It's been a while since I've been a regular visitor to this site. Being a teacher now, I just don't have the time. (Today I happen to be at home sick.) This election cycle, I haven't been able to study up on each candidate, attend events, donate, volunteer, etc. But through the fog of grading, lesson planning and parent conferencing, I've been able to catch glimpses of the various candidates.
It's been a choice between Edwards and Obama for me. (From the start, I'd never considered Clinton as a possibility, simply because her husband was president for 8 years. I know - that's unfair to her. It's not her fault that she was married to a president. But I just don't think it's healthy for a democracy to have 28 consecutive years of a president from the Bush or Clinton clan. We need fresh blood.)
This is the thought process that led me to my final choice.
I was briefly enchanted with the idea of Obama. I'm rather embarrassed to admit that his background is what was most appealing about him - Kenyan father, white mother, Muslim relatives, lived in Hawaii. He's just so different from any other president we've had and I would expect that his perspective on the world is a lot less Americentric than some of the other candidates. That's pretty attractive to me. But beyond his background, his sexy voice and his obvious strengths as an inspirational speaker, what does he offer? I couldn't find much else about him to get excited about. Plus, the media's kind handling of him made me wary. If the corporate media don't consider him a threat, maybe he's not the kind of guy who's going to fight for the interests of the average American.
So I've moved on...although I do sometimes turn over the sound of "President Barack Hussein Obama" in my head and find it to be powerfully seductive.
So then I looked at Edwards. And I was surprised to find him so changed from the way I remembered him from the last election. I'd had an impression the last time around of him as "slick", "provincial" and "insincere". I was deeply unimpressed when Kerry selected him as his running mate.
This time, though, I've gotten a sense of deep conviction and sincerity every time I see him speak. There's a sense of urgency and outrage. At this point, I can't trust any candidate who doesn't share my sense of outrage over what is happening to this country. I won't go into all of the details that informed my decision to support Edwards, but it all adds up to my conviction that he is the only candidate that will stand up for the ideals that I cherish and believe in.
I'll vote for him on Feb. 5th. It's a long shot, I know, but I need to vote for the person I believe best represents me. I hope his other supporters won't be discouraged by these early contests and will stick to their guns.