That is what Obama has done, at least when you look at his record in concrete terms. The Obama supporters CANNOT intellectually honestly answer the question. There is not much there at all.

I am astonished that a guy with so meager a list of accomplishment can be so close to becoming a President.

Now having stated that, here is the argument I can make for voting for Obama (I think!?!)

1. He did defeat the Clinton machine, and that takes some doing. Yes, he had a lot of help from the media, but I watch closely. When he started his run, he looked like a deer in the headlights. Today, he LOOKS like a president. He SOUNDS like a president. He is a quick study. The nanosecond he knew the nomination was his, moved to the center, ala Clinton. McCain is not the smoothest guy. He is rough around the edges. On the heels of GWB (the epitome of "not smooth, lol") people are looking for someone who can at least play the part. Clinton showed us that style DOES matter. If Obama wins, it will prove that it matters A LOT.

2. The whole "spread the wealth issue".....the pendulumn swings both way. Many ordinary people look at the result of the Bush tax cuts, an overall decline in jobs, coupled with high corporate profits, and feel that maybe the folks making these profits should pay more. What I don't like/get-Obama is for targeted tax CREDITS. That is a GIVEAWAY to people who have NOT paid tax. Because of my screwy financial situation, I'd actually qualify for some of his credits, and I don't need them!!! Nevertheless, in this economy, people look at their shrinking 401k's and want to blame someone. Obama is in the right place at the right time.

3. We need to shake things up. I think both McCain AND Obama would try and govern from their version of the "middle". McCain will get no help from the Dems. Obama would get better from the Republicans. My hope is that IF Obama wins, he will genuinely work with the Republicans, AND find that the Republicans at least make a genuine attemp to work with him too.

That is all I can come up with. Since I have been old enough to vote, I have voted Republican 5 times, Democrat twice. Personally....McCain is not my kind of Republican (neither is GWB, he spends on par with the worst Dems). He has run an AWFUL campaign. Obama certainly is not my kind of President either, so I feel like, what the heck, lets give the guy a shot and shake it up a bit. We won't be a Marxist state in 4 years, despite what the right wing says. If Obama fumbles the ball, especially with a Democratic Congress, maybe we can get a real Republican in there in 2012.

I know this is thin, it sounds weak to me too. Obama is such a lightweight, politically, but when you only have two choices, and neither is a good one, well, they have always said politics makes for strange bedfellows.

And I will sign off with this note.....all you hard-core lefties who think this guy is so great, and you have this thing sewn up, BEWARE. Anyone who is even a LITTLE honest with themselves KNOWS that Obama's record/history is THIN. RAZOR THIN. And that makes people nervous. Big-mouth Biden's "Trust us, Obama will be threatened" did more to expose Obama's weakness than anything McCain could do. His lead is most definitely NOT insurmountable, especially when you take into account the Bradley effect, and his tenuous support from people like me. In both 2000 and 2004, the pre-election polling was wrong, to the point where both Kerry and Gore thought they were going to win close elections. And, I quote, "I knew Gore AND Kerry, and Senator Obama, you are NEITHER!" If you think this is a cakewalk, you don't understand the American people like I think I do. Many folks (myself included) take the responsibility to vote seriously, and when it is time to actually pull the lever, funny things can happen........