Throughout this primary season, I have been a fervent Edwards supporter- he inspired me to make my first-ever political contribution, and he was the first candidate for which I was willing to volunteer. I did not exactly get my chance due to Edwards suspending before my state even voted; I still hold some resentment over the other side of the country trying to tell me how I should vote. I have also been a skeptic of both Hillary and Obama to bring about the kind of transformative change that is so often discussed. The pull of Hillary and Obama supporters in trying to tell me that THEIR candidate is now the only logical choice has also been highly offensive.
Follow me through a disjointed journey of political support.
Up until this point I could see no difference between the two remaining viable candidates. Barack and Hillary both have corporate history and ties- ties to the system that has been trying to kill regular Americans for the sake of greed. I thought of them merely as corporate democrat #1 and corporate democrat #2. I saw them as being weak, pliable, and susceptible to dark interests, working against us. I frankly couldn't trust either as far as I could throw them. Above all, I still knew they were both better than a rethug, and I figured I would just sit on the fence and support the winner of the primary.
Since my candidate left the race, I have been taking a real hard look at both candidates. I reviewed their platforms and positions, their experience and past actions, and of course their speeches and books. I really admired Hillary's tenacity as a fighter, but did not think she could really be trusted to fight or speak for me. I admired Obama's ability to inspire young people, but when listening to his audiobooks thought of him as a very considerate man, but one that had already been changed by Washington politics, and was now another pretentious pontificator like Hillary.
It all brings me back to Edward's poignant quote from the South Carolina debate, "This not about us personally. It is about what we are trying to do for this country." Now I have to think about what each candidate is trying to do for this country. Barack Obama is trying to build a popular consensus that democratic ideals are American ideals. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is working very hard just to get herself elected.
I have been skeptical about Obama's ability to bring new voters into the party, and to inspire young people. Whether it will work or not, it is what he is trying to do. I look to Hillary and I see a scorched earth campaign in stating matter-of-factly that that McCain has a lifetime of experience, and that Obama has a speech from 2002 . I had been told that she would throw the democratic party under the bus for her own gain, but I saw that view as being just as pretentious as her dismissal of us- no longer.
For purely pragmatic reasons, I am obligated to support Obama for democratic presidential nomination. We need a democrat in the whitehouse, we need to win in November, and we do not need a primary to continue if it will only serve to help John McCain win the general election. Our republic can not withstand 100 years of war, it can not withstand more pointless wars of choice. Americans without any access to healthcare can't wait through 4+ years of John McCain. I am now on board, or fired up- so to speak and ready to fight for Obama between now and November.