Why I voted for Hillary

A few months ago it never occurred to me that I would vote for Clinton or Obama in the primary. I tend to share similar viewpoints on the major issues with republicans and hadn't given either democrat much thought. Once McCain secured the republican nod and it became evident that Indiana mattered for once it seemed silly to me to vote for any republican unless you felt strongly about some of the other races on the ballot.

My vote is purely for the candidate who I think would be the better POTUS. I think "operation chaos" is a dangerous risk and not a responsible way to vote.

I have tried to be open-minded to both candidates and honestly my initial opinion was to steer clear of the Clinton family. I attended rallies for both candidates and heard both of them speak. I have read their websites at great length to understand their stance on major issues. I have interacted with their volunteer supporters.

I think Obama is an intelligent man with a gift for public speaking. Unfortunately for me it seems to be a lot of talking without saying much. Last night he talked about how they have tried to run a positive campaign and then he went negative about Bush, Hillary and others. He spent far more time talking about the campaign and all the things wrong with our country than he did addressing what he would actually do to improve things. If I hear one more person defend him by using the words "change" or "hope" or "believe" I might go nuts.

I talked with a supporter last night who knew he had my attention for 1-2 minutes at most because of the circumstances. I told him I was on the fence and his argument for why I should vote for Obama went something like this,

"I consider myself to be an intelligent person and several months ago I quit my job and have been working without pay for the Obama campaign in 10 cities. This man is the greatest thing since sliced-bread."

We were already being quite honest so I said,

"Well you quitting your job to work for him could have just been stupidity. That tells me nothing about why I should vote for him. I want to know where he stands on the issues which is why I am here."

Some bystanders accused me of being rude which was just funny. I didn't call him stupid, I helped to point out the philosophical flaw in his reasoning. Tara Mix and I were laughing hysterically and I walked away frustrated (and concerned for our country) that no one around us could defend why Obama should be president beyond that "he is the greatest thing since sliced bread".

When I went to the Hillary Clinton rally she spent very little time talking about Barack, Bush or McCain and instead focused on how her past experiences will help her address specific problems with our country. It was a very focused and intelligent presentation of what she will do and what her timeframe will be. Will she accomplish all of it? No way, but at least she's telling us what she intends to do. Could some of it be lies? Yes, but Barack isn't telling us much of anything for which he can be held accountable for. Is her gas tax holiday ridiculous? Yes, but that isn't the defining issue in her campaign.

I don't agree with her on every issue, but between her and Obama I think she is more equipped and qualified to lead our country. She has experience, vision, and tangible goals. If she wins the nomination does she have my vote in November? It's doubtful, but I will continue to learn about her and McCain and reassess.