Why I've Decided to Support Barack Obama

Dear Arianna,

On March 15 of 2007, I wrote you a letter at your request based on our discussions about what qualities I think our next President should have. At that time, I told you that it was still too early in the race and that I still had a number of questions and that therefore it would take me some time to really look at the field and make up my mind. As you know, I have a number of people whom I consider friends in the race and I certainly didn't want to be disrespectful to any of them.

I also told you that I am only one vote and that I doubted that anybody really cared. Quite frankly, I was surprised at the reaction to my article that you published on the Huffington Post

In that article, I enumerated a number of criteria upon which I would make my decision as to what candidate I would support in the presidential elections. I wrote that while I have a number of personal reasons to support my friends, I would come to a conclusion after listening carefully to all the various parties, and that only then would I present my thoughts to you. I wrote that I would arrive at a decision that, while still bearing some emotional taint, would best represent my thoughts on who should be President.

My first criterion is trust. Trust is the basis of every relationship and clearly, the American people s trust and faith in our government have been eroded by the past seven years of the Bush/Cheney administration. There has been a distinct lack of independent thinking in the Judicial, Executive and Legislative branches of our government. I know about compromises, but some of this has gone beyond compromise.

Politics has become an ugly game. During the Clinton administration, America's image was that of a strong, confident and kind world leader. Today, that image has been deeply soiled both in the eyes of the world at large, and in those of our own citizens.

Since then, I have been looking for a leader who, above all, will lead by example and who is above politics and special interests. I have been looking for a leader who is smart enough to align him or herself with the majority of Americans, but willing to side with the minority if he or she believes that this is right for the future of our nation. I have been looking for a leader who is willing to compromise to get things done but does not let the polls decide the nature or strength of his or her beliefs. I have been looking for a leader that will practice the politics of inclusion and will help solve the many challenges that are facing us today and will best represent the next generation, who, after all, have everything at stake.

I have listened to the arguments that neither a woman nor a minority could get elected in this country. I have even heard the argument that some will not vote for such a person because they think others will not vote for them. These assertions I find to be ridiculous. If everybody thought that way, nobody would vote his or her conscience. The herd would decide. In my mind, American people are far too intelligent to decline to vote for a deserving candidate because of that candidate s gender, race or religion. Incidentally, I find the argument made against Mitt Romney, based on his religion, to be just as silly and unfair.

I am a legal immigrant whose parents went from Russia to China to Chile to finally reach the United States and thereby give me a chance to have a better life. I served six years in the US Army Reserve, went to college, have a successful career and have dedicated my life to being a good citizen. I have lived the American dream and that is the dream I want for our children and all children everywhere. I see that we are facing economic challenges and that the way in which we meet these challenges will have an immense impact on all the other trials we must face. It is not only about cutting taxes, it s about balancing our budget and living within our means. We cannot be a shopping mall for the rest of the world.

We cannot hope to improve our environment without making sacrifices. Our parents made sacrifices during World War II and the war in Vietnam. We owe them a willingness to do the same, especially when it comes to health care and social security. We need to provide for our children an educational system that is better than anywhere else in the world. We owe the less advantaged, the elderly and the sick the best of our efforts. We face a nuclear threat and the threat of terrorism. I believe it was Einstein who said that he did not know all the weapons that would be used in World War III, but he believed that World War IV would be fought with sticks and stones.

We have to live by what we preach. We are all God's children and I think it is naïve to think that one person could solve all of these problems. It is really up to all of us to shake off the politics of division and demand a change. We need more than 47% of the people to show up to the polls representing the other 53%. We live in a shrunken world in which everyone sees what everyone else is doing, as though we re all living in a glass house. The fact that this glass is breakable forces us to ask ourselves serious questions about the nature of humanity. We have all been sold a bill of goods, packed with lies and corruption, that highlights the differences between all of us. The future of our country and our world depends on our ability to start highlighting the similarities, the common ground upon which we can all stand. We need to be a part of the Global Community, not a self-proclaimed brothers keeper.

It is for all of these reasons that my vote will go to Barack Obama. His policy proposals are very close to those of his Democratic rivals with a few exceptions. He has flaws like all of us. Politics, however, like much else in life, is all about timing. That s what matters. It is about the face that represents our choice of leadership. That is why I supported John F. Kennedy, Gary Hart and Bill Clinton. They were the right candidates for their time. Senator Obama's journey is not unlike my own, though I am white, Jewish and have red hair. His face, in my view, best represents America an America that's willing to change. And yes, he's strong enough to take on military challenges.

