Over the next 24 days until the election, I want to make 'the case' for Barack Obama as the next President. In doing this, I will try to give most of the reasons why I have supported him over the last 14 or so months, since early in the campaign. I'm going to try and be completely honest with you, dear reader, giving what I see as his strengths and his weaknesses, as well as those issues where I may disagree with him.
Obviously a big part of my support for Obama is the alternative, namely the McCain/Palin ticket. Although it is hard for me at this point to conceive of another candidate who would be a better candidate than Obama, it might be possible. But I disagree so substantially with the McCain/Palin ticket, that the case for Obama is much stronger than it otherwise would be.
So here goes.
One reason that I went with Obama in the Democratic primaries was that he was a fresh face of a new generation. Both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards (the other two I considered) were baby boomers like me. We've had two boomer Presidents--Bill Clinton and George W. Bush--and, surprise, surprise--they acted just like boomers! Spoiled, narcissistic, self-indulgent, undisciplined, lacking in self-control, impulsive. (Maybe that's a little strong, but not too much.) Certainly, John Edwards proved this to be true in just the last couple of months, with his reckless affair coming to light. Hillary is certainly somewhat of an exception to the Boomer rule, that's true. And actually, I was in favor of Obama picking her for VP, but the way she and Bill acted during the primaries probably ruled that out.
I think it's time to turn a new page in American history, by turning over things to the next generation coming along. We boomers have so totally screwed up our country over the last couple of decades, that before things go totally haywire, we need to give those who come after us a chance to clean up the mess.
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