The 2008 Democratic Presidential Race

I have been holding off on much grassroots campaigning because I’m focused on saving money and moving to San Francisco. However, I have been paying attention to the 2008 U.S. Presidential Race and I must say, it’s getting very interesting. It seems that with the momentum, Democrats will certainly be able to capture the White House in 2008 because of their superior fundraising abilities these days compared to the amount of money Republicans are raising. In all honesty, being a Democrat myself, I think all Democratic Candidates are strong and serious about running for President.

When it comes to choosing a candidate, I stay away from what anyone thinks and make decisions on my own. I make my decisions based on gut instinct and realism. In July 2003, I decided to stick with and support John Kerry for President because I really didn’t think Howard Dean was the right choice for the White House, even while his campaign was outstanding in registering voters and mobilizing the Democrats. I have believed and STILL believe Kerry deserves to be president because he's a great statesman and never looses confidence. However, that won’t happen anytime soon.

So it seems I must make that tough decision to choose one out of the eight Democrats in the race. For how long this process has gone, I’ve been resistant to supporting someone because I believe all candidates are running strong, optimistic campaigns that I have not seen before in presidential races. The Presidential campaigning has gone too early too soon so at times I’ve been worn out from all the publicity.

I have come to the conclusion that the next president must not only repair the mess President Bush has created in America and Iraq but also offer a reason to love America again. The next president should have charisma but good judgment and intelligent reasoning are essential in leadership for this great yet flawed nation. There should be fundamental change, even if some in America don’t want it. When I say fundamental, I mean SIGNIFICANT change. Our nation is desperate for a leader since President Bush is like a monkey trying to run the White House.

I have therefore decided to support Barack Obama as the next president of the U.S.

It’s been a difficult decision to support Obama because I normally go for presidents who have foreign policy and/or national security experience. However, being that I’m desperate for President Bush to get out of office and that I really want a 360 degree change to happen in America, I’m willing to compromise for Obama.

Originally I reserved jumping on the Obama bandwagon back early this year when he first ran because Obama was getting too much attention too soon and I thought, well, it’s time to just let things play out and see where they went. However, I’ve decided that after many CSPAN videos, much research on my part and the way Democratic candidates have presented themselves, Obama seems to be authentic and one we REALLY need in the White House NOW.

I saw Senator Obama back in Downtown Oakland back in March 2007, speaking at a campaign rally. While the whole rally was organized in the oddest place and didn’t give everyone a fair chance to see Obama (like me), hearing him speak was quite an unusual experience. Whereas John Kerry was succumbed to making speeches in a standard, Washington insider-political-campaign style, Obama spoke similar to his previous speeches but he changed his words a lot. He didn’t sound dry nor did he speak as if he was trying to please people. This was something that was refreshing to me.

Then in seeing a video of then-state senator Barack Obama in 2002 at an anti-war rally, he says this...

"What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne."

That sounds like someone with sanity. Isn’t it about time someone shoved sanity right into President Bush and his administration?

Of course, I could be compelled to support Hilary Clinton because she’s being talked as the presumptive front runner by the Republicans. However, I’ve been disappointed in her. Clinton’s speeches on the Iraq conflict have troubled me, particularly because she keeps putting different nuances that I can’t tell whether she’s pro-war, pro-bringing the troops home, anti-war or if she’s just pandering to get votes. Also, it just happens to be that 1) Hilary won’t denounce Fox News or Rupert Murdoch for taking over so much of the media market and 2) not only was Ms. Clinton once on the Wal-Mart board, Bill Clinton is friends with the company’s arrogant, anti-workers rights CEO Lee Scott.

Sorry. I'm not buying into Hilary's nonsense. I'm supporting Obama.




On October 17 2007 15 Views

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