Until today, I was wavering on my primary vote decision. There are strong reasons to support both of the Democratic candidates. I've waited a lifetime to have the opportunity to vote for a woman for president, and I really wanted to support Hillary. But after a lot of thinking (and reading, and talking), I've made the decision to vote for Barack Obama.
There are two factors that pushed me in that direction. The first is belief that it is bad for our country to have nobody in the white house except Bushes and Clintons for a quarter of a century. That's not fair to Hillary, I know, but it's still true. I think it sends the wrong message to young people about the rich getting richer in politics as well as business. The second, which is more important, is the decision to prioritize hope and optimism over pragmatism. That's something that's hard for me to do, and I'm not sure it's the right path. I fear that Obama runs a great risk of being eaten alive by the piranhas in the congressional pool, and I'm not sure he's ready for the hardball any democratic president is likely to face.
But today I watched the will.i.am video based on Obama's "Yes We Can" speech.
Then I went back and watched his speech from the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
If there were ever a time to believe in the "audacity of hope," I think this is the time. So I'm making a choice to vote for the person I believe has the best chance to bring us together rather than deepen our divides. I may be naive, but I'd like to think that I'm audaciously so.
I appreciate your thoughts on why you chose Obama over Clinton. I, too, had been pondering that, and was having difficulty verbalizing it. It was bizarre as I was reading your commentary, how it was as if you were reading my mind! YES--all my jumbled thoughts came together, with a similar conclusion. (I had not pondered the idea of Bushes/Clintons for so long, though!) Hillary does come across as a "good ol' boy" to me...experience, I suppose, which does have its advantages. But it does seem to be Obama's lack of this trait (or lack of experience??!!) that draws me...gives me hope.