Reply #36: I'm an Edwards supporter [View All]

[Alcibiades]

Who has backed Obama since a week or two after my candidate dropped out of the race.

There was a time when Clinton could have won my vote. What I liked about Obama was the way he ran his campaign. You probably saw last time around how bringing in paid staff totally killed the grassroots campaigns in many areas. The Obama campaign never did that, but instead used the volunteers quite well. They run a tight ship, the tightest I have ever seen in a Democratic presidential campaign.

I don't know who was responsible for this, but it's been brilliant. This campaign has really, really embodied people power.

Being born in 1968, I've spent all my life hearing from old hippies about how cool the summer of love was and how the older generation just didn't get it. Now I hear folks from that generation complaining about the stupid young people who just don't get it. Obama has clearly done his homework. He knew early on that this year was a "time for change" in the electorate, and he ran with this as a theme. Personally, he conducts himself with dignity. At almost every juncture in the campaign, they have made some good choices, which made some of the Clintons' bad choices more glaring.

But, most of all, this election is about competence. Obama has demonstrated, through his campaign, that he is someone who can get things done, that he knows how to pick people who get things done. I know that some have great admiration for him as a person. I don't really see that, I see him as a politician. As a political scientist, I respect his skills as a politician. I want someone who will spend more time on policy than spin, and I think that an Obama White House will deliver.