I posted a comment to a diary where an Obama pondered whether or not Obama's race played a factor his his reasoning for supporting him where I stated that there are probably 101 reasons to vote for Barack, and somewhere down on the list in my book is the fact that he would be the first black President.
It got me thinking of whether I could actually come up with such a list. Arrghhh!!!!
Well . . . here it is, in no particular order:
- Opposed the war in Iraq from the start.
- Passed ethics and lobbying reform in the U.S. Senate
- Passed ethics and lobbying reform in the Illinois Senate.
- Polls best in head to head matchups with the potential Republican candidates.
- Not from the Northeast.
- Progressive, but thinks for himself, not according to some "progressive" orthodoxy.
- Won't force people to buy health insurance.
- Doesn't take money from federal PAC's and lobbyists.
- Got his start in politics as a community organizer.
- Taught constitutional law at a highly-respected university.
- Led a successful voter registration project that helped elect President Clinton and Carol Mosely Braun.
- Lived in Indonesia as a child.
- Elected as the first black President of the Harvard Law Review in its 100+ year history.
- Passed legislation prohibiting racial profiling in a Republican-controlled Illinois state legislature.
- Passed legislation requiring the video-taping of police interrogations in a Republican-controlled Illinois state legislature.
- Won the endorsement of the Culinary Workers in Nevada.
- Would be the first black President.
- Has introduced America to the mixed-race perspective.
- Has an Asian half-sister.
- Over a half-million people have made mostly small donations to his campaign.
- Passed "Google for government" law.
- Activated young people to engage in the political process as never before.
- Committed significant campaign resources to grassroots political mobilization in communities across the country.
- Campaigned hard and successfully for Dems in the 2006 elections.
- Has not engaged in personal attacks against his primary opponents.
- 2004 Democratic Convention speech.
- 2007 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner speech.
- Iowa victory speech.
- New Hampshire concession speech.
- Michelle Obama.
- 96 rating with the League of Conservation Voters, the highest of any presidential candidate.
- His plan to combat global warming.
- His plan to combat poverty.
- Passed bipartisan nuclear nonproliferation legislation.
- His technology and innovation platform.
- Hawaiian "aloha" spirit.
- Inspiration.
- Sent a letter to President Bush about the New Orleans public housing demolitions.
- 100 Rating from Planned Parenthood in 2006.
- 100 Rating from NAACP and National Council of La Raza.
- 100 Ratingfrom AFSCME for 2005 and 2006.
- Nobody does a better job of articulating progressive ideals in a manner that can appeal to a broad cross-section of Americans.
- 95 and 100 ratings from Americans for Democratic Action in 2006 and 2005, respectively.
- Opposes using Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste storage facility.
- Plan for universal voluntary public service.
- Promised to strike bin Laden in Pakistan if possible with or without the prior approval of Musharaff.
- Promised to talk to foreign leaders, friend or foe, without prior conditions.
- Opposed Kyl-Lieberman.
- Remains opposed to the war in Iraq, but understands the importance of being as "careful getting out as we were careless going in."
- The look on Osama bin Laden's face when he learns that a black man named Barack Hussein Obama has been elected President of the United States.
- Authenticity.
- His life is literally an "open book".
- Honesty about past drug use.
- Directly answers questions given to him instead of trying to spin them.
- Demonstrated ability to bring Independents and moderate Republicans into a progressive coalition.
- Refused to "wait his turn."
- The camera loves him.
- Would be the first President who didn't go to Yale in 20 years.
- Just bought his first house and paid off his student loans a few years ago.
- Would bring a lot of exciting new faces and ideas to Washington policymaking.
- Doesn't want to fight another round of the culture wars of the 1960's.
- Does not represent the status quo in Washington.
- Doesn't think the job of the "leader of the free world" is to keep his desk clean.
- Proposed a progressive solution to the long-term solvency of social security.
- Thinks before he speaks.
- Understands history and his place within it.
- Has relatives in Kenya.
- Has passed Senate legislation addressing relatively low-profile crises in the Congo, Liberia and Darfur.
- Won his Illinois Senate race with 70% of the vote, including majorities in traditionally "red" downstate counties.
- Endorsed by Sen. John Kerry.
- Endorsed by Sen. Patrick Leahy.
- Has a beautiful family.
- Stands for hope versus fear.
- "Change we can believe in".
- Will restore habeas corpus.
- Will close Guantanamo Bay.
- Sponsored an amendment to Senate ethics legislation requiring lobbyists to disclose bundled contributions.
- Passed federal legislation requiring a comprehensive nuclear threat reduction strategy.
- Passed bipartisan legislation in Illinois expanding healthcare to 154,000 residents, including 80,000 children.
- Passed an amendment that forced the EPA to comply with new lead-paint regulations after seven years of delay.
- Passed legislation improving and increasing services for homeless veterans.
- Passed legislation preventing the Department of Homeland Security from entering into no-bid, open-ended contracts after natural disasters such as the Blackwater New Orleans contract.
- Didn't back down on the driver's license question.
- Didn't back down on McClurkin.
- Hasn't changed his message throughout his career.
- Hasn't been in Washington long enough to be corrupted.
- Has the most interactive, most heavily trafficked web site.
- Voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment.
- Supports repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
- Will reward great teachers with higher pay.
- Pro-union and pro-worker, but not beholden to the big nationals.
- Supports and understands net neutrality.
- Honesty.
- Integrity.
- Character.
- Judgment.
- The right kind of experience.
- Understands the meaning of inclusiveness and dialogue.
- The Audacity of Hope.
- The hundreds of thousands of people who have joined his grassroots campaign.
- You.