Why I’m voting for Barack Obama

The first presidential election I ever voted in was in 1992. I was pleased to be old enough to vote, as I had missed the 1988 election by just a few months. But in ’92 I was of age, and I voted for Bill Clinton. I was so excited when he won, and was convinced that all of the causes I believed in would be advanced and the world would be a better place. Well, I soon learned the error of my ways there. While I do believe our country was better off under Clinton, he also let me down on a number of policies I thought would be a shoo-in during his presidency. He disappointed me, and I grew cynical about politicians.

Then in 2000, the Republicans up and stole the election and I got even more cynical. I watched the blatant manipulation of everyone in the country after 9/11 and in the run up to the Iraq war – I could tell they were lying, why couldn’t anyone else? – and just about gave up on the political system. Then when Bush got re-elected I was disgusted with Kerry for giving in when he should have questioned the result in Ohio, with the people who looked at the state our country was in even then and voted for him anyway, and with the whole darn system. And things got even worse in the U.S. Then the Democrats won the midterm elections, and I thought well, maybe we’re getting somewhere. I will never forgive Nancy Pelosi for the crap job she has done as Speaker of the House. Her lousy leadership makes both women and Democrats look bad, and I truly hope Cindy Sheehan beats her in tomorrow’s election. What a squandered opportunity!

So that was my state of mind back when they had the Maryland primary, and I wrote about how I didn’t like either of the Democratic candidates still in the race. In the intervening time, I’ve been wholeheartedly convinced that Obama is the man who should be our next President. It’s true, as I worried back in March, that he doesn’t have a lot of experience. However, I’ve listened to him speak, and I watched the debates, and I did my research. George Bush got this country in to trouble because he was both inexperienced and a total moron. Barack Obama is a smart man, a prepared man, and I am positive that he is ready for the challenges that our next President will face.

And make no mistake, there will be challenges. This country is a mess. He’ll need to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and bring our troops home. He’ll need to fix the economy, which will be a huge undertaking. I believe in Barack’s healthcare proposal. I like the idea of ending tax cuts for corporations who ship jobs overseas. I don’t have a problem with people who have more money paying more in taxes. John McCain has no solutions to the problems we face – he only offers more of the same useless policies that haven’t worked for the last eight years and have gotten us to where we are today. Barack Obama has new ideas, good ones, and truly is our country’s best hope for a better next four years. And that’s why he’s getting my vote.