I trust Barack Obama… from that moment I heard his Iowa victory speech… to when I caucused for him several days later… to when he hit some road bumps along the way to the nomination… to these raging debates on moving to the middle and FISA… to today when I write this diary. I trust Barack Obama.
Some might say our support has wavered; some might say that we have become disillusioned because we thought he was something that he is not; and some may even seek to broaden the divide and create a new media narrative. I say to these people, the words of a few might be louder at the moment, but the silent majority are pragmatists and will deliver for him in the end. We will deliver for America.
Reality check over the fold…
While I respect idealism, I am a pragmatist. I have suffered the defeats of Mondale and Dukakis, celebrated the victory of Clinton/Gore, and again suffered from the defeats of Gore and Kerry. But more importantly, my country, my state, and my community have suffered far greater than me, due to the past seven years at the hands of a repugnant GOP administration. In each of these losses, the label of liberal and out-of-touch stuck. Must we be doomed to repeat the failures of the past for over-zealous unyielding idealism on a minority of issues?
Yes, I have come to the conclusion that there is no perfect candidate, but I would rather have a Democratic administration that shares a majority of my ideals, than have a GOP administration that shares none. For what good are ideals if we suffer another defeat? What good does your issue indignation, self-righteousness, and progressive purity do us when McCain is sworn in?
I trust Barack Obama to win this damn election, and it seems he knows how to do it by bringing more people into the tent. Despite the outrage of some, who have bought into the media narrative, he is making progress in spite of you and your diaries of doom.
I trust Barack Obama to change this country, for the better. I know I won’t get everything I want or need from him, but I trust him to move us in that direction.
I trust him to deliver on what he told me that night in Iowa…
I'll be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois - by--by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done.
I'll be a President who ends the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the working Americans who deserve it.
I'll be a President who harnesses the ingenuity of farmers and scientists and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil once and for all.
And I'll be a President who ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home; who restores our moral standing; who understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes, but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century; common threats of terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.
I trust this community organizer, constitutional scholar, and genuine leader to deliver on those promises. This man is the product of everything that is good and genuine in our country, operating in a system that is sullied and schizophrenic.
While some arguethat they "thought he was something new and different" and "fact is, he's behaving like every other politician before him." I counter with, "except this one knows how to win; and the man is new and different, it is the GOP cesspool of elections... in which he must operate... that has not changed."
Because, as Barack said in Iowa, I believe…
The time has come for a President who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who won't just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know.
I trust him to make thoughtful and deliberate decisions based on reality, logic, reasoning, and compassion.
I trust Barack Obama, tell me why you do…