Obama For President

February 2, 2008

Dear Friends,

I urge you to join me in voting for Barack Obama for President in the primary voting on Tuesday.

Unlike many of my colleagues and fellow political activists, I did not definitively make up my mind about who I'd vote for until this past week. On any given day, I could have enthusiastically supported any - ANY! - of the Democratic candidates, and, in truth, at different times I was leaning in different directions. The good news is that we had a great field of candidates.

The bad news is that, particularly if John McCain is the Republican nominee, we could lose the election in November and that would be a disaster of staggering proportion. Look at all we've lost over the past seven years: countless lives in a war built on lies and promoted by men who should be put on trial for crimes against humanity; our standing in the international community; our national security (traded for the illusion of strength); our economic vitality (we've gone from the greatest budget surplus in recent memory to the greatest deficit in history); our focus on human rights and social and economic justice; our belief that government can, if not protect us, at least respond compassionately and competently to natural disasters; any claim to leadership (or even sane follow-ship) on environmental issues; and, perhaps of most enduring impact, seats on the Supreme Court.

So, for me, the focus has been on who can win in the general election in November.

Recently, the answer has become clear. For good or ill, the field has been narrowed to two candidates, and, we're at a wonderful, historic moment when the Democrats will either nominate the first woman or the first African-American to head this country. What a remarkable thing. And, as I see it, Barack Obama can win and Hillary Clinton can't.

I don't want to join the chorus of voices knocking Hillary Clinton. She's incredibly bright, experienced, caring, and would make a great President. But the sad truth is that her "negatives" are a real problem for her and, in turn, for us if she is our nominee. To add insult to injury, she has been incredibly poorly served by her husband. The former President's attacks, on top of his own vulnerabilities, have guaranteed a relentless character assault directed at both of them, an assault that her candidacy cannot survive.

As I try to assess the political landscape, the cold, hard truth is that Hillary Clinton cannot be elected President this year.

Barack Obama can, and he brings not only the prospect of a win, but an incredible opportunity for this country. He is articulate, deeply rooted in core Democratic values, and the right mix of smart politician and inspiring statesman. We've all seen how he's brought a new generation of young voters (and future voters) into the conversation and how he's managed to inspire many older voters who have gotten so used to disappointments from their government and their leaders that cynicism has replaced hope and trust. That -- perhaps more than the good tax, environmental, healthcare, and education policies, more than a swift and just end to our engagement in Iraq, more than a budget and policies that address and begin to reverse the dangerously large and ever-growing gulf between rich and poor in this country, more than good Supreme Court appointments -- accounts for his successes to date and the critical win we can anticipate with him in November.

As I read things, this nation can - and must - elect the candidate who promises to return us to ourselves, to what this country can and should be. Please join me in voting for Barack Obama.

Warmly, Jay Kaufman