Many people criticize Senator Obama based upon their perception that he's lacking in experience. In my view, it certainly seems that few people could hope to have as much experience as Vice President Cheney. It is less a matter of experience than one of judgment, I believe. There are a great many people around the world who believe that America has lost its moral compass. I believe that Senator Obama is the right choice to lead the next generation of Americans out of what appears to me to be a position of great peril. We need a leader who will follow his conscience at the helm of a nation of citizens who are not afraid to vote theirs. There are those in this world who will hate us no matter what we do, but following the compass of our consciences, we will have behind us the moral and legal justifications for our actions -- actions that for the first time in too long we can support together as a nation. America can once again lead the way to hope and human dignity for all.

In my view, the Obama Candidacy is about more than just an end to the war abroad. I'm not suggesting an immediate withdrawal of our troops from foreign soil. It is about an end to the war in America -- a cultural and religious war that eats at our nation's soul. Repairing America's image to the world is going to be one of the major challenges that this country will be facing. We are all immigrants, or the children of immigrants, who have come to this land looking for the American Dream. I believe that as the next President of the United States, Barack Obama can make this dream a reality.

Perhaps this will convince no one. But, now you have my opinion.

Warmest Regards,

Mike Medavoy

Comments

[AnHonestAnswer]

BLOOMBERG FOR PRESIDENT?

The sense I get is that nobody is truly happy with any of these candidates.

What will the Hollywood bloggers do when they can't buy President's to their homes?

Bloomberg is smarter, richer, has a genuine sense of self. I hope he runs for President.

[UtahLiberal435]

Obama = more feely good rhetoric.
You bet there's a war for the soul of this country. And preaching bipartisanship is NOT going to win against fat cat amorality.

Eat the corporations, don't give them a 'seat at the table. It's long past time for carrots, and about time we broke out more stick.

[SILVANUS]

True. Enough of the Bush and Clinton
dy-nasties, and poop on Huckabee, Romney and that gang (although Ron Paul has some truths).

Nice column.

[amadeus1]

I completely agree with every one of the reasons you have outlined as the basis for you supporting Barack.
Like you, I am also a legal immigrant (German) and living in the US since 1991 and even though I love this country, I consider myself a citizen of the world and find that in Barack Obama we have a great opportunity to reestablish America to the people of the world for what we once stood for: a country of wonderful opportunities for everybody and willing to be an integral part of this wonderful world again. I urge everybody who still may have doubts about why Barack Obama is the right person at the right time for America, to read this very personal article by Andrew Sullivan (former Republican, now enthusiastic Obama supporter) at "The Atlantic.com" -"Goodbye to All That", making the case for why Barack's candidacy is so much more than just about the Iraq war or him being a charismatic and inspirational person. I almost cried when I read this passage and from the bottom of my heart agree with it: "Consider this hypothetical. It's November 2008. A young Pakistani Muslim is watching television and sees that this man-Barack Hussein Obama-is the new face of America. In one simple image, America's soft power has been ratcheted up not a notch, but a logarithm. A brown-skinned man whose father was an African, who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii, who attended a majority-Muslim school as a boy, is now the alleged enemy. If you wanted the crudest but most effective weapon against the demonization of America that fuels Islamist ideology, Obama's face gets close. It proves them wrong about what America is in ways no words can."-Andrew Sullivan.
I believe in my heart that the majority of America will agree with that statement and I am sure, the voters of Iowa, New Hampshire and the other states won't prove me wrong.
Go Barack, all the way!

[tbone99]

On the campaign trail, Obama criticizes established special interests in shaping national policy ,but the network of fundraisers generating money his campaign includes a heavy representation of attorneys at well-connected law firms and members of the financial industry.Half the fundraisers live in just three metropolitan regions that are seats of financial or political power: Washington, New York and Chicago.
A small group of large donors provides most of the funds for the campaign. .
Obama's disavowal of lobbyist contributions is less than pure because he still has wealthy executives who employ lobbyists raising money for him.At least 17 of his major fundraisers are managers at either hedge funds or private equity funds, two loosely regulated financial service sectors that recently have stirred political controversy because of the soaring pay of fund managers and a legal loophole that allows them to pay lower tax rates on their earnings..

And Obama has the nerve to compain about the SEIU , (a union of janitors , hotel and healthcare employees) supporting Edwards illegally! Now thats gall!

[rkwbw]

www.blueribbonpress.net/obama.html

The time is now. Iowa is the test. I think America is ready.

