Things really crystallized for me last night. Not to say that I wasn't 100% behind Obama-Biden before, but a single image became the exemplar for the entire race.
It was on the Rachel Maddow Show (of which I am a huge fan now; can't get through the week without the KO/RM back-to-back two hours of real programming!). Those of you who saw it will probably remember it, for those of you who don't there's more below the fold.
It was that interview that Obama gave with the local station; there was Barack, sleeves rolled up, tie slightly askew, standing next to the reporter (towering over him actually!) when a fly dive-bombed him. Obama waved a hand in front of his face and carried on undaunted. Then it attacked again, and what did Obama do, interrupted in the middle of an important piece about his plans for the economy, in this hot hall under TV lights, a microphone in his face?
He laughed.
That broad, genuine grin broke out on his face, his eyes lit up and he laid a hand on the reporter's shoulder, a warm, human gesture indicating brotherhood and respect and support.
Gamely he tried again, once more to begin laughing as the fly, undaunted by his attempts to ward it off, performed another series of fly-bys. Again, the laugh, again the hand on the shoulder, the self-deprecating head-drop. The reporter laughed, immediately losing his objectivity and turning to the camera to report that "if elected, Senator Obama will immediately do something about the fly issue".
It was a perfect moment, one that specifically and perfectly described the dynamic of these two candidates, highlighting their differences.
Obama is the common man; he is like us, in every way. How many times have you done the exact same thing, or something like it? His connection with the reporter was obvious and genuine; his innate sense of humor and self-deprecation was perfectly encapsulated by this moment.
Could you imagine McCain doing this? Not in a million years. It's a tiny thing, and I'm sure some of the (few) comments I get here will tell me it's not a diary, I should just put this in a comment, but I wanted to say it here, and announce that now, more than ever, I want Obama in the White House.
I have never genuinely liked a candidate the way I like Obama. Sure, there's the "I'd like to have a beer with him" question in fluff-polls, but this goes beyond such simplicity; I like the guy, and respect his intellect and his deft speech-making ability, his ability to connect.
While McCain tries to paint him as an out-of-touch Liberal, an elitist, a sneering intellectual, Barack Obama ignores such snide mudslinging and every day makes a deep and genuine connection with the American People, both individually and at massive rallies.
Anyway; this is my diary; nothing deep, nothing meaningful, probably not even a diary. If you don't like it, well, OK. If it's not a diary, then fine. But I wrote what I wanted to write, and I hope people see my point here.