Fighting Ignorance; What are the REASONS to support Obama?

[The Doctor.]

I'm just going to be Frank;

I'm pretty damn fed up with the Clinton people on this board telling themselves that Obama supporters are "Blind followers" with no reason for giving him their support. Over and over I've demonstrated that position to be simply ignorant. No matter how many times I offer the real, valid, serious reasons I, and others, have for supporting him, they don't want to hear it.

Oh, I know why that is. It's pretty simple, actually.

How can they be right unless their opposition is wrong? The best way to remain assured that the opposition is wrong, is not to accept anything that may be right about them.

Now, as I've said before, there are good reasons to support a Clinton candidacy.

How do I know this?

Because I choose not to be ignorant of one candidate in favor of another. It is for this very same reason that I am more in favor of an Obama candidacy... because I choose not to be ignorant all the way around. By now, long-time DUers know that I like to be empirical about things... with the few occasional misconceptions that come up and get fixed, rare though they may be. Because of this I've even been accused of extreme insensitivity. I like reality because I believe that embracing the cold, empirical universe will be one of the things humanity finally does to save humanity from itself. If that makes me 'insensitive', then so be it.

So, here we are with people yelling and screaming all kinds of stuff. I'm not above all of that myself, in fact I find it cathartic to be a condescending jerk when someone deserves it. But there is a place above the fray where emotions can no longer shape opinions. There is a place where reality cares very little how much anyone feels they are in the right, and anyone can visit it.

The Clinton supporters, not all of them, of course, but even some who I have always respected and appreciated, aren't interested in knowing there are very good reasons to support Obama, otherwise they wouldn't characterize his supporters as 'blind followers'. Well, I'm saying that 'someone refusing to see a thing doesn't make everyone else blind'.


I have very good reasons for supporting Obama over Clinton, and anyone that tells me I don't is insulting my intelligence, and demonstrating their own ignorance.

Now, I'm asking you, if you are an Obama supporter, to explain your reasons for supporting Barack Obama's nomination. Not your reasons for opposing Clinton, those aren't material to point of this thread. "I like him" may be a reason, but again... not the point.

I'll start with three of my many reasons;


1) He pledged to instruct his AG to investigate torture. No other candidate has done that, and no one on DU can possibly be against his doing so unless they are a troll. He's not lying when he says that, it must be his intention to do so because it is too serious, and potentially dangerous for anyone to announce that they will be a threat of any kind to anyone in this current administration. To say such a thing without meaning it is to align and focus his enemies upon him and make his own course more difficult with no benefit. From there, it is my well-founded opinion that since he has been a seeker of social justice, he intends to follow through.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041508B.shtml
That's huge.

2) He has a more fundamental and comprehensive plan for the gas/energy crisis than a 'gas tax break'. It involves making the oil companies more responsible and involved, as well as making them part of the solution instead of the problem. If gas companies want to stay under a 'windfall profit' ceiling to avoid higher taxes, it's in their best interest to increase refining capacity and seek innovations to bring down market speculation. If they don't avoid that ceiling, the tax goes toward innovation anyway. It's a win/win, and it addresses long-term energy issues that will otherwise plague our economy if not dealt with. Clinton's plan is ttemporary, and doesn't address those long-term issues as thoroughly.

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy /
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080425/ts_alt_afp/usvoted...

3) Money. LOADS of it. His ability to raise money has dwarfed his opponents, and it will continue to do so into the GE. A candidate with a big money advantage will crush Grandpa McCain in the GE. As of March 31st, McCain has 11 million cash on hand.
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=n00006...

Clinton has 31 million cash on hand, and 15 million in debts;
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00000...

Obama has 51 million cash on hand and less than a million in debts.

That roughly works out to;

McCain; 11 million.
Clinton; 16 million.
Obama; 50 million.

Now, if it wasn't for the fact that Obama has been consistently raising these levels of cash, it could be argued that this is just a 'snapshot', but in reality, it's a trend.


Those are very good reasons to support any candidate, They are why I support Obama.


Let us, once and for all, put away this bullshit about Obama supporters being 'blind'. Please give your good reasons for supporting him, not opposing Clinton.

Then K+R the hell out of this so they can't ignore it.


Cheers.