Why this bitter and cynical feminist if voting for Obama

It took me long enough to decide.

Tomorrow I will be riding the O Train to the polls. I assure you that I've put more thought into this decision than what college I was going to go to or what wedding dress I was going to wear to walk down the aisle. I've read a lot, watched MSNBC every night for the last four month as well as all the debates and even watched the cadidates speak. Up until a few short days ago I was undecided and even featured in a widely read newspaper as a result.

I can hear your thoughts right now:

How could you possibly be a feminist and not vote for a woman? Aren't you betraying your gender?

I ask you, what kind of feminist would I be if I voted for a woman who only got where she is because of who her husband is? I won't begrudge her the hard work and dedication she has put into her career. But face it, we only know who she is because her husband paved the way first. Show me a woman who did it on her own and I might be more inclined. I might also go so far as to say that she only stayed with him through the tough times in an effort to boost her career. And while I give kudos to the ultimate "lemons out of lemonade" story, I just don't see any feminist aspect of voting for a woman just because she's a woman. She needs to earn it in her own right.

Barack is an elitist and puts down the people from the small towns that you've lived in all your life.

Have you actually read what he said? Let's take a look at the quotation taken directly from the Huffington Post:

"You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," Obama said. "And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

I'm failing to see anything untrue in this statement. At the heart of what he's saying is that people feel hopeless about losing their jobs and downturn in the economy. There's nothing that they can control. Both Democrats and Republicans have done wrong by them. So they turn to social issues, things that mean something to them, as a sort of "tie breaker." Where they fall on these issues is how they determine their vote, sometimes not realizing that they're really missing the big picture.

And while we're on the subject let me just say that I find it extremely ironic that the mainstream media criticizes these remarks, but goes on to hold a debate where no questions of substance are asked. Nothing proves that he was right better than the fluffy questions that ABC news asked in an effort to reach the American public.

He is associated with a racist reverend.

And you agree with everything your religious leader has ever said? Obama didn't make those remarks. Someone else did. I'm sick of the whole guilt by association excuse. And the truly cynical part of me almost believes that someone from his campaign brought the issue up to defend against the internet rumors of him being a Muslim.

While we're on the subject of that email going around, you know he doesn't wear a flag pin, right?

OMG! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Well, that right there is just wrong. I mean, obviously, you have to wear a flag pin to qualify as the leader of the free world. And Kangaroo sneakers! And of course, jelly bracelets and all the other things that I wore in the third grade because that's about the level of logic you're using. Come on. Do you think George Washington wore a flag pin?

Isn't he a hypocrite? One day he's denouncing Geraldine Ferraro's opinion that he is where he is today because he's black and the next day he's making a speech about race that only he could make.

Geraldine Ferraro was only half right in that sense. Only a person who is of mixed race could make such a speech. So I guess you can say that he only received the attention because he's half black. And maybe he has played the black card at times, but he's also done it in a way that brings people together. At the rally I attended yesterday, people of all races talked to each other and related to each other. Young, old, black, white, everyone came together. And that's what we need right now.

The Clintons did more for the economy when they were in office. They have a proven track record. I was rolling in cash ten years ago.

And has it ever occurred to you that maybe part of the reason why the economy isn't doing so well now is because of NAFTA? And where did NAFTA come from? I'm not going to say that that's the only thing dragging us down, but we've lost a lot of jobs because of it. And it's definitely weakened our dollar.

Ummmmm....He's a shitty bowler?

Yeah, and I'm worse. I once bowled a 28.

Don't give up on Hilary. She still has a chance.

Not really. It's nearly impossible for her to catch up with him in delegates. Granted, with super delegates, she may have a chance. In my heart of hearts, I would like to see the super delegates vote the way their constituents would like them to vote. However, another part of me still hates the fact that certain areas of this country are worth more in the election process than others. I worry that if the super delegates go against the popular vote in general, it will destroy the party and the American dems will never be able to truly trust their leaders again.

So let's not let it come to that. PA democrats, I urge you to do what we can to put an end to this right here right now. If PA votes for Barack, it will make it significantly harder for Hilary to mathematically win the delegates she needs. Every day this primary continues, the Republicans get stronger. Fighting amongst the candidates gives the Republicans more fuel to steal as well. The candidates are sinking way too much money into the primaries. These are funds that could be used in November.

To my friends who aren't registered to vote, I love you, but I wish you would reconsider for November. It's a slap in the face to the people who founded this country and fought for your right to represent yourself and be represented. You don't have to be an obsessive political junky. You just have to take some to who see who matches your beliefs best. And with the internet, this information is so readily available, it's a sin not to take part. It may be too late for tomorrow, but not for our future. Please vote.