Hope

This has been a really good week for me. I've gotten more than my fair share of great surprises. One surprise was finding out I was going to Barack Obama's rally here and that I was going with VIP tickets. This is the only way I could go considering J needs to eat every 3 hours or so, and D was working in the morning. So? Well, that meant standing in line was not an option for me. With the VIP tickets we showed up and walked right in with the press. It was great to get out for the afternoon and be myself. I love staying home with J, but I've not really had many/any opportunities to spend the whole afternoon doing something I wanted.

[Noelle, Tammie, me]

I wasn't super excited until I saw Obama walking up the stairs. I was happy to be out and thought it would be an interesting event. We were seated with other politicians, and right in front of the bullpen where all the speakers were prepped. I was able to meet a number of people that are currently running for offices at the local, state and federal levels. That was pretty cool. It was especially cool to see how much like me they seemed. Well, most of them seemed shockingly normal, though some had airs about them. We sat next to Danielle Blue who is running for OH state senate. She's really young and so we talked to her about how she got into politics.
Anyway, after all the speakers (Governor Strickland, Cordray - running for AG but currently Treasurer, Senator Sherrod Brown, and Mayor Coleman) Obama came up the amphitheater steps and entered the crowd just in front of us. I was ridiculously excited at that point and I think I may have squealed with delight. What is it about him? I heard him speak at the convention in 2004 and he is eloquent and charismatic. So is it just that, charisma? I have to think it's more than that as I've met other charismatic people. Maybe it's that charisma is often mixed with charm and I often find the latter suspicious. I believe part of Obama's appeal is that he oozes authenticity.
The economy is on everyone's minds and that's what he talked about. He touched on healthcare too. Honestly though, when you have to wait in line for hours to see a candidate speak and you make the choice to do that - you're not an undecided voter.

[I got to shake Obama's hand!]

I know I'm voting for Barack Obama.

Barack Obama's proposals are the ones that will help me, all my friends and all of my family. . . and the country.

I'm a stay-at-home mom now. I'm supposed to be working from home but there's just not much part-time work to be had. I do sometimes worry that I did not chose the best time to quit a job that was really stable. I'm also starting a second business, t-shirts. So I'll be one of those small business owners everyone likes to discuss at rallies and debates. I'm voting for Obama because I like his tax plan. His tax plan is for working families. The current model hasn't created a sound economy but the opposite and families are suffering incredibly. We really can NOT afford more of the same. I need a change, and so does my 401k!

When I was working, in a white collar field, even I saw jobs being sent overseas. I saw U.S. vendors being told "no" while we sent stuff to India. No wonder when I try to find a freelance job with those vendors there are none to be had. It made my stomach turn when I saw it in the office, and it still does (just now it's a more personal, close-to-home reason). I'm tired of seeing jobs disappear. I noticed Wal-Mart doesn't even promote that it's goods are Made in the USA anymore. They have the same cheap, dangerous Chinese-made crap that everyone else does. I want to buy American. I want to see factories making goods here. I cannot support any politician that supports sending jobs overseas. Obama is the candidate that opposes this, not McCain. This is a BIG issue for me.

I'm frightened that I would not be approved for healthcare, or even individual services through my provider. I could go bankrupt if I got sick - even though I have "good" coverage. We've worked hard to have what we have and I don't want to lose it. Though Obama's healthcare proposals are not as widespread as I like, something needs to happen. His plan doesn't include tax increases, but I'd gladly pay a little or even a lot in taxes to know I would stay healthy and solvent.

I want my son to enjoy the outdoors. I want him to be able to sit in the sun at the beach and feel it's warmth without worrying about skin cancer. I got to do that when I was little. I want him to be able to hike in the woods, see the arches and hoodoos in our western national parks, know what polar bears are, and rain forests too. There is so much awe-inspiring beauty in this country, in the world, and baby J deserves to enjoy it and feel the sense of awe we all do. All of our children and grandchildren deserve better than what we are preparing for them.
We need a big change in our energy policy not only for the environment but for our foreign policy as well. We need to get out from under our middle Eastern oil addiction. We need to invest in Earth's natural energy - the sun and wind. Drill-baby-drill won't help us for nearly a decade and even then it's the tiniest of band aids. I want a REAL solution and I want it now. Obama has a 10 year goal. I like that. I like that he's willing to put out timetables that he can be held accountable to.

I love America. I'm very independent and admittedly left of mainstream, so I value freedom. It's what our country was based on; it's what our forefathers fought for; it's what my grandfather fought for. So I cannot vote for those who want to destroy our Constitution and the freedoms granted to us within it. Obama (though more of a moderate than I) has a much more respectful stance towards our Constitution than his opponent . . . reason 5 I'm voting for him.

The economy, jobs, environment & energy, healthcare, and the foundation of our country . . . these are the issues that are important to me. Well, I should say they are the issues that are most important to me.
I was raised Christian in a lower middle-class family in a very small town in mid-Atlantic America. I have taken the values I was raised with (by a staunchly Republican father who taught government & politics in high school and a mother who has been both a Republican and a Democrat) and used them to find my way in politics.
I've taken the compassion and love taught in Christianity and turned that into my desire to help my fellow human. I believe that social programs are essential in this country and a moral obligation. I've taken my upbringing in a lower middle class family in a small town and I've turned that into my desire for jobs to stay here. My home town is really depressed and it's sad. There is potential there but the jobs are gone. I've taken what my father taught me about our government and I LOVE our country, history and politics. I'm amazed at how forward thinking our forefathers were and how amazing a country they were able to create the foundation for - this is my love of Freedom.

I'm voting for Barack Obama.

He's inspiring. His ideas are finally a real change for this country in a direction we need. His plans will help us all. He is authentic, intelligent, and well-spoken. He is presidential.

For more information on his policy or if you question things I've written please visit one or both of these websites:
Barack Obama & Joe Biden 2008
PolitiFact.org