As you may have heard somewhere, Ohio has a primary next Tuesday. Two candidates fighting for the Democratic nomination will be on the ballot: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
I will join my friends and neighbors in line at the polling place, and I will cast my vote. Let me be perfectly clear: when I vote on March 4, I will not be voting against Hillary Clinton.
I will not be voting against Hillary Clinton. I will be voting for Barack Obama.
My vote is not a protest vote. It is not a vote for the lesser of two evils. I have made those votes before; I will probably make those votes again in my lifetime. This is different.
My vote is a vote I have hoped to cast for almost exactly four years, ever since it became apparent that Barack Obama would win the Illinois senate primary.
My vote is for a candidate with the rare combination of academic accomplishment, grassroots activism, savvy organizing skills, capable skills at getting laws made as a legislator, and a genuine ability to listen to and speak with a broad variety of people.
My vote is for a candidate who had the wisdom to assess the reasons why invading Iraq was a bad idea half a decade ago and the courage to speak out against the war at a time when that was not a popular position. My vote is for a candidate I feel comfortable entrusting the hard decisions to for the next four years.
My vote is for a candidate who has clearly and effectively argued how right-wing ideology and rhetoric is no solution for the problems we face, nor is it a match for the potential that progressive ideas can deliver.
My vote is for a candidate who intends to use that argument to push for the greatest progressive electoral victory of my lifetime (and I was born in the Sixties). My vote is for a candidate whose campaign represents the most coherent response against the politics of fear and terrorism that dominate national discourse today.
My vote is for a candidate who has combined that rhetoric with as solid and ambitious a national ground campaign as any I have witnessed; taking no state for granted, crafting a clear message that has the potential to make the Democratic party dominant for years to come, and to give citizens reasons to become engaged in the political process.
My vote is for a candidate who has inspired young and old voters like no candidate I have ever seen before. My vote is for a candidate who inspires strangers to come up to me on the street and ask where they can get an Obama button or sticker. My vote is for a candidate who makes the little old ladies who live down the block so excited to walk on icy sidewalks to get the vote out here in Ohio.
My vote before (mostly in general elections, but occasionally in primaries) has sometimes gone against a candidate rather than truly for another. I pulled levers for Dukakis and Gore in that way after supporting opponents of each in the primaries. Should Hillary Clinton prevail over Barack Obama this year, I would certainly vote for her to prevent John McCain from making his court appointments and invading Iran. But I have a long list of reasons why I am eagerly, joyfully voting for Barack Obama.
So when I go out one week from tomorrow to vote, make no mistake about it. I will not be voting against Hillary Clinton. I will be voting for Barack Obama.
I am thrilled that my vote will have consequence in this election. I am thrilled to enter my vote. No amount of mudslinging, robocalls, mailers, or last-minute campaign tactics will affect my happiness to cast a vote I have been waiting to make for a long time.
I am looking forward to joining Ohioans across the state in voting for Barack Obama. When there are so many good reasons to vote for a candidate, why sweat the nasty distractions? Have fun, have hope, work hard, and enjoy the vote! I will.
[Hat tips to JustAngry and Femlaw for diaries written over the past several months that provide handy summaries of Obama's background and campaign. Many of the links above are to their diaries.]