Why I'm Voting for Barack Obama

I recently posted my personal closing argument for why no one should vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin on November 4. I intentionally wrote that piece only about the long list of serious problems that I have with Senator McCain and Governor Palin. I wanted to express the extent to which I feel that a vote for McCain/Palin is an unforgivable error in this election, and I didn't want that argument to get entangled with my or my readers' thoughts on Barack Obama.

When I first planned that piece--about 6 weeks ago--I didn't plan to write a pro-Obama piece. I've written sparingly about him before, including a year ago when I remained skeptical about his candidacy, in January when I ruminated on the historic nature of the two leading Democratic candidates, and in February when I narrowly chose to support Obama over Senator Clinton in the Massachusetts primary. But the closer the election comes, and the more I've been able to anticipate a potential Obama presidency, the clearer the reasons I support him have become.

But beware--this isn't a long, drawn-out policy analysis that you might expect from me. Suffice it to say that I support most but not all of the Democratic party platform as well as Senator Obama's specific proposals. Instead, I'm voting for Barack Obama because I love my family, and I love my friends.

In his words and in his gestures, in his proposals and in his promises, and in his biography and in his experience, Barack Obama offers us hope. Obama offers us a vision of a country and a world on a path to prosperity. He offers a chance for us to take a step into the future and to see if we can't make the future different--better--than what's come before. And this isn't merely a case of empty eloquence; change comes through action, and Obama draws people to action. Whether they be young people who until now have been fully apathetic about our country's direction or whether they are seasoned advisors that Obama has wisely tapped to craft and execute on pragmatic and forward-thinking domestic and foreign policy, Obama has proven that he can set a positive direction, rally the troops,  and successfully execute. And that gives me hope.

When I look at my four-year old niece and I dream about her future in ways she has not even yet begun to glimpse, I yearn for a world that gives her every opportunity to do whatever she wants to do and to be whomever she wants to be. I want her to grow into a world moving away from ideologic wars and economic stratification. I want her to weave friendships and share experiences with people from every walk of life, regardless of nationality, race, sexual identity, or economic class. When I look at my four-year old niece, I know Obama is the right choice.

When I think of Dad, who's been gone for so long now, I seethe and sigh with thoughts of what four-years of increased medical research might have meant during the final months when we would have tried anything to save him. I dream of an America that invests in research and prioritizes intellectuals that can bring solutions to diseases that strike at our loved ones and that strike at our planet. And I think of all that Dad believed in as well--in Democratic ideals of empowering the powerless and protecting voiceless minorities. When I think of Dad, I know Obama is the right choice.

When I walk through life alongside my friends and family, I know that we need the change that Obama promises to bring. And indeed, the particulars of my friends and family's lives hardly matter. It could be friends that have had the choices they can make as they go through life constrained by intolerance. Or it could be friends' families who own their own small businesses and struggle to provide health insurance for their employees. I've got plenty of friends who want nothing more than to secure a stable future and spend their days watching baseball or cooking or taking photos or watching baseball games. And I have friends and family that lead difficult lives, facing abuse at home or long cycles of unemployment or bouts of mental depression. And while I'm not calling all of these people out by name, these are nevertheless real people with real names and real smiles and real tears and real fears and real dreams. And all these people can benefit from a new direction in America. When I walk through life alongside my friends and family, I know Obama is the right choice.

I've had too many conversations imbued with cynicism, skepticism, and doom over the past few years. The American dream should be more than a slogan or a political catchphrase--it should be something that we can see in the smiles of the people all around us. After all, we're all in this together. All of these people in my life deserve hope, and I know that working together and rallying to the leadership that President Obama would provide, we can restore that hope.