At First

8 Thoughts About the Election of Barack Obama #2

So, I supported John Edwards, but then, well, virtually no one else did, so he dropped out. All Democrats were faced with an incredible decision.

We had not one, but two, "rock star" candidates. One was, perhaps, the most distinguished First Lady since Eleanor Roosevelt and was now a rising star in the Senate. The other was the son of an American woman and a Kenyan man who had wowed not just the Party, but the entire country with his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and was now a rising star in the Senate. Both would make excellent Presidents.

Initially, I was fairly certain that I was supporting Sen. Clinton, but I was a soft supporter. I could be convinced. Still, I had a rather large reservation about Sen. Obama that I could not reconcile. I have no problem with bi-partisanship as a cheap political stunt to convince the "undecided" voters, but I suspected that Obama was the real deal. He meant it. He thought he could work with the Republicans.

While waiting in line though, I thought about the enthusiasm of the Obama "true believers". I thought about his ability to stir our emotions. His ability to inspire us to become better Americans. I liked that he was still a fresh face. Unlike Hillary, I didn't feel like I already knew everything there is to know about him. As for the issues, I liked Clinton better on health care and Obama better on the war, however, it was basically a wash. I voted for Obama and I've supported him ever since.