Whenever Linda finds an interesting article in the newspaper about Barack, she immediately cuts it out to send to her son Luke, who is in college. If she sees it online, she e-mails it to him. As a Chesterland, OH native (a suburb east of Cleveland) she recently sent her son, a basketball enthusiast, an article about LeBron James’ official endorsement of Barack and another great piece from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer about Michelle Obama. She sends more unusual Barack articles to close friends.
Linda, a psychotherapist in private practice, is a registered independent. “I don’t like to be tied in to a particular party and have never been actively involved in politics,” she says. “I always vote and usually stay informed, but I’ve never kept up with an election like I’ve followed this one.”
From the very beginning I was drawn most to Obama very clearly. I like his message and his sense of the larger picture. Beyond his oratory skills, he has the ability to listen. He obviously has a lot of charisma, but is also grounded. Sometimes people get carried away with themselves. He sees the larger vision, but is also inclusionary with people and personal. He speaks the truth of experience which makes him accessible. And he’s a bridge builder. With all of the bridges that got burned these last years, especially on the world scene, he wants to understand the different positions of people and heal the vision of the U.S. in the world.
Linda is inspired by Barack’s unconventional background and his by-the-bootstraps rise from modest beginnings.
I love his background and the world he grew up in. Instead of having everything laid out for him, he worked his way up on his own. It’s a departure from the old politics we’ve come to know. He’s a fresh, new face and has fresh ideas. Also, the fact that he is a black man gets me excited because we are so close to having a black person in the highest office in the country.
Linda is optimistic about having a president who is able to change political discourse and bring a range of voices into the process. The way Barack has approached this campaign and handled the issues that have come up has amazed her.
I’ve gone on the internet to listen to most of the speeches. I don’t like getting sound bites from the media, so I like to listen to the whole thing. I particularly liked the race speech he gave in Philadelphia. When he speaks to address a controversy, at the same time he holds true to himself and sees both perspectives. When I hear him I get a sense of hope I’ve never gotten before in politics.
This sense of hope is particularly welcome in a time when so many people are struggling throughout the country.
The economy is of course an issue. We’re all feeling the pinch of the economy. Food, gas, and nearly everything is getting more expensive. When I’ve bought plane tickets recently they’re much more expensive than usual.
Linda is taking a part in this campaign because she wants to see change in this country. She doesn’t want to imagine the alternative. “What if he didn’t win?” she says. “That whole prospect scares me. It would be an enormous loss for the potential of this level of change.” As November approaches, she has committed to continue to follow the election, be involved, and, of course, send her son clips about Barack from the newspaper. “I’m excited about this election in a new way that I’ve never felt.”
Voices for Change is a series featuring profiles of Barack Obama's grassroots supporters from across the nation. The people who make up this movement come from all different backgrounds, but they share a common goal – to help bring about fundamental change in Washington.
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