Why I Am Voting For Barack Obama

By Shawn Jackson

This election campaign has so far been fraught with much ado about race, sex and class. We've been bombarded with key words to describe Sen. Obama such as "terrorist sympathizer", "Muslim", "elitist", "Hussein" and many others too disparaging for me to list them all here. Even as recently as last week, there was a story of a Republican Women's group that portrayed Sen. Obama's head on a donkey (the Democratic party symbol) on a fake $10 bill labeled "United States Food Stamps" called "Obama Bucks". The image was surrounded by a bucket of KFC chicken, a watermelon and the Kool-Aid man. All these images and the obviously implied message is and has been called out as racist. In fact, the Republican party has, at large, denounced this as unfitting of the image of the Republican party.

There's been more examples both nationally reported and seen with my own eyes, but I made up my mind to vote for Mr. Obama earlier this year and his skin color is not why I am voting.

Over the course of this campaign, I've seen many gaffes in judgment by many of the career politicians who dreamed of attaining the highest office in the Land. One thing stood out to me and that was Mr. Obama had learned from their mistakes (and his own) and ran a tight ship, both ethically and financially. When Sen. Hilary Clinton had bet the farm that after Super Tuesday, she'd have the nomination wrapped up in a tiny bow and delivered to her doorstep in a silver platter. Sen. Clinton is an accomplished politician and great advocate of women's and children's rights and freedoms and deserves much kudos for her work in Congress on all our behalf. However, her shortsightedness (not to mention believing her own hype and name recognition) cost her Super Tuesday and thus the nomination.

In the continuing months, his plans for the American people (you and me) have been further fleshed out and he's let us know what he wants and plans to do in his successful debates, commercial advertisements and from his website. As well, he picked a well qualified running mate in Sen. Joe Biden who brings with him years of experience in foreign affairs and ethical, well-thought out voting and bill proposals. Between these two, I believe America is in safe hands financially, militarily, and as it comes to intangibles such as education.

One last point: I believe in Barack Obama because this great nation of ours deserves its former luster and world recognition back. For 8 years we've not had the abundant good will with our overseas partners in matters of world affairs, from Iraq to Afghanistan to Russia and to former Soviet Georgia. I believe we must start anew and with Barack Obama as our President, that seen and unseen sparkle that others see when thinking of or speaking of America will return.

Change doesn't happen overnight, but with all of us working together to make America TRULY the greatest nation on earth, change will come and make believers of us all.