Why I Voted for Obama

Deciding breeds rationalization. I initially favored Hillary over Obama, but was impressed that he won. When I read his book, I decided that he understood America better than McCain did. He wrote his own book, see. On the other hand, from what I understand, McCain was written by his book (which made me want to read it, but not vote for him). As an English major, I value the ability to encapsulate America in words. From Indonesia to America to the black movement to Columbia University to Chicago's poor to Harvard Law. Spending several years as a community organizer convincing people that their landlord really will give them a new heater if they all work together gives a man a kind of experience that isn't reflected in military warfare and years in Washington.

I have other reasons now, too. I've rationalized quite well my decision. I shudder at Palin's make-believe, playing-house approach to life in which sincerity equals rationality. I can imagine her talking to her dolls in much the same way she conducts interviews: "Oh, my $150,000 suit? Thank you, I like it, too. It's not really excessive, you know, since I'll be campaigning all over the country. A girl's gotta have clothes to wear, don't you agree Mr. Teddy? It's not like I could walk out there in my normal-person clothes! That would be ridiculous."

I've even developed a distaste for McCain, who as my friend Mike says, seems like a "cantankerous, stubborn old guy." I predict that if McCain wins, we'll all start using the word "doddering."

But I'm voting for Obama still, and not just against McCain. I lean Republican economically, because I think I can manage my money better than anyone else, but there are things that I can't do individually (ensure health care for everyone; wean car makers off a dependency for oil; restore a responsibly distributed military; etc.) and when I see someone who looks capable (Obama) asking to be in charge, I'll let him.

It's strange how much support he has in other countries, too. I don't trust the Chinese view of anything outside one person's experience, but this whole spring and summer it was only O-ba-ma and Xi-la-li. I tried to explain that there was another party, but they didn't get it. (It might also have been because I couldn't say "government", "party", or "McCain" in Chinese.) Obama went to Germany and wowed a crowd of 10,000.

Most striking to me is this one Obama supporter I met at here at UF at the beginning of the semester. He was pitching Obama to me, and I asked him about his accent. "Oh yah," he said. "I'm from Ialand." Ireland? Then he can't actually vote, right? "Yah," he assented. "Boot this is the most important election of our lives." It turns out he is a poli-sci major who came to America to work for the Obama campaign for a semester unpaid. He's not American, see, so he's not allowed to be paid.

The world loves Obama, and while I'm voting and "the world" isn't (couldn't declare an address, I'd imagine), it's still striking to imagine that we could be really proud of our next president. I'm not a Bush hater, but I'm sad that our figurehead acts like a bobblehead.

You notice, of course, that the one piece of Obama's mind conspicuously absent from his book (the first one, right out of law school) is his ambition. He's America's Ender (pun unavoidable).

I voted for Obama for President because I won't be able to vote for him when he becomes emperor. I'm pretty happy with that line, myself.

I already arranged to have my vote cancel Elizabeth LaBoone's. So if I can keep her from voting, Obama should have it in the bag. November 4th, baby...