Barack Obama for President

Tommorrow, I will cast my ballot in Maryland's Democratic primary enthusiastically for Barack Obama. Here are some of the reasons why.

On the issues, distinguishing between the two candidates is like trying to tell apart two angels dancing on the head of a pin. Obama and Clinton just don't disagree all that much. Unlike some, I don't make much of her vote for the Iraq War and his opposition. Like John Kerry, I was for the War before I was against it. It seemed a reasonable judgment at the time and the determination of the Bush Administration to skew the intelligence wasn't yet clear.

On the other hand, I like Obama's support for driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. Like his willingness to talk about energy policy in Detroit, this stand demonstrates someone who will take a risk and stand for the right thing even if it is unpopular. It's right not just because it helps limit exploitation of a vulnerable population. It's also utterly defensible from a national security perspective: we should know who is in the country.

I've been surprised that Hillary Clinton has often led with health care as a reason to elect her president. She is undoubtedly knowledgeable about this issue--and many others. However, it's hard to forget that she failed to make progress on this issue in 1993.

Doomed not just by implacable Republican opposition but by her determination to craft a plan in secret and an unwillingness to compromise, her plan failed to attract key Democratic support and couldn't pass Congress even when Democrats held sizable majorities in the House and the Senate. In an insightful New York Times column, David Brooks explains why we should probably expect a replay in a second Clinton administration.

In contrast, Barack Obama has shown an ability both in Springfield and in Washington to work with people in both parties to get the job done. I'd hate to miss another chance to make sure that all Americans have access to health care sixteen years after the failure of 1993.

Reaching across the aisle doesn't mean abandoning one's goals or one's principles. Under our system of separation of powers where 60 votes are required to get anything done in the Senate and even members of one's own party are quite independent, it isn't a luxury but a necessity.

While their stands on issues differ little, the styles of Obama and Clinton differ markedly not just in the halls of Congress but in the electorate. Clinton immediately polarizes the electorate. She will find it easy to gain 45-47% support in the polls. Getting the last bit needed to form an electoral majority is very difficult for the Senator from New York.

Even if she manages to defeat McCain, I fear that a second Clinton Administration will be a continuation of the enervating War of the Roses between the Clinton and Bush dynasties. Even at a time when their party is badly fractured, Republicans will find it easy to unite in opposing Clinton at the ballot box and in office.

Obama has a more inclusive style and has a higher ceiling in the polls. His approach is deeply appealing at this time. President Bush's claim to be a "uniter, not a divider" turned out to be a hollow promise--we even have the academic evidence from one of the nation's top scholars to prove it. However, Americans yearn even more for someone who can disagree without demonizing his opponents precisely because of Bush's failure in this area.

Obama's ability to mobilize people is nothing short of amazing. Every four years we give lip service to the idea of mobilizing young people. Obama is the first who has actually done it--youth voter turnout and interest in the political process has soared thanks to him. I've seen it in my own students. At the rally at American University, I was amazed to discover even Republican students of mine quite taken by the junior senator from Illinois.

We face difficult times ahead no matter who is elected president. Extracting ourselves from the Iraq War is a tricky task--as both Obama and Clinton have laudably recognized in more candid and detailed discussions. The War combined with Abu Ghraib have lowered American prestige around the world. We face uncertain economic times.

Americans love this country deeply and desperately want someone who can restore their faith in it and their government. Barack Obama can do that. Our nation's most successful self-made businesswoman, Oprah Winfrey, got it right when she said "He's the One."