Here you go.

So, this post has been a long time coming, partly because I had a hard time figuring out where to even begin. I'm not sure I can find anything to say to endorse Barack Obama that hasn't already been said more eloquently by someone more famous (or perhaps Republican-thanks Colin!). In the interest of full disclosure, I do consider myself a Democrat, a Christian, and I voted for Hillary in the primary. I have voted for Republicans in the past, but not often. And, I’ve usually come to regret it, but that is another blog perhaps. Anyway, I voted on Saturday for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and now I would like to tell you why.

I could sit here and rattle off to you a list of Obama and Biden’s achievements, my support for their policy positions, or sum up the Democratic Party Platform. But you can look up all those things on the internet yourself. Perhaps I have even pointed some of them out in previous blogs. At this point, you either agree with that stuff or you don't. I could have rattled off those things 4 years ago when I voted for Kerry, or 8 years ago when I voted for Gore. But this vote is different for me. I am voting for Obama and Biden for their platform, for their accomplishments, and because I think their policies will better serve the majority of Americans. But I am also voting for Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden because they inspire me with their vision for what America can be and should become-something I've never felt before when casting my ballot.

This is my third presidential election to vote in. I’ve never picked a winner. Third time’s a charm, I hope. Back in 2000, Bush proclaimed himself a "uniter, not a divider" but ultimately divided our country bitterly for the better part of his 8 years in office. Bush did this by following his “gut” rather than the experience and intelligence of his own advisers, by lacking the intellectual curiosity to explore opinions other than his own and ignoring facts, and by acting impulsively rather than thoughtfully in foreign relations (thereby entangling us in two wars, one extremely unpopular). After 9/11, we had the sympathy and support of the world-if this could happen in America, it could happen anywhere, and certainly the world was willing to come to our defense, in part to defend themselves as well. But our choices as a nation eventually led this goodwill to sour.

“We’ve been in the mountain of war. We’ve been in the mountain of violence. We’ve been in the mountain of hatred long enough. It is necessary to move on now, but only by moving out of this mountain can we move to the promised land of justice and brotherhood and the Kingdom of God. It all boils down to the fact that we must never allow ourselves to become satisfied with unattained goals. We must always maintain a kind of divine discontent.” –Martin Luther King, Jr. (“Keep Moving from this Mountain” sermon, 1965 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlktempleisraelhollywood.htm)

It is time to move on. Republican or Democrat, most agree that change is essential. President Bush failed to meet his goals-we got distracted from Afghanistan by invading Iraq; education reform was implemented with No Child Left Behind, but not fully funded; 40 million people cannot afford health insurance; just to name a couple. I agree with Hillary Clinton when she said: “Choosing a Republican to clean up this mess is like asking an iceberg to save the Titanic." I respect John McCain’s military and public service; I always thought he was a pretty reasonable Republican up until a few months ago. But the type of campaign he has chosen to run (nasty); his complete flip flop on a host of issues, including tax breaks for the wealthy; and his selection of Sarah Palin, a skilled politician but clearly polarizing in her rhetoric and disturbing in her lack of interest/understanding in national and world issues; prove that he does not represent the type of change that America needs to restore its position in the world. The Presidency is not a reward for past service; it requires future-oriented qualifications. Leaders should be role models who symbolize what their nation can become.

Barack Obama is exactly what America needs. He also promises, much like GWB did in 200, to be a uniter. I believe he will be. I’ve had people argue with me on this-you know, the “talking point” that Obama has no history of reaching across the aisle (untrue; google Tom Coburn and see what you find) but here is why I am convinced that he will successfully unite Democrats, Republicans, and Independents: Obama understands that even when you disagree, you can acknowledge that the other side may have a point (he discusses this in his book The Audacity of Hope). He taught constitutional law for 10 years at the conservative University of Chicago law school, and the study of law is all about being able to see both sides of an issue clearly, and being prepared for the arguments of the other side-Obama won’t ignore dissenting opinions, he will seek to understand each side of an issue and make the best decision for our country as a whole. He has shown, through a nearly 2 year campaign, that he does not make impulsive decisions and that he is a careful, thoughtful decision maker. And as you saw if you watched the debates, he is a master of “disagreeing without being disagreeable” and keeping emotion and tension low are the keys to successful compromise.

I believe Obama is what America needs during these times of great turmoil. His election will not erase the damage done by eight years of neglect and reckless behavior. Our economy will still be in tatters, our civil liberties at risk, and out electorate deeply divided, and serious problems will remain in the Middle East and beyond. We need solutions. Not finger pointing. Obama has been a calm, steady leader, reassuring, and successful in giving Americans what they need most right now-HOPE that things can and will turn around, that we are better than the last 8 years, and that together, as one united country, we will be OK. We will find solutions. We can do it. We might have to make sacrifices (yeah, you, making 250K, you’re going to have to suck it up and pay a little more taxes; yeah, you, who doesn’t care about your carbon footprint, start conserving; yeah, you, who wants help to pay for college, you can have it, but you are going to have to do some volunteer work to earn it). But in a country as prosperous as ours, the disparities that exist in education, health care, employment opportunities, and housing are shameful and unjust. What hope can we give to future generations if we don’t try and improve upon these things RIGHT NOW? This is not socialism; it is ensuring that ALL Americans-regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, or anything else-each have the same chances, the same opportunities to make their own way or squander their chances. THAT is what I believe our Founding Fathers envisioned for America, it is what I envision for America, and what I believe Barack Obama envisions for America-each person getting an equal chance to make something of themselves, whether they grow up in a mansion in Bel-Air or public housing in the inner city. We must have that divine discontent that Dr. King spoke of, we must keep pressing on toward the goal of forming a more perfect union. We don’t have to settle for an Average America if we can be Great. Again, in the words of Dr. King:

“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.” MLK Jr. (Memphis 1968, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop Speech)

In the end a vote for President is more than a vote for a single person - it's a vote for the America we want to be: a choice between one that strives to be more inclusive, more just and more compassionate or one that celebrates the individual above all else and divides us into red and blue, city and country and, in the end, into winners and losers. I believe that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the right leaders for our country. I am prouder to have cast my vote for these two men than I am for any other vote I’ve ever made. It wasn’t a vote for a lesser of two evils, it was a vote for two candidates that I believe in, that I trust, and that I think will have the ability to transform our nation into something better than what we are right now.