Iowa in 2004 to campaign for him. I am on his slate of potential
delegates in Ohio's 17th Congressional District this year. I plan
to vote for Obama on March 4 and wanted to tell the group why.
First and foremost, I want to support the Democratic candidate who
has the best chance of winning in November. Our country cannot
afford four or eight more years of Republicans in the White House.
Everything I see tells me that Obama has the best chance of winning
in November. Polling numbers say he does best against McCain. As
we all know, polls only represent a snap shot in time and can
change. However, three factors lead me to believe that Obama has
the better chance against McCain. These are (1) Obama's appeal to
Independents and Republicans. If you look at the total number of
votes in the primaries, comparing the number of Democratic votes to
the number of Republican votes, in state after state, including some
traditionally Republican states, Democrats are winning by huge
margins. The reason is the large numbers of new and previously
disinterested voters that are now excited by politics and are
overwhelmingly supporting Obama. Additionally independents, who
typically decide a general election, are also overwhelmingly in
favor of Obama. Finally, Obama appeals to many Republicans who are
dissatisfied with what they have seen for the last eight years. I
sense that Obama has the ability to be like Ronald Regan in the
sense that even those who may disagree with him on policy or issues
will vote for him because they believe in his message of national
unity and common purpose. (2) Clinton's high negatives and
perception that her election will lead to additional divisiveness.
Our national politics have been fiercely partisan for over twenty
years. Frankly, I hold the Republicans responsible for this not the
Democrats. But the reality is many people still have a negative
perception of Clinton and will never vote for her. I think many
Americans want to move past the soap opera quality of the Clinton
years and move on to the business of solving the problems our
country faces. (3) A matchup of Obama-McCain will emphasize the
generational differences, which I believe is a positive for the
Democrats. McCain can be accurately characterized as representing
the politics of the past. Continuation of flawed foreign policy, a
poster boy for the corrupting influence of lobbyists and special
interests, out of touch with the problems and needs of ordinary
Americans. Obama represents the need to fundamentally change the
way Washington works so that the interests of future generations of
Americans can be addressed intelligently. I'm confident Democrats
will win that debate.
I am firmly convinced that Obama is the "real deal." He will not
wilt under Republican attacks and has the experience, intelligence,
and leadership capabilities to serve as President. Although at the
time I was supporting Edwards, I thought Obama's speeches after the
Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary were two of the best
political speeches I ever heard. Of course, it's much easier to
give an inspirational speech when you win. The fact that he could
graciously acknowledge the result in New Hampshire, while at the
same time stating his own case for why he believed he was the better
candidate was even more impressive.
Recently, I had the opportunity to see and hear Obama in person when
he appeared at Youngstown State University. Over 6,000 people
jammed the YSU basketball arena and more had to listen from outside
after it was full. The crowd was diverse and responded
enthusiastically to Obama's well crafted oratory. The enthusiasm
and excitement was palpable. In contrast, a Clinton event held the
next day was held in a high school gym that seated only 1,200. The
warm up speaker was a union official who spent half an hour trying
to bash Obama with unfair negative attacks. Despite the fact that I
was an avid Bill Clinton supporter when he ran for and was elected
President, the choice for me this year is clear.
It is time for Democrats to unite behind Obama for the good of the
party. He is the best candidate, the most likely to win in
November, and represents the best in what our politics is supposed
to be about. I hope others will join me in my support of his
candidacy.
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