The Real Deal

I am a 50 year old white woman – a stay-at-home mom running an online business in the Seattle area. The issue closest to my heart is a woman’s right to choose, but I also believe we need to focus on issues on the home front, such as improving the economy and providing a strong educational system for children in all income levels. Although I did have some involvement in support of the ERA, I have not been politically active. I have always been a voter, but was never so moved by a candidate to donate to their campaign, as I have to Senator Obama’s - 3 times.

When I first heard Barack Obama give the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, I was electrified! What he said in that speech struck a resonant chord, and I felt at the time that he should be the one running for president. His message of uniting our country – working together across party, race and gender lines – made so much sense to me, and I couldn’t believe that I had not heard such obvious sentiments spoken before.

In the last four years, I have read both his books, and feel that he is the real thing – honest, full of integrity, and determined to make a difference, by bringing change. After 8 years of a Republican government, we need a fresh approach, and not just the standard difference between Republicans and Democrats. We need to stop the time-wasting mudslinging of the out-of-power party trying to bring the other down, and focus on what is necessary, together, to restore dignity to our country and get us going in a direction that is beneficial to all. Mr. Obama has already shown, through his many campaign appearances, that he can generate the sort of enthusiasm this country needs to support his dreams, our dreams.

Although I feel that we need to get back to focusing on issues in our own country, I cannot help but also consider our candidates and how each would be viewed by the rest of the world. Having spent 12 years living in the Middle East, many of them during Bill Clinton’s presidency, I have a strong awareness of how our country is viewed by others. Unfortunately, Hillary Clinton was not viewed with great favor, and it has not been so long ago that all will be forgotten. Even though his years of living outside this country occurred while he was a child, I cannot help but think they will have given him a broader world view.

Ruth F.

Washington State