hi my name is chris makarsky

Barack Obama FTW

I’ve been fully entertained by the presidential race so far. And based on primary turnouts across the nation, I’m not alone. That the two major Democratic nominees for President are an African American and a Woman American is a major catalyst for the excitement. While I agree with Bill Maher — the choice is two centuries late — it’s still a good reason to be excited.

I support Barack Obama for President. My first-ever political donation went to his campaign last year. I voted for him in the California primary on Super Tuesday. And he’s an inspirational and engaging speaker — when CNN cuts to his speeches, I want to reach out and hug my TV.

Of course, President Obama is by no means a guarantee at this point. Even if he beats Hillary in the primary, he’ll have to duke it out with Old Man McCain. But if Obama continues to attract people to his message of change, and provided his campaign doesn’t make any stupid mistakes, I think even the most pessimistic liberal can afford a little optimism for the future.

Trust over experience

Senator Obama’s Achilles heel is his argued lack of experience. Clinton is sharpening her attacks against his record, and McCain will rightfully challenge Obama on this issue in the general election. But more than experience, I want to trust my President. Obama’s appeal is the hope that he’ll be open, honest, and rational when making the decisions our President needs to make.

I continue to view Senators McCain and Clinton as the embodiment of the old politics I don’t trust. McCain’s inability to stand up to Bush in… well, ever, and Clinton’s recent no-vote on the FISA bill prove their willingness to compromise their beliefs. I’m not arguing that experience isn’t important, or that Clinton’s and McCain’s years over Obama shouldn’t be considered an advantage. But I believe President Obama can, and will, surround himself with experienced (and hopefully non-partisan) individuals to provide him with the knowledge to make reasoned, well-informed choices for our country’s — and our world’s — future.

Know your shit before you go on national TV

That said, if you’re an Obama supporter on national television, you should know a little more about him than the slogan on his campaign signs. Just yesterday, Chris Matthews went apeshit on Texas State Senator Kirk Watson for being unable to list a single Obama legislative accomplishment. While Matthews was an ass, is an ass, and will forever be an ass, Watson should have been able to list one accomplishment.

Watson went back home, presumably looked up Obama’s Wikipedia page, and posted a list of Obama’s noteworthy accomplishments to his blog. Be sure to take note if you’re going on Hardball any time soon. But let’s be honest — every candidate has uninformed supporters within their base. It’s a moot issue to point at “uneducated” Obama fans because there’s just as many blind supporters on the other sides.

A state senator should know better, however.

Poor, poor Hillary

It’s hard not to feel bad for Hillary at this point. No one’s calling her the front runner anymore — but to me, Hillary was always the front runner in the same sense that Guiliani and Romney were the Republican front runners a few months ago.

I have no doubt that she believes she’d be the best choice for this country. And I admire her campaign (for the most part): we need people like Senator Clinton in order for our democracy to survive, and she should be commended for that alone. However, it’s simply the wrong time for her candidacy. It’s a shame this was her only legitimate shot at the presidency, but she’s an inspiration to a new generation of women who will carry on her work — so there’s that.

Obama and Hillary are 95% same candidate anyway. Clinton’s supporters bemoaning the competition as a beauty contest need to give it up: it’s the Democratic primary. Of course it’s a beauty contest. All things being equal — and they pretty much are — I’m going to pick the more attractive candidate. That’s just being smart.

Barack the White House

Obama is the best choice we have — for Democrats, certainly, but I believe for the entire country as well. He’s exactly the type of leader we need: smart, inspirational, and (I don’t think this can be stressed enough) not old as fuck. An Obama presidency would be a big step in getting our nation back on the right track, and it would provide us with a reason to feel proud once again (despite Michelle Obama’s recent gaffe, when was the last time you felt pride in our country’s actions?)

Barack Obama is a winning hand. It’d be such a damn shame to fold and have McCain’s 2-7 offsuit take the pot. He’s so old he wouldn’t get a chance to spend it.