[Cultureshift]

This is why I support Barack Obama:
1. Barack Obama stands for change – He has run his campaign without taking money from lobbyists. You can’t be part of the system and change the system.

2. Barack Obama has shown sound judgment – he is the only leading candidate who opposed the Iraq war from the beginning – even when it was profoundly unpopular.

He’s the guy who said, Hey, wait a minute. The emperor has no clothes.

3. Barack Obama will restore America –
* He will restore America’s rightful place as a world leader in human rights and civil liberties. We can’t lead if we’re trampling on the very values we were founded on.
* He will restore the rule of law after the shameful performance of the Bush Administration.
* He will restore the unity of the United States of America after the divisiveness of the last eight years.

Changing the conversation; judgement when it matters; and and restoring America - that is why I support Barack Obama.

[fullkelly]

I think a lot of people are tired of the religious and cultural wars. So why in hell don't you stop dragging that crap up? That trash talk works on the same principal as terrorism. The more publicity it is given the more it multiplys. Publicity is just one of the fuels this junk thrives on. Feed it and watch it grow. Go ahead it will just give you more material to write about. Keep the arguement alive with publicity or shut up and watch it shrink. Go ahead.

[nellie]

You make a well reasoned philosophical argument in support of Obama. I think we have to take the character of all the candidates on faith. I hope you are right. And I hope our faith is justified.

[JFaye]

Mr. Medavoy ... Are you a mind reader? "It is about an end to the war in America -- a cultural and religious war that eats at our nation's soul." You eloquently stated what is fragmenting the soul of our nation ... this cultural and religious war weakening our America. I admire the Clintons, yet the need for a Bush/Clinton cleansing of the political front is but the first step to restoring sanity to our democracy.

Your message is clear and on point. Wholeheartedly, I agree what Senator Obama brings to our nation is the hope to end the war within our own borders: To return integrity, character as well trust to the White House.

Thank you.

[VernonC]

Michael Medevoy said, "during the 1990s the world looked at a strong, confidant and kind world leader", he should have added that the Islamic terrorists didn't see Bill Clinton that way. Actually they were emboldened because he took very little action in reaction to their attacks despite his being "strong, confident and kind." I wonder if Nedavoy believes Clinton sending the FBI to investigate the bombing of the USS Cole rather than taking military action was a kindness and there are examples of Clinton's strength, his man Les Aspin told the soldiers that thought they needed armor in Somalia to get over it, it wasn't going to be approved. Clinton was confident, he knew the media, Hollywood and various Ordientals would be on his side and he also knew that no matter what he did Hillary would accept it, better she tried/tries for the whold pie rather than a slice.

[TheKiddy]

Here's a question: why is it that the press (and several posters at the HuffPost) talk so much about John Edwards' money but not about Obama's? If it isn't important then why are they not treated equally? I just read the following about Obama:

"Earlier this year he reported assets of up to $1.14 million in addition to his Chicago home."

He did really well for a community organizer. Just curious why the differential treatment.

[patsynow]

It is always sad when an intelligent man of accomplishment is taken in by a pollyana idea about change and promise. It is not that Obama would not be a very good president and is a good man, it is that there is a better candidate for the job in the field. HILLARY.
No democratic candidate can equal her experience in the arena of "the job". No candidate has her level of intelligence (although many are quite brilliant). No candidate has the network available to her to get the job done. And no candidate will have Bill Clinton living in the same house. In case you missed a recent top level poll....the Clintons for the sixth straight year were voted the "most admired couple in the US." The writer might look into the idea of the right person for the right job at the right time. That is Hillary!
patsynow

[dsigeorge]

Very good Mike. I too took some time to consider the records, policies and statements of those running for president. Like you, I found Barack Obama to have the most important quality of inclusion which is necessary for us to heal the wounds to our reputation and freedoms caused by the Bush administration.

[wrabbitt]

OK without being a bearer of sad tidings and telling everybody that with Congress unable to get anything done, ANYONE elected president will be unable to get any programs enacted,or any progress towards election reforms, or anything else to benefit the people,The stonewall we are up against has been in place since the 1970s when Health care went the way of the Dinosaurs,and was replaced with selective,run for profit "insurance". Antiquated,out of touch,unch­angeable,l­iving in the past. Elected for life Congress/Senators with no set goal but to get rich. NO president will be able to over come this Obama is a great choice,he ain't been there long enough to learn the Washington golden rule,"Promise them everything, give them nothing"