You had to know it was coming...
I think, at this point, its pretty obvious to say that I'm a political science nerd. I love everything about politics and government. I get chills when I read the Declaration of Independence. Goosebumps when I read the Constitution. I get emotionally and physically involved in campaigns. I think that not utilizing your natural born right to vote at the age of 18 is absolutely abhorrent. And yet when I hear people talk about how they hate and distrust government, how its the same people corrupting Washington year after year, I can understand their distaste. Government has become seperate from the citizenry. It has become the game of an older generation, something that gets media attention day after day for the scandals, the blunders, and the general appearance of a lack of things being done. The 8 year reign of terror that has come to be synonomous with the Bush administration has only made things worse. Not only has it turned off American citizens from govenrment, it has made the United States something of a mockery in the rest of the world. Thats what makes this election so important. It is wide open. There is no incumbent; there is no precedent. Everything we know about past election patterns has been thrown out the window. The pundits don't know what to do. But everyone knows that. Anyone with half a brain cell has some idea of all of this.
What I'm really writing is to say, now, why I support Senator Barack Obama. I remember the first time I really thought about the 2008 election. It was last February, after he announced his intentions to run for President. I remember hearing his name and thinking "who in the hell is that?". I remember reading about him in Time, and thinking that he didn't have a chance in HELL of beating the political darling Hillary Clinton. And I remember in May, when I decided I needed to educate myself about some of the issues and the possible candidates, to make arguing with my ultra-Republican father even more fun. I read about him, and I got a feeling. A feeling I still can't exactly describe. It was a gut feeling, a trust in this still virtually unknown Illinois senator. But I still didn't know enough about him to really say much more than "I like this guy". So I did my research. I looked at him, and compared his style, his voting record, and his general position on issues important to me with Hillary Clinton. And I found that he embodied exactly what I want in a candidate. So by the time May rolled around, I knew that I was going to support Senator Obama. It scared me, because he was such a longshot, such an unknown figure to go against Senator Clinton, and I'm not one who likes to lose. I'm extremely competative; when I support something, I want it to succeed. I, like so many others, want a candidate that can win.
But I don't support him simply because I have a feeling. I agree with his issues. I'm a very liberal person. I know that. I'm okay with that. I'm confident in what I believe is right. I believe that social issues are really, really important. I think that two people should be allowed to engage in a loving marriage regardless of their gender. I think that a woman should have the right to choose what happens to her body. I believe that every citizen has the right to basic healthcare. I could go on, but I won't. I'm passionate about social issues. So call me idealistic. Call me a bleeding heart. But I think its about time the US caught up with the rest of the world. I know there are people willing to fight me to the death over something like universal healthcare or university education. But thats a fight for a different day. Although living in a country with universal healthcare and university education, I can honestly say that I have yet to hear too many complaints about the detriments of the systems, but have definately seen the surprise from Irish students about how much I pay for college every year (or the fact that not everyone can just go to the doctor when they're sick).
(As an FYI, Irish students do not pay for their college educations directly. Part of their tax system pays for students to go to school as an undergrad. They pay for their own housing and books, but the actual tution is paid for by the government, and grants are availble for financially strapped students. The idea of actually paying extra for tuition is completely foreign to them. My roommate Gavin was astonished when I told him how much it was costing me to be here. Same with the healthcare idea. Yes, they pay taxes for these things, but astonishingly enough these taxes are not as exboratantly high as you might think, and they actually get things in return for their taxes - i.e. a college education and the ability to see a doctor. Go figure. This holds true for a lot of EU member countries.)
Another thing about Senator Obama that is noteworthy is that people around the world respect him a great deal. We need a president who can regain the respect and dignity for the United States that has been totally lost with the bumbling idocity of George Bush. People around the world are invested in this campaign, American expatriates and foreigners alike. People respect Senator Obama and his diplomacy, his willingness to meet with leaders of seemingly rogue countries rather than just invading. He has a following and respect throughout the world, which is so incredibly important I can't even begin to describe it. He could rebuild America's ruined reputation. I would love to be able to travel and not have to lie about where I'm from so that people don't get violently angry. I would love to not have people assume that every American is a hillbilly backcountry idiot who voted GWBush into office twice.
