http://www.iowatrueblue.com/Blog/tabid/36/EntryID/130/Default.aspxWhen I relaunched this blog six weeks ago, I shared my four goals: (1) to be positive; (2) to address the negative influence of Big Money in politics and need for campaign finance reform; (3) to show how "ordinary" people can reach extraordinary results through politics; and (4) to show why politics is important.
I came back to these same four goals again and again over the past several months as I reflected on the outstanding Democratic field of candidates for president and considered whom to support. Who could make people feel positive and hopeful about our future? Who would take a meaningful stand about how money can negatively influence the political process? Who would inspire a whole range of Democrats -- young and old, party establishment and first-time caucus-goers -- to get involved? Who would help remind us of the good that we can accomplish through politics?
Clearly, the candidate with the greatest ability to achieve all these goals is Barack Obama.
And so I am proud and very excited today to announce my support for Barack Obama in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses. I will do everything I can to help him win Iowa, and I hope you'll join me.
The word "change" gets thrown around a lot, but Obama is the kind of candidate who won't just change who lives in the White House; he'll change the divisive, special-interest driven politics that has blocked progress on important issues like health care, energy, and education for decades. Obama truly offers the kind of fundamental change Iowans want and our country needs.
We hear a lot about how much "experience" matters, too, and it does. Obama may not have the kind of Washington experience some pundits use to measure experience, but he has the kind of experience America needs right now. As a community organizer, civil rights attorney, state senator and U.S. senator, he has more than two decades or experience standing up to special interests and bringing people together to get things done. That's the right kind of experience we need to break out of the gridlock that has paralyzed Washington and kept us from making progress. Obama also has the experience of exercising good judgment, even when it wasn't politically popular to do so: he was opposed to the war in Iraq before it started and has a plan to get our troops out by the end of next year.
I've been impressed with the bold new ideas Obama has proposed. Last week, he offered a plan to cut middle class taxes, which would result in some 300,000 Iowa seniors no longer having to file federal tax returns and 100,000 of them saving about $1,400 each year. Nationally, 22 million older Americans who make less than $50,000 per year would no longer need to file. Obama's universal health care plan would cut costs for the typical family by up to $2,500. More importantly, he can bring Republicans and Democrats together to get his plan passed, and since he doesn't take any money from federal lobbyists or PACs, he can limit their influence and keep them from blocking progress.
Another reason I support Obama is because, like all Democrats, I want to win. Obama is the candidate who has the best chance against any of the Republicans in this field. The reason for this is simple. Obama does better among Republicans and Independents than any other candidate. In fact, in a recent poll of Iowa Republicans, Obama actually finished third as the preferred general election candidate of registered Republicans, at 6.7 percent. This is a pretty amazing indication of his crossover appeal.
The University of Iowa political science professor David Redlawsk -- who it's worth noting actually supports John Edwards -- said of the Democratic candidates, Obama shows the most crossover support in this poll. What we're seeing at this early stage, among people looking forward to the November 2008 election, is that Obama is the Democrat Republicans are most likely to vote for. Obama has a record of bringing Republicans and Democrats together both in Illinois and in Washington, and he can do it again.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
