The Great Debate

What a great debate tonight at the University of Texas at Austin! Overall, this was a great night for both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Although we had the opportunity to actually hear a debate on policy and issues which is very rare in a debate, I think it was pretty clear that both candidates are essentially in agreement with 95% of the issues. Their primary difference is the manner in which they plan to implement their similar ideas.

I am still a very adamant Obama supporter, but as a long time supporter of the Democratic Party, I am still a very big fan of the Clintons. I have no malice or harsh feelings towards Hillary Clinton; I think she’s a wonderful candidate and very deserving of the Office of the President. I simply feel that Barack Obama is our best choice.

I think that all of the bitter hatred that most Republicans and conservatives have for Hillary Clinton are completely baseless and without merit. Their hatred of her began with her “standing by her man” and forgiving her husband’s marital mistakes… acting as a true “Christian.” They slammed her in unison in the early nineties when she attacked one of their major lobbies, the healthcare lobby.

All that said, the fact of the matter is… Republicans hate her, whether it’s fair or unfair. If she were president, she’d have even more divisive partisanship working against her than Bill Clinton did… and that’s hard to imagine. How can she get all of these wonderful ideas passed through Congress when Republicans will be united against her every minute of every day? How can she pass universal healthcare? How can she end the war in Iraq? How can she help fix the economy? The sad answer is that Republicans will do everything in their power to obstruct everything she tries to implement. She may possess the experience in fighting Republicans, but that’s not what we need. We don’t need more division, we need national unity.

Not only does Barack Obama preach and promote hope, he has the ability to overcome this divisive partisanship. He not only appeals to Democrats and independents, but also to many Republicans. The Republican Party is not united right now. This gives him the unique ability to bring a lot of them over to his side on critical issues. It gives him the ability to end the last few decades of a divided country. When Democrats and Republicans can finally put aside this vicious, divisive partisanship, I think that we truly have a hope of actually solving the major issues facing our nation and world. This is a hope that has been absent entirely too long.