A Letter to My Family & Friends:

Portrait of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the Major Leagues. In only his first season he won the Rookie of the Year award, and helped lead the Dodgers to the World Series, in the face of unbelievable opposition from fans and players alike.

Dear Mom, Dad, Siblings, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, Nephews, Cousins, Friends, Former co-workers, classmates, and all the Greeks I call Thea but are not directly related,

As I'm sure you've heard, your fine state of Ohio is once again in the national spotlight, and not because of the Buckeyes. No, the reason that Ohio is being discussed by journalists across the globe is because you live in one of the most diverse states in our Union. Home to no fewer than 3 major cities, as well as vast expanses of farmland, and a plethora of suburbs in between, "The Heartland" is one of the last true swing-states in the country. It is a microcosm of the entire nation and, fittingly, on Election Day it is your vote that will ultimately decide who will lead our country for the following 4 years.

In 2004, with our television clumsily propped up next to the bed, I watched the returns late into the night, long past my bedtime, for the decisive call as to who would carry your vote. Before I switched the screen off and sat in the restless darkness, the last words I heard were, "This just in—Ohio will go to George W. Bush, our next President of the United States."

Well, this year is shaping up to be no different. After extensive polling, three debates between the candidates, and more news coverage than ever before, Ohio is still too close to call. And so I feel it is my responsibility to do something, and I have decided to write you this letter.

I will be frank; this Election Day I would like you to vote for Barack Obama.

I will admit, I am a registered Democrat, but I wouldn't say I'm proud of it. True to my Ohio roots, my views fall somewhere between and sometimes beyond the oversimplified dichotomy offered by the two-party system. I often feel that there is no good candidate available to me, and thus my vote is used to keep an individual out of office, rather than to put someone in. This was never more true than in the 2004 election where my disinterest in Senator Kerry was far outpaced by my complete lack of respect for our current Commander in Grief and his abominable administration up to that point. I am extremely proud that I voted against George W. Bush, and though I would do it the same if I had to do it over, it felt unpatriotic to vote in this way and it certainly never moved me to try to convince others to join my cause for the simple reason that cynicism can never be an effective catalyst. I understood this, and I said nothing. I merely hoped the majority would side with me. Of course, I was mistaken, and I was very regretful.
...

I won't lie. I was very skeptical of Obama, particularly because of the cultish way his faithful spoke of vague ideals such as 'hope' and 'change' without a lot of substance or even knowledge of his record. Seemingly over night, and without really explaining why, Obama was elevated to a status above other politicians. My peers all seemed to be brainwashed by a strange fad, one about which they had very little sense of humor. If you found this to be irritating, I won't disagree with you.

Fortunately, after a long primary season and probably the most closely watched and scrutinized campaign in history, I feel that I know a bit more about Obama and what he will bring to the table as our President.

For one thing, he is intelligent. I know that the McCain campaign has gone out of their way to paint this as a negative trait, that somehow it is elitist to have an education, that it means he is disconnected from the average American. Horseshit. I, for one, cannot think of another profession where you could be criticized for being too smart to be good at your job. Just with the sheer amount of problems our country is currently facing—ecologically, socio-politically, and of course economically—would we really want someone with less education to be in charge? There is a reason that we don't allow average people to run the country. It's hard! Ask W.

Second, Obama is steady. I don't actually know, but I imagine that running for President is extremely stressful. Your every move is watched, your every speech is sliced up for out-of-context soundbites, your entire history is mined for secrets and suspicious details, and rightfully so. How a person conducts themselves on the campaign trail is terrific insight into how they may conduct themselves when they are in office. Still, I can't help but feel that Obama is under more pressure and scrutiny than normal.

Which brings me to my third reason—that is, besides being fairly young and comparably less experienced than his opponent, there is also the fact that Obama is the first major candidate to be less than 100% Caucasian. While this is embarrassing for our country in and of itself, it is not too late to start on the better and more equal path that we mention in passing in, you know, The Constitution. I have heard a lot of people use the term "white guilt" when speaking of Obama supporters, and I confess. There is guilt. I am ashamed that it has taken us this long to acknowledge the equality of a large section of our country's population. I believe it will set a very good example for those, and there are many, who still harbor resentment and prejudices against people due to the color of their skin. (If this is a problem for you, remember, he's only half-black, which means he's half-white, so it's not like you'd be overcommiting yourself.)

And then there are his plans—health care and education reform, renewable energy, a solid record of foreign diplomacy in Joe Biden, tax breaks for the little guy instead of trickle-down economics—which directly address the myriad problems we all face right now.

It has taken me until now to feel anything resembling hope. After '04, it has been difficult for me to believe that the same America that re-elected that stupid asshole would go anywhere near a black guy named Hussein Osama or whatever. I even made a small wager (a weeks worth of coffees) with a co-worker against Obama, so certain was I that my countrymen would once again disappoint me.

Yet the polls say he is winning. He is winning by ever-widening margins. He is winning in states that haven't gone blue in decades. By golly, it's starting to feel like he might somehow actually for reals WIN. We need only to push a little further and we will have made history, and here is where you come in.

My point is clear—I believe Barack Obama is the best candidate for the job. I want you to believe this too. But I know that people cannot be swayed by mere opposition. In fact, in most cases, the harder you push, the more resistance you are met with. So, I would like to propose something to you, dear friends and family...

After reading my plea, if you are still feeling like you don't know who to vote for, or are feeling fairly certain that you will not vote for Barack Obama, I would like you to email me, or give me a call to tell me about your reason(s). If you do this, I will listen and think about why you feel that way. I promise not to debate you (unless you try to tell me that he's secretly a one-man Muslim terrorist sleeper cell), or cajole you into voting for him. As my family, I am sincerely interested in your opinions or your opposition to Obama. In return, I would just ask that you listen to my reasons for why I will vote for him.

I approach this with the understanding that we may still disagree after our conversation, but I want to feel like I tried to talk to my loved ones about something that I see as extremely important at a vital time, in a vital part of the country.

Obama needs Ohio. It's up to you.

Sincerely,
John