My Choice for President

The MySpace/MTV forum the other day made up my mind on whom I was going to vote for in the upcoming Presidential elections.

Y'all may know I used to work for the Democratic Party. I am an unapologetic social liberal, and I believe in tight, responsible government with progressive fiscal policies and controlled spending. In some respects, I am a conservative. In some respects, I am a socialist. In some respects, I am a radical moderate. I am seeking a true Third Way.

I watched the forum with a mixed group of folks, including supporters of all the various candidates. I had not yet made up my mind, which is rare. I've been voting since 1984, and cannot remember ever getting this close to the polls without having a favored candidate.

As the program unrolled, I watched and listened intently. After that, I reviewed every candidate's web site, and read their "Issues" page.

Personality doesn't come into play for me. I don't care if the President is funny, or funny-looking, or what gender or race they are, or what state they come from or how they talk. It's all about what they say, what ideas they bring to the table, and how well I think they are going to lead.

Although I have a lot of differences with his views, I must pay some respect to Ron Paul. I am very impressed with the way he has wrangled support on the Internet. I wish he were running as a true third-party Libertarian candidate. I think to not do so is a tactical error on his part. He never answered questions that were directed at him, and his answer seemed to be, "Everything will work itself out." That's a great laissez-faire Libertarian attitude, but it won't fly in practical applications.

For example, when asked about dependence on foreign oil, he basically said (I am paraphrasing) that when gas gets to be so expensive that people quit buying it, the car and oil companies will develop alternatives. Is he kidding? He also is talking about shutting down foreign military bases, which sounds good until we need them. I respect his medical background, but he doesn't really seem to have a workable health-care plan other than "save your money." That won't work: my meds alone are over $1200 a month. Unless pharma companies are willing to take smaller profits (yeah, right), I can't afford them without help. So although I respect him, I cannot vote for him.

Romney and McCain didn't participate... that tells me they really don't care about the youth vote, and the youth of this country will have to live with their administration's decisions. I think that was short-sighted.

McCain is a warmonger who wants total victory in Iraq, which means more troops, more money, and more needless death. Anyone should be able to see this tragic debacle is unwinnable. Scratch him.

Romney and Huckabee say they will actively work to overturn Roe v. Wade. That would be a disaster for American women. Huckabee actually was a lot more lucid and less stupid-seeming than I had previously given him credit for, but all his pandering to "Christian values" and talk of "faith" leave a bad taste in my mouth. We need a commander-in-chief, not a pastor-in-chief. I listened as he spoke of widening highways. How about mass transit, and breaking America of its car-oriented culture? But I digress: reproductive freedom is non-negotiable. Romney and Huckabee are toast.

I heard someone say that we don't live in red states and blue states, but purple states. I personally am purple. Social liberalism, is, however, extremely important to me. I don't want my government dictating morality. So I will likely vote Democratic. Now for whom?

That leaves me the two Democrats, whose candidacies are historic in and of themselves. Honestly, I'd said going into it that I would be happy with either of them, and I do think they are each imminently qualified to be president. So which to choose?

Hillary Clinton is a forceful, formidable, admirable woman of strength, and, I think, a great leader. She hit me square in the pocketbook with her idea of making college tuition loans more affordable. Only thing is, she didn't say how she would pay for it.

Her health care plan appeals to me, but so does Obama's. Their differences on this issue are largely semantic.

They both have good GLBT stances, and during the forum, Obama was asked if he supported homosexual marriage, and he quickly and easily said no, but that he was in favor of civil unions. That's enough for me-- one step at a time. That may anger some gays and lesbians, but I think it will setback gay rights to shove things down Americans' throats they just aren't ready for yet. Hillary Clinton has also got a good track record on gay rights.

So there is no litmus test between the two Democrats, leaving me undecided, until Hillary Clinton was asked about electability. That's when it all came together for me.

I like Hillary Clinton. I admire Hillary Clinton. But many Americans don't. She is a divisive personality with a lot of baggage. It was present in how many people were running her down in discussions after the forum ended where I watched it. Hillary's great, but people either love her, or hate her, much the way people were about Dubya in 2004.

The choice suddenly was crystal-clear. I will be voting in today's primary for Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.

Obama's support base isn't typically black, unlike Jesse Jackson's historic 1984 campaign. He himself is biracial. Plus, he's truly an African-American... his story is much more an immigrant story than a "descendant of poor freed slaves" story. To be sure, there are people who will vote for Obama just because of the color of his skin, but there are also people who will vote for Hillary Clinton just because of her gender. To me, that's an uninformed choice.

The converse is also true: there are people who won't vote for Obama because he's black, or for Clinton because she's a woman. They may feel that way, but I do hope our society in general is socially progressive enough that they won't be able to say it out loud without fear of persecution or ridicule.

Obama's message of change and hope resonates with every ethnicity, every socioeconomic class, every region and every subset of American culture. His multicultural background make him a living embodiment of what America is all about. He's got a lot of ideas with merit, and an undeniable energy and verve that to me are captivating. He's a leader I can get excited about, and he has my support.

If Hillary Clinton is nominated, I will support her, naturally. She's on the right side of my issues. But Senator Clinton often seems to say what is politically expedient. She hedges, flops for audiences and uses weasel-words the same way her husband did, the same way Al Gore did. And mind you, I loved those men, and worked in their campaigns. Barack Obama seems to be steadfast in his message, and has taken some very brave positions, such as opposing the war in Iraq even when most of his own party caved to the Republican agenda. His ethics and job performance have proven beyond reproach. It's hard to find people who have bad things to say about him.

I just think America needs some healing, and Barack Obama is the man for the job. You may agree or disagree. That's your prerogative. Exercise it, and make sure you vote.