I just voted for Barack Obama

I love politics. For the most part, I tend to observe what is happening from an intellectual point of view rather than as a perspective voter. That is to say, I watch was is happening and think about means and what will be written about it in the future. After the Iowa Caucus, I spent 48 hours thinking about how Hillary Clinton’s poor showing was proof that feminism doesn’t resonate with young women. While I don’t want him to be POTUS, I love the story of John McCain’s comeback because it is going to make a great case study in campaigns and elections courses.
A few weeks ago, I decided to step down from the observation tower and decide who my candidate was. In the back of my mind, I had always assumed that I would cast my vote for Hillary, but also flirted with Obama as a choice. I deeply respect the work Hillary Clinton has done throughout her career, including her work as a Senator. I also think she would be a great President. If she gets the nomination, I will gladly campaign for her. The reason I went with Obama over her is not because I think he has a better policy platform—both of them pass the test for me. And while I think sending Bill out to do her fighting is demeaning, it wasn’t what made me fill in the bubble next to Barack Obama tonight. Barack Obama did, with a little help from John McCain.
No, not his stump speeches about hope and change. That has been done before (see: Clinton Campaign playbook circa 1992), and that sort of rhetoric doesn’t have enough substance for me. I thought his book was inspiring (although lacking citations- grrrrr). I went to a rally of his in the fall and was quite moved by his speech. But it still wasn’t enough for me. My turning point came as John McCain began to emerge as the Republican candidate, and it began more realistic to think about the general election. As Barack Obama pointed out so eloquently in the last debate, the political dialogue we have as a country looks much different when it in a McCain v. Obama race than it does in a McCain v. Clinton race. We need to have the McCain v. Obama conversation so much more. At the center of it is the Bush Doctrine (esp. our involvement in Iraq), but it extends beyond that to economy, health care, immigration, the "blue state/ red state culture wars" and our values as a country. This debate looks so much different when Hillary Clinton is on the Democratic side. Barack Obama can push us all to think about this, and inspire America to be better. We need him right now.