Until today I considered myself a tenative supporter of Chris Dodd's presidential campaign. Frankly, I was on board because of Dodd's strong committment to the restoration of Habeas Corpus and the rescuing of our constitution.
Even though I knew that Dodd wasn't running a particularly strong campaign, I stuck with the man because this was an issue that I cared very deeply about. However, recent events in both the Dodd and Obama camps have caused me to stop and switch my support over to Senator Obama.
From the perspective of my disenchantment with the Dodd campaign, I have these two examples:
- Dodd welcoming Imus back on the air.
- Dodd's attempts to keep Iowa college students from out-of-state from voting in the Iowa caucus.
So that's when I decided that perhaps Dodd was not right for me.
However, recently, I have begun to fall in love with the Obama campaign. Last week I wrote this diary, in which I explained that I have nothing but the most respect for Obama's attempts at mobilizing a national campaign.
Today, that is one of the major reasons why I have decided to switch over to Obama's campaign.
Seriously, take a look at this map.
Offices in Utah, North Dakota, Idaho, Kansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Alaska and Oklahoma?
In my lifetime, I think I've only seen a Democrat win one of those states (Clinton and Georgia for the record).
I am a Democrat. I bleed our party's blue. I want to be a member of a party that doesn't back down from any Republican anywhere in the country. I want a party that runs candidates who believe that they can win with progressive ideals anywhere in this country.
For me, the candidate that will do that is Barack Obama.
If you don't believe me that Obama is the man who will help unite Democrats all over the country consider this:
Barack Obama went out to Ohio last week to campaign for Robin Weirauch in her upcoming special election in OH-05. In the middle of an aggressive primary battle for the presidency, Barack Obama took the time to help the Democratic party pick up another congressional seat.
To me, that's what being a Democrat is all about.
One final reason why I will support Barack Obama is because of this.
That link is to my personal page on my.barackobama.com. Through that page I am going to be able to organize with other supporters to raise money, attend events and take an active role in the campaign. I do not support candidates just for the hell of it, I want to get involved and be active.
Obama's candidacy has given me an opportunity to get involved and I will not balk at it. In fact, as a resident of Connecticut, I am currently considering a new blog. Something to the effect of "New Englanders for Obama." If you are interested in being a contributor with me, drop me a line and we'll figure something out.
Since the end of the 2006 election I have been searching for a candidate to get passionate about. With Senator Obama, I have found that individual.
UPDATE: As was brought to my attention in the Comments section by DemocraticLuntz, Bill Clinton did win Tennessee.