I was undecided until 12:30 a.m. this morning, when I couldn't sleep (side effect of cold medicine, I think) and somehow made up my mind. Some of these are not the proper reasons to go for or against a candidate, but when the difference is between two good people whose platforms are similar, you end up with such things.
10. Clinton’s campaign is using some questionable tactics, e.g., in relation to Obama's drug use and the Florida delegates.
9. I prefer if my love for Bill Clinton remains in the realm of nostalgia. If he is back in the White House, I might lose that love.
8. Rory Gilmore is covering the Obama campaign, and it still pleases me to think of her.
7. Obama plays basketball and poker and watches TV shows I like.
6. Obama was always against the Iraq War.
5. I get a bad taste from the idea that our first woman president would have risen to fame and power on the coattails of her husband, a former president. (At the same time, I am pissed about the sexism, at varying levels of subtlety and offensiveness, directed at Clinton; Obama has benefited from this but it would be wrong to hold it against him.)
4. I think the convention might get nasty and I want Obama to have as many delegates as possible because I trust Clinton and her people less in this scenario.
3. I liked Dreams From My Father as a piece of writing, as a story, and as an informative account of what it’s like to have a multiethnic identity. I like the idea of a president who can write the kind of thing I would want to read. (I haven’t read anything of Hillary’s. Sorry!)
2. A president gets to be on television a lot, and Obama is fun to watch on television, like here where he dances with Ellen.
1. Barack Obama is your new bicycle.
Nice post, Mike: a good mix of serious and fun reasons. I'd add too, after hearing the speeches tonight, that Obama is so so much better at being funny. His dry delivery really appeals to me, versus McCain's frozen smile, Bush's smirk and giggle, and Clinton's "Hey everyone, did you see. I told a joke. It was funny!!" look. Her "you can, but will you?" was an excellent line on paper, something that could've been a witty retort to "Yes We Can," but she sold it so poorly, stopping in her tracks so impressed with the line. And as trivial as this point might be, I'm sure it hurts her with the youth vote particularly.
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