Three More Reasons I'm Voting For Obama

I didn't vote for him in the primary.

I didn't advocate for him in the blogosphere until he won the nomination.

But damn it, I'm fired up. I'm ready to go.

And I'm proud to be an Obama supporter. I'm proud to say you will hear no condemnation from me about Barack Obama between now and November. I am proud to aspire to be Obama's biggest cheerleader on DailyKos.

I've already given three reasons for supporting Obama.

Well, here are three more:

One: Michelle Obama. We need this woman to be our First Lady. Brilliant, beautiful, accomplished, inspiring -- and dare I say it, as good a speaker as her husband, if not better.

The role of First Lady is a critical one, or at least it can be, with the right First Lady.

This country's second First Lady, Abigail Adams, was credited with being a powerful influence on her husband and a voice for women in our young democracy:

I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.

Eleanor Roosevelt damn near ran her husband's presidency toward its end.

Jackie Kennedy brought grace, sophistication, and French food to America.

And Hillary...Hillary showed this country that behind every powerful man, you better believe there's an equally powerful woman helping him along the way.

We need Michelle Obama, and her beautiful daughters, to bring vitality and joy back into the White House and across America.

Two: Hope and Change. I have mocked Hope and Change. Empty rhetoric, pretty words.

But I was wrong.

After two days of the Democratic Convention, I understand that now. I'm becoming a believer. Some speakers have been better than others, but many have sought to lay out the clear choice in this election: the past or the future.

McCain offers the past. War, dependence on foreign oil, tax breaks for the rich. And fear. Lots of fear. Fear of the terrorists and the Russians and Iraq and Iran and black men and free women and gay marriage and science.

But Obama offers us the future. He offers us the chance to believe that we can do more and be better. I don't know if Obama can deliver all of the dreams he has dared us to dream. I'm a pessimist by nature. But I'd rather hope for a brilliant future than fear we are forever trapped in a dismal past.

Three: Hillary Clinton. I didn't need her speech last night. I was one of her strongest supporters, but when Obama wrapped up the nomination, I jumped on board.

But still...

Last night, Hillary spoke to me. She inspired me. She made me laugh. She made me cry.

She spoke about the Seneca Falls Convention, where our long struggle began. She quoted Harriet Tubman, one of my favorite women in history. She urged us to keep going, keep fighting, keep standing up, keep trying.

Because one day, we're not just going to put cracks in the ceiling. We're going to shatter that damned ceiling once and for all.

And President Obama is going to help us do it.

She articulated what she stands for, which is why I voted for her, and she said -- in the clearest and plainest of words -- that Obama shares her values. My values. And McCain does not. No way. No how. No McCain.

Hillary made me proud, last night. Proud to have supported her, and proud to be supporting Obama now. But most importantly, she made me proud to be a Democrat. And that's something I haven't felt in eight years.

Because we are the party of the future. We are the party that put 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling.

We are the party of hope and change.

These are my three simple reasons. I'm sure I'll think of more.

What are yours?

Cross-posted at DailyKos