"why I support Barack Obama for President"

why I support Barack Obama for President

by kid oakland
Thu Jan 17, 2008

I've thought long and hard about how to begin making my argument in favor of Barack Obama for President here on Dailykos.

I'm not going to engage in flowery rhetoric to try to prove my point. (If you want to read some waxing about Barack Obama try this piece from September, 2004.)

Instead, I thought I'd try to follow the lead of Chris Bowers, who wrote a great piece today, and focus on the core rationale that underlies my support for Barack Obama's campaign for the Democratic Nomination in 2008.

The core reason I support Barack Obama for President is simple. Senator Barack Obama best represents the politics of our grassroots/netroots movement in 2008 in ideology and methodology. Barack Obama exemplifies what we are about, the heart and soul of the party.

Like Howard Dean and most all of you, my overarching concern is the battle for governance and Democratic values in all 50 states. I want our ideas and our candidates to win; the two things, in fact, go hand in hand. Barack Obama is the best candidate to lead the Democratic ticket so that our Democratic challengers can best compete in the House, the Senate, for Governorships and in State Legislatures across the land. Barack Obama can claim this mantle because he is the best candidate to effectively advance our ideas on the campaign trail and in Washington. He proved this in 2006, travelling all over the nation to work on behalf of our Democratic challengers.

Ask local bloggers. They know. Barack Obama is a map-changing candidate. He is a 50-state candidate. There is a reason that 2004 supporters of Howard Dean and Wesley Clark are more likely to support Barack Obama. There is a reason Barack Obama has won, since New Hampshire, the endorsements of leaders as wide-ranging as (links all to local newspaper coverage of these endorsements)

Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska
Governor Jeanne Napolitano of Arizona
Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri
Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts
Congressmembers George Miller and Zoe Lofgren of California
Maria Elena Durazo of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor
and Ned Lamont of the Connecticut Democratic Party

These endorsements mean something. Every last one of them was made after New Hampshire. None of them was an easy call. Why did Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont add his name to this list just today? All of these esteemed Democrats share the view that Barack Obama represents our best hope to change our party, to reform Washington and build a working majority in Congress. He is our chance to turn the page as a party and a nation.

Senator Obama is a candidate who brings new voters in on all sides. Young people. Liberal activists. Independents. Disaffected Republicans. Barack Obama is our best vehicle to break out of the tired "Red State / Blue State" dynamic, to help us compete in Virginia and Kentucky, in Colorado and Missouri, and, yes, in and Ohio and New Orleans.

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