Why I'm voting for Obama

I'm a full-time mom of two little boys under the age of four and I'm voting for Barack Obama. It's time we got past the divisions that have been laid out for us as a nation.

Everyday I struggle to teach my boys tolerance, peace, and unity, despite the images that they are constantly surrounded by. The things that divide us as a nation are ever-present and it's not limited to the evening news. It's not just images of battling political parties or an unjust war, our divisions are made clear just by looking out the windows of the car as we drive through town. Here, in the rural South, racial and economical lines may as well be marked with 20 foot barbed fences. The lines of demarcation are clearer than the county line.

To contrast those divisions, I hear Barack Obama speak. His words seem to stitch back together the fissures that the Republican party has worked so hard to produce over the last 8 years. If people can leave behind their preconceived notions about race and filter out the right-wing spin about Obama being unpatriotic or even a terrorist, they will hear words of unity, hope, and change that this country hasn't heard in decades. I have the utmost faith that his policies will be founded in the words he speaks.

Sen. Obama even went so far as to make it clear to me, personally, that he wants to begin to make good all the corporate welfare and "free passes" the Bush Administration has handed out. Here's what he had to say to me via The News and Observer:

"I'm curious how he[Sen. Obama] feels about the recent bailout of Bear Stearns. Does he feel that government should step in and bail out corporations that took chances on high-risk notes or if it would serve our people better to help out the people who will lose their homes instead?"

--Jane Olsen, 30, full-time mother Washington, N.C., Democrat

OBAMA: "In terms of Bear Stearns, I think it is legitimate to worry about the domino effect of a major investment bank failing. But I also think it's important to understand that some of these companies, some of these corporations, some of these financial institutions, they took big risks and reaped huge rewards. We can't be in a situation where there is no downside, but it's all upside for these folks, particularly when some of these same individuals are the ones who argue that they should never be taxed. All these enormous rewards they were getting over the last 10 years were actually taxed at a lower rate than the wages and salaries of a lot of Democrats."

So, for the first time in my adult life, I'm going into an election with a feeling of hope. I think we're on the verge of a great change, for the better. I have no misconceptions, I know it will be a long, hard road. Having a candidate that's willing to brave that path, though, is the reason I'm voting for Barack Obama. Will you join me?