Why I’m Supporting Barack Obama (Rep. Danny Davis)

The experts who study such things tell us that endorsements really don’t make much difference when citizens make up their minds on who to vote for. So why am I working so hard for Barack Obama?

Two reasons. First, in my judgement, our country has suffered so much during the Presidency of George W. Bush. We embarked on a war and subsequent occupation of Iraq based on mistaken or falsified intelligence. The war has been horribly planned and mismanaged and the cost in lives lost, in resources squandered, in reducing our national security, in compromise of our principles and our constitution rights and liberties, in loss of our standing in the world, has been unacceptable. While our economy has grown the vast majority of American have not participated in the benefits, with wages stagnating, fewer Americans with health insurance, more children in poverty. The bursting of the housing bubble (a failure of our regulatory system) and high gas prices have placed our communities in real crisis and families in real hardship.

Our government has taken to eavesdropping on us, censoring the work of our scientists on climate change, failing to protect our children against dangerous imported products. The 2000 and the 2004 elections have raised serious questions about the integrity of our election systems which remain unanswered. Because the issues are so large, and the consequences so great, I have been moved to try and involve the maximum number of voters in this primary season because I believe that is the only way we can achieve real change.

Second, because I have had the opportunity to know and work with Barack since he moved to Chicago, I feel I have some special experiences to share with voters. Barack comes to politics with a background and a deep commitment to empowering people through organization. It was as a community organizer, pulling people together for their common interests, that Barack first found his voice as a leader. I know Barack has carried that commitment to the way he practices politics. I know that commitment was reflected in the legislation that he got passed in the state legislature and more recently in the United States Senate. I have seen that same commitment in the campaign he has run for President.

I won’t try and summarize Barack’s platform here. He has a great website where those ideas are laid out in detail. What I can say is how excited and pleased I have been about caliber of young people his campaign has attracted. I believe his campaign is renewing politics, renewing hope, renewing dialog and renewing participation in this great democracy. I hope you will have an opportunity to visit an Obama volunteer headquarters and see for yourself. If you like what you see I hope you will join me in trying to maximize participation in the 2008 elections . . . and making a real change in our politics and policies by supporting Barack Obama.