Going Public

I have been interested in politics since I was 8 years old. I remember watching the news on election night, 1988, and understanding in some childish way that I wasn’t happy with the outcome of the election. I couldn’t really articulate it to my parents, but I knew I had wanted Dukakis to win. Some of that may have been a residual preference from my parents, who are both fairly liberal Democrats, but I know that I made up my mind early on which party I wanted to belong to. Luckily, both my parents, and especially my father, encouraged my interest in politics. Now, it’s an interest that helps me to bond with my dad, who loves to watch Keith Olbermann on MSNBC and even calls me up especially to talk about Keith’s latest rant against Bush or McCain.

But besides bonding with my father, politics has become one of my most consuming passions, and it’s been that way since I was a teenager. The best thing about turning 18? Registering to vote. The only club I belonged to in high school? Amnesty International. My boyfriend sometimes complains that I’m too much of a bleeding heart liberal, but I don’t care. I care too much about certain issues, like women’s reproductive freedom (the only issue on which my dad, a Catholic, and I don’t agree), gay rights, social welfare programs, more economic oversight, less government control over our morality, and the defense of human rights around the world. I believe it is the responsibility of government to provide the greatest possible standard of living to its citizens, to guarantee protection of their civil liberties, to eliminate poverty in the richest country on Earth, to encourage economic and technological innovation, to protect our natural environment, to guarantee access to healthcare, and to protect people from harm. I want to dedicate my life to the things I believe in by working in public service, either for the government or for a non-profit organization.

Although I have always enthusiastically supported every Democratic presidential candidate in the past, it wasn’t until earlier this year that I was struck by one in a deeply personal way. I started out this presidential campaign as a fervent supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton. I loved the idea of a woman as president, and was excited at the prospect of seeing her take office. But as the race went on, I found myself paying more and more attention to Senator Barack Obama, who already had a supporter in my family in my older brother (who has never been interested in politics before). When my dad and I started watching his speeches together, we both found ourselves deeply impressed by his eloquence and by what he had to say. We also found ourselves disappointed in the Clinton campaign. Long before the Democratic nomination was won, I, along with the rest of my family and even my much more moderate boyfriend, switched our support to Senator Obama.

Now, for the first time in my life, I have actually donated money to a political campaign. I sent the Obama campaign $50 (not a very impressive donation, I know, but hell, I’m a student) and my boyfriend bought some Obama merchandise from their website. I’ve never felt compelled to donate money before, and although I know that my $50 won’t accomplish much, I felt the need to go on public record as a supporter of Barack Obama. As the race for president has gone on and on (and on), it’s become even more obvious that Senator Obama is the only candidate who can get America out of the chaotic mess it’s in right now. I’m more and more disgusted everyday with the McCain campaign, especially McCain’s feeble attempts to blame the current economic crisis facing America on Obama. First, it was that Obama didn’t have enough experience, now he’s claiming that Obama is too much of a Washington insider? Which is it?

At a moment when the U.S. isn’t just facing a recession, but a possible depression, we need actual change at the White House. President Bush has driven this country into a wall, and Obama is the only one who can fix it. Senator McCain will only give us four more years of the same broken policies, as he has proven by voting with Bush 90% of the time. I am so proud to be a now-documented supporter of Senator Obama, and now that the presidential campaign is finally once again focusing on actual issues, it’s clear that Americans understand that Obama is the best candidate for the presidency, and I’m convinced that they will prove their support in November.