
I’ll be honest. This isn’t the post that I had originally written. I had initially crafted this very extensive point by point analysis comparing Obama to McCain. To bolster my argument, I was going to explain how I originally registered to vote as a Republican, how I have never voted straight ticket, how individual issues like health care, the economy and education are important to me.
It was, quite frankly, all so defensive. And I’m tired of the negativity. It’s not me. And it doesn’t really tell you why I’m voting for Senator Obama for President.
Last night, while I was trying to sort all of this out – trying to articulate why I support Senator Obama – I saw a cardboard sign leftover from the Phillies’ World Series parade lying on the floor. It said, simply, “We Won!”
It is nearly impossible to explain the joy that we felt in the Philadelphia the day after the fightin’ Phils won the World Series. There was a spring in our step, a newfound optimism, a feeling that maybe, just maybe, our luck was turning.
What had really changed from the day before our city won the World Series and the day after?
Our attitude.
We weren’t a better city than we were before the win – we have always been a great city. We weren’t better people. We had no better plan. But we felt better – and that made all of the difference.
You and I both know that while presidents influence policy, they aren’t solely responsible for making policy. Clinton didn’t bring us universal health care and Bush did not privatize Social Security or eliminate the estate tax. The Reagan tax cuts weren’t really Reagan’s at all – they were pushed through by Congress (and subsequently rolled back). Kennedy did not liberate Cuba or Vietnam. And while McCain and Obama may tout their individual economic, environmental and health care plans, a win by either is by no means an indication that those things are immediately going to happen – if ever.
What a president has control over is how its citizens feel about the country, how the outside world views us. The president, more than shaping our policies, shapes our attitude.
And I think this country needs a change in attitude.
This is the best country in the world. And we don’t act like it. More than 2/3 of the country feels like we’re moving in the wrong direction. Many are fearful for the future. We bicker. We attack each other. We act as though we are defeated.
And we shouldn’t.
This is an amazing country. We have all the ingredients to move in the right direction. We just need to be inspired again – just like Philadelphia did.
And what’s inspiring to me? The fact that my two year old yells “Obama” when he sees posters in my neighbor’s window because my friends and neighbors are excited about this election. The fact that my good friend told me that her 45 year old sister is voting this year for the first time ever. The fact that folks are lining up with lawn chairs to wait to cast their votes this year – just like Phillies fans who waited for the parade.
There is an air of excitement, of optimism. There is hopefulness.
And yes, it may sound simple. But what’s wrong with simple? Throughout history, our best presidents – on both sides of the aisle – have not been the ones who presented sophisticated policies, but those that have made us believe that things were going to be okay. They are the ones who encouraged us to race to the moon, to make peace with our neighbors, to stand proud.
And I get that feeling from Senator Obama. I truly believe that his leadership will make the difference in how we feel as a country. And to me, that’s invaluable.
I guess, at the end of the day, I want our country to have a World Series moment.
I realize that many of you will disagree with me, but that’s okay. You see, one of the great things about our country is we have the right to have these discussions, to talk about who we do and do not support, to make our our decisions based on our own experiences. Go vote today and God bless America.
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