But anyway. Up until late last year, not many people were paying much attention to the presidental election. Too early. Too much other stuff going on. No one thought there would be a candidate who could outlast the Hillary machine. The relentless Clinton force. Now, I don't have anything against Hillary Clinton. I have a great respect for her, because I can understand the extreme difficulty there must be in being a woman in politics (because I - gasp - am something of a feminist). However, I don't want her to be president. She's too polarizing. For every diehard Hillary Clinton supporter, there seem to be about three diehard Hillary Clinton haters. And the last thing this country needs is another president who has 50% of the population hating them right off the bat. I simply don't feel shes the best candidate.
I've been called a lot of things for supporting Obama. Naive is the one I hear the most, and the one I find most annoying. As though I merely pulled his name out of nowhere and decided to support him. Or saw him on tv one day and thought he was "cool". That has nothing to do with it. If you take the time to learn about him, to really research what he stands for, you might be surprised. I've read his books. They're amazing. He is an incredibly intelligent person. Hes young, hes fresh, he hasn't been tainted by years of Washinton corruption. Hes a hard worker. He doesn't give up. He lagged behind Hillary in polls for months. But he didn't throw the towel in. He has a determination that is unlike anything I've ever seen. But what I find so admirable is his ability to inspire. He draws crowds of every race, gender and age. He pulls people together and reminds us that things don't have to stay the way they are. I completely acknowledge that he is not completely experienced. Hes still young. But I also don't think thats a just enough argument against him as a candidate. I fully believe that there is absolutely no job one can have that will truly prepare them to be President of the United States. There simply isn't. Vice presidents who become president (a la George H.W. Bush) might have an idea, but I just don't buy into the idea that spending forty years in Washington translates to a better ability to perform as president. Dick Cheney has been in politics for decades, but his leadership in the role of vice president has been ANYTHING but admirable or productive. And when theres a candidate that causes this much excitement among voters, especially younger voters who tend not to vote at all, its a big deal. Senator Obama cares about younger voters. Most politicians cater to the older generations because they're the ones who consistently vote. Senator Obama makes me feel like my needs matter just as much as a seventy-year-olds. And thats important to me.
All of the candidates speak of hope, of change, of new beginnings. But Senator Obama is the only candidate that really gives me hope. And I don't see what is wrong with having hope. I have great hopes. I think the main problem with politics in general is that most people see it as something of a lost cause, something that is completely hopeless. Hope and optimism is exactly what is needed in politics. People need to believe in government again. I've never been as inspired and filled with optimism as when I listen to Senator Obama speak. He is an absolutely electrifying orator. Its unreal.
So call me a simple minded, naive, bleeding heart liberal. I've heard it all before. But I truly am invested in this campaign 100 percent. I have been since the beginning, and I'll keep on supporting it until it reaches the end. Because I have strong convictions and strong beliefs. I could write for hours about each issue I find important individually. I can direct you to a plethora of more information on Senator Obama - his stances, his background, etc. I can say his two books are incredibly fascinating and enlightening. I can recommend speeches that are particularly inspiring. And I can say that I am anything but naive when it comes to this subject. I'm open to criticism. I've heard it all, believe me. I've gotten the fun email forwards proclaiming Obama to be a terrorist because his middle name is Hussein and all of that.
So...to conclude this political spiel....(because anyone who knows me had to know it was coming...) I support Senator Barack Obama for president whole heartedly. I encourage anyone who doesn't know much about him read about him. I enjoy talking about politics, in a civil way. I'm friends with several people who consider themselves to be conservative or very conservative. I can be rational and level headed, and I know that there are two sides to every issue. I understand that there are many, many people who would love to argue about all of the different social issues. Which is something I enjoy doing, but not via the internet. I wrote this for two reasons: one, because I'm a giant poli sci nerd who wanted to elucidate on WHY i support a candidate as specifically as I could at 2 am, and two because this election is so important. So thats all. Its killing me to be in a foreign country during this highly charged political time, because although it gets news time on shows here, its not nearly the coverage i'm accostomed to from, say, CNN.
So that, in a nutshell, is why i am an Obama supporter. The next few months are going to be so very interesting to watch...I can't wait. Comment on this, don't comment on it, its all the same. Civility is all I ask.
And I commend anyone who read all of that because its really wordy and long...but hey. What else would I possibly do to combat insomnia?