Remember 2004?

Remember 2004 when the Republican party was solidly behind W and the Democrats were grudgingly behind Kerry?

Have you noticed how, for the most part, that's changed? Republicans are grudgingly behind McCain (one ultra-conservative pundit famously promised NOT to vote for him) and the Democrats and fired up and (mostly) united in their support of Obama.

While I think allowance for and tolerances of differences of opinion are part of what makes the Democratic party a good place, the lack of unity (perceived or real) hurt the left in 2004. I admit I wasn't particularly fired up about Kerry - and I thought his speech at the convention in 2004, particularly the introduction, was a tactical error.

In spite of the rancorous primary races on the Democratic side, I think the Democratic party is united behind Obama, and that enthusiasm draws independent voters in this direction.

Granted, it took me a while to get here myself. By summer, I knew I would support Obama in the end, but it took until late August for my whole heart to be here.

I was a Hillary Clinton supporter, you see, and not just because she was a woman, or that she and I share a couple of experiences. She's so damn smart. She knows the issues inside and out and backwards and forwards. I knew that if she were elected she would do an amazing job. Not that I necessarily liked her in a "let's have a cup of tea on Wednesday afternoon" way, but I thought she would work her rear off for the American people, Democrat AND Republican.

But the primaries didn't turn out like I hoped (and I think sexism played a major role, just like the race issue is an unknown issue for Obama, sadly), and I accepted that I needed to throw my support behind Obama. What turned the tide for me for supporting Obama was how he handled the Palin pregnant daughter issue.

I wrote around that time about the expectations of political families, and I stand by what I wrote. And even though Obama could have made some great points about hypocrisy and reality in that situation, he didn't. He took a very high road, and I admire him for that. It turned the tide for me. Obama is the class act in this beauty pageant.

I know Obama is not perfect, and I am not about to claim he is. No single candidate is perfect. Every single one of them is flawed in some way - and some are showing more flaws every day! But I believe with my whole heart and brain that Senator Obama is the best choice for our country in the coming years.

So people, lets get out there and get our candidate elected. We need this. Our country needs this. The world needs this. Our children needs this.