Obama Would Have Been My Choice

I'm sorry. I just can't get "in to" the Obama frenzy that has taken over the media and half the Democrats in this country, no matter how I try. The Junior Senator from Illinois just isn't doing it for me yet. Pardon me if I have lapsed into a very casual style here but my only hope is reaching the thousands of youth voters who have fallen hard for this charismatic candidate. In my opinion, charisma and a well run campaign can only go so far. So I apologize right off the bat because I'm about to say some things you may not want to hear.

First and foremost let me explain that I want to feel comfortable voting for Obama, I just can't. I think of my self as liberal enough, certainly his liberalism isn't the problem. I like to think of myself as a progressive person. It's not his message of change that bothers me at all. I would like nothing more to see a Black American be President in my lifetime. I am a child of the sixties after all. No kids, none of these are the problem rest assured.

The problem is, he doesn't have what it takes YET. He will someday. He is smart, media savvy, well educated and possesses great leadership qualities. It's just that these positives haven't been fine tuned and he rises from his many stumbles simply because the media loves him. That's not good enough for me. He doesn't take criticism well either. I fear the GOP will swallow him whole for dinner. Reason number one that he's not my choice, he will be mincemeat by November. He's already shown how thin skinned he is in response to Republican criticism of his wife. "Leave my wife alone." OK so I guess his wife hasn't made speeches across the country and put herself out there for all the world to dissect. Obviously she has, so buck up. It's all fair game in love and war, and politics in the form of presidential campaigns, is war!

Another huge problem in my estimation is his lack of experience. Before you go nuts over that, I'm not talking about comparing him to Hillary's years as a first lady. OK, now that we have that out of the way, let's face some serious facts. His record in the Illinois State Senate was lackluster to put it mildly. Nothing much to distinguish himself with is on the record. Please notice, I didn't say he made mistakes. Besides his record in the State Senate, check out his U.S. Senate record. That's easy enough to do on the Internet. Alas, his record wouldn't be a problem if there were more of it I'm afraid. Point is, we honestly don't know this man.

His reaction to crisis also disturbs me. It's slow and cagey. Overly cautious and ambiguous until he is pushed to the wall. If you don't think Jeremiah Wright is a crisis to manage then think again. By the way, no one has ever accused Reverend Wright of being stupid or dishonest. My first thought when Barrack Obama finally denounced his former pastor of 20 years was that Reverend Wright hit a nerve during his three day public relations tour. Simply put, Obama needed to react to the initial crisis swiftly, he didn't. If the media hadn't given him a pass, he may have imploded.

So, while I would love to vote for a liberal, Black Democrat this November, it's going to be tough. I still have to decide and that is difficult for me to admit. It would be so easy for me to pull the lever for a woman of any color with courage and strength and an uncanny ability to fight for what she believes in. A woman who has been a terrific advocate in the Senate for her constituents, working as hard if not harder than her male counterparts, and whose election would not only make history, but prove to girls and young women that our country had finally grown up.