I’ve got a few thoughts on some recent endorsements of Barack Obama for President.

First of all, I’m not sure how effective an endorsement by a well known person is to your average everyday voter. I’m much more likely to listen to the words of like-minded family, friends, or co-workers over a Senator or Governor from my state, let alone another state.

If I was part of a union, which I’m not, I wouldn’t give a damn who they chose to endorse. Does anyone really think that the Culinary Union of Nevada, despite an endorsement of Obama really voted as a block for Obama? I doubt it.

That’s not to say I don’t take some people’s opinions into consideration, especially when they make their thoughts known in a clear and persuasive way. But, those people are few and far between, and have earned my trust not because of their power or influence on politics, but rather by their influence in my life personally.

In fact, the recent endorsements of Obama by both Massachusetts Senators, John Kerry and Teddy Kennedy made me grimace, not rejoice. Both men are polarizing figures, something Obama doesn’t represent.

However, as a political junkie, I do find these endorsements interesting, especially the reactions to them.

While I wasn’t overly joyful of Ted Kennedy’s endorsement of Obama, another Kennedy’s words caught my attention.

Caroline Kennedy in her New York Times op-ed endorsing Obama says,

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals…

…I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility…

…I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

Caroline’s words are the reason why we’re seeing such overwhelming majorities of young voters migrating to Obama, myself included.

We were born in a post Kennedy (J.F.K. and Robert), post Martin Luther King Jr., post Watergate scandal, America. We’ve never known a uniting political figure. We’ve only known polarizing and corrupt politics. For our parents and grandparents generations, they once had hope in political figures. Vietnam started it, but Watergate changed that forever. Obama is our J.F.K., our Robert Kennedy, our MLK. He is our generations first uniting figure. (For this reason I fear for Obama’s life, but that’s another topic for another day).

Another issue brought up by the recent endorsements was a reaction by a particular focus group to the Kennedy family getting behind Obama.

On Tuesday, CNN reported that,

Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy is under heavy fire from a state chapter of the National Organization for Women for his decision to back Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton.In a sharply critical statement, the New York state chapter of NOW took aim at Kennedy Monday for what it called an “ultimate betrayal,” and suggested the Massachusetts Democrat “can’t or won’t” handle the idea of Clinton becoming President of the United States…

…”And now the greatest betrayal! We are repaid with his abandonment!” the statement continues. “He’s picked the new guy over us. He’s joined the list of progressive white men who can’t or won’t handle the prospect of a woman president who is Hillary Clinton.”

To me, NOW is expressing exactly what is wrong with politics today. First, is it even remotely possible that someone could consider Obama a better candidate than Clinton? Yes, okay next point. Second, is it at all possible that the Senator is indeed NOT sexist, nor “can’t handle the prospect of a woman president,” but rather just thinks Obama would do a better job? Yeah, okay moving on. Third, “He’s picked the new guy over us.” Really? Really?! Do we even need to counter act this point? I thought not.

Finally, one person who’s opinion I do trust wrote on why he was voting for Obama. See Tony Jones post, who has a similar voting record to myself, some republicans, some independents (or third-party candidates), and some democrats.

Money-quote,

But I am supporting Barack Obama for president. Why? Because Obama has so many of the qualities that we need in a president. He is committed to uniting the country around a vision for the future, he is committed to foreign diplomacy rather than empty posturing, he plays politics by a different and more noble playbook.

Listening to: The album “Girls and Boys” by Ingrid Michaelson

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