Si Se Puede!

This is it...the final day of the 2008 Presidential Election. The two year process of electing party representatives and the eventual Commander and Chief will be coming to a close. I, like many other Americans look forward to completing this journey and moving on, whether it be Senator John McCain or Senator Barack Obama. With the current president's approval rating dipping below the number of beers I can drink in one sitting, it seems this has come at the right time.

Although for me, today is the culmination of two years of intently following the primaries and general elections. This is the first time I've wanted to understand the process by which the most powerful person in the world comes to term. I have diligently watched the different pundits continue to miss fire on what direction this process will take. And I have enjoyed every step along the way. (ed. note: according to the movie "Finding Forrester" it is OK to use "And" at the beginning of a sentence.") Over the past two years I've seen a drastic change in my personal political views...I have even donated (what little money this site has generated) behind a political campaign for the first time ever. I became glued to watching MSNBC each night to satisfy my election news craving. In a way, today is bittersweet.

I have been a registered Republican my entire life. Although I have never felt the need to vote that way on every presidential election. The first vote I cast actually went to H. Ross Perot. I liked the way he talked, never really understood his message though. My qualifications for the president have changed since then...somewhat. I voted for Bill Clinton and Bush 41 as well. This year was different in a different time. I feel the country has reached a crossroads.

In 2004 I caught myself watching the Democratic National Convention, for no reason mind you, I never cared for John Kerry. But then something truly amazing happened before my eyes...I was all the sudden transfixed at what I was witnessing. A young Senator from Illinois had seized my full attention with his keynote address. He was talking from the heart and was saying what I was thinking. What I want to hear from a politician. That we are not a country of red states and blue states...but the United States, and with that one line I became a interested in what the future may hold for him...I thought, "I am watching a guy who could become president one day?"

That is why on this election day I am excited to hopefully witness Barack Obama become the next President of the United States.

Obama does not look like the typical candidate for president and I understand that. I actually embrace that. His last name is not "Bush" or "Clinton" and I love that. This guy has won me over, made me want to become a small part of what he was doing. I'm moved while watching his speeches. Now that may make me a sheep, but I feel I'm in a vast heard. But this sheep keeps the wolves clothing very near... I seem to feel alone with my view points in the circles I carry myself.

At the end of the day, I want to see America do this. Prove to me that we can look past the color of his skin, his unorthodox middle name, and take this historic step. It concerns me that these may cause some voters to lean the other way. I hear stuff like "he didn't wear an American flag pin on his lapel so he must be unpatriotic," or "he's Muslim" or "he doesn't cover his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance." To me it is simply someone grasping at straws to cover up something ingrained within them. A last ditch effort so to speak. I do not enjoy arguing politics of any kind...typically because I don't know all the facts to make a valid point. I realize this...the problem is arguing political views with another person who has yet to realize this. I feel we're not all informed enough to make a clear specific point when generalizing topics. But that is neither here nor there, leave that discussion for a different day.

But I feel very comfortable saying that Barack Obama is the right person to move the United States in a new and exciting direction for the next four years.

I see this as a chance to bring new life to a stagnant pond. I view Mr. McCain as just more of the same. It seems many Republicans are starting to lean more towards the Illinois Senator in this eleventh hour of the campaign. A man that I have admired for quite some time is former Secretary of State Colin Powell. I thought his leadership during Desert Storm was key to it being finished before the weekend was over. His endorsement of Senator Obama was the icing on the cake. On NBC's "Meet the Press" Powell had this to say about Obama when asked who is best to become president now:

"And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities--and we have to take that into account--as well as his substance--he has both style and substance--he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world--onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

With that, I am anxiously awaiting what unfolds tonight once the polls close. At the end of the day we will witness history. We will either have our first African American President or our first Madam Vice President. It should make for some great television. I leave you with this and a simple message...please get out and vote.