I support Barack Obama
And this is one of the reasons why:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords
The above is a speech he gave recently addressing the racial tensions rising against his campaign, as well as addressing those same racial tensions he sees as still existent in America. I would encourage you to watch it.
I often try to keep from blogging about things that are mildly controversial, possibly offensive, or otherwise frowned upon by my view of the general population, leaving simple outbursts like these to a group of friends on Facebook who I feel more comfortable sharing with. However, being on the tail end of a demographic that doesn’t vote — being in the group of 18 to 24 year olds who don’t pay attention to our nation’s politics and don’t seem to care what happens in our government — I will say this: If Obama were to become president, and were to give state of the union addresses that even mildly resembled this speech, I would, without hesitation, make an effort to go see them. For the record, I have not seen one state of the union address made by our current president over all eight years of his presidency. And, for whatever reason — I’m not placing any blame, and I don’t intend to — I don’t find current state of the union addresses a productive use of my time.
Going meta: Maybe I’m just breaking out of the mold, ignoring my demographic, only paying attention to my party-line or simply latching on to a candidate I relate with. Whatever the reason, I’ve never felt so inclined to “go vote” as I have with this set of presidential candidates.
Nor have I felt inclined to tell others about a candidate I support.
As another 18-24 year old who follows politics, I think the current election is really getting a lot of people our age thinking about it. I’m not sure if it was the sheer amount of candidates or the fact that the candidates aren’t all old white males…
I am not going to say who I support, but I’m glad that the election has brought politics to the forefront in the lives of my friends and acquaintances. Everyone should care who our next president is. It affects them more than they realize.
“being in the group of 18 to 24 year olds who don’t pay attention to our nation’s politics…”
“For the record, I have not seen one state of the union address made by our current president over all eight years of his presidency.”
I like Obama too, don’t get me wrong — but I think this is due more to his entertainment value than his ability to lead. I’m sure whoever his Public Speaking professor was in college is quite proud.
I don’t see this as a bad thing though. If he’s able to keep his staff and their subordinates inspired to do their best, he’ll definitely be a powerful force for change. Lucky for him, our country is quickly slipping toward a place where almost any active change would be a positive one.
Some more indulgence: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120604775960652829.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
It’s no surprise that most of the “latte-sipping intellectuals” are rooting for Obama this time. (Having made you a few latte’s over the years, I get to lump you in that group, which transcends age.) It’s refreshing to see someone who can deal with controversy as an adult, instead of twisting it into a pseudo-religious attack for political gain. (It’s disappointing, but not surprising, to see that from Hillary, but we’ll see worse in the fall.)
– Cem