Political Artwork: Obama Wins South Carolina!

Last night Barack Obama won the South Carolina primary by a HUGE margin:

Obama: 55%, 295,091 votes
Clinton: 27%, 141,128 votes
Edwards: 18%, 93,552 votes

I'm seriously considering changing my vote from Edwards to Obama because I really like the latter's ability to inspire people. Bush boasted that he was a "uniter" (which was opposite of the truth of course) but Barack Obama really is a leader who can bring all the splintered groups in this country together. His campaign has already done that. It's filled with supporters who really represent ALL of America. They're all races, all economic backgrounds, all political persuasions. He is the antidote, the UN-Bush. This morning I'm thinking of voting for him because he certainly has a better chance to win than Edwards, (though I hope he'd ask Edwards to be his VP) and I think he'd be able to unify the Democratic party and the entire country (except for hard-core racists but none of our candidates could reach those haters anyway).

Because all three top Dem candidates have good plans, (you can read a comparison HERE), all three, have committed to getting us out of Iraq, making health care affordable and available to all citizens, and equalizing the imbalance between economic classes, my decision has come down to who I think will be a more effective leader. I still think Edwards would be a wonderful leader but his current position in the race puts him out of reach of the win.

Between Clinton and Obama, I think Obama will make a better leader for the entire country. I read a very interesting opinion piece in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle which helped me come to this decision. Perhaps it will help you decide too:

Why I'm not necessarily for Hillary

by Alice Kessler-Harris, Professor of American history at Columbia University.

I am not reassured by learning that John Edwards is the son of a mill worker, that Barack Obama is black, or that Clinton is a woman. Each of those identities reflects something about which I care deeply. But I can't vote for any of them because of who they are. Supporting Hillary because she is a woman fosters a debate about whether to place race or sex or religion at the top of our list of priorities. If I support Hillary (or any candidate) because I am drawn to her identity, I am simply encouraging others to support their candidates for the same reason. And identity is no guarantee that a particular individual will speak for feminist values and issues. Remember Margaret Thatcher supervised the dismantling of the British welfare state; Clarence Thomas has routinely made judgments that have closed the gates to economic opportunity for African Americans.

As a feminist, I want a president who will inspire us to achieve at least some of the values that I care about. I want a president who will use government resources to make this a more humane and equitable society by enhancing educational opportunity and economic security for the poor and constructing health care for all. I want a president who will actively protect our civil liberties and civil rights; one who will speak loudly against the grotesque impositions of secrecy, surveillance, torture and incarceration. I want a president who will not only end this war quickly, but who will change the direction of American foreign policy in acknowledgement of the new global realities; I want a president who will eschew fear-mongering, tear down fences, and work out dignified ways to cope more effectively and more humanely with the inevitable movement of workers across the borders. I want these things as a feminist. - Full Article by

Watch Obama's victory speech in South Carolina, it's excellent:

PART 1