of politics, and I am very very happy to say that yes, I support a candidate that truly makes me feel like there is something we can do as a people to change the tide.

So you can call me naive if you want, say that you've been through it all and you've seen the same promises every time and that nothing ever changes. Maybe, maybe not. But I believe we can, change things, it might take a lot of work, it might take a lot of time, but history proves time and time again that people can make a difference, and I would rather be a part of such an attempt, than on the sidelines saying it probably won't work.