Thinking the Unthinkable

I live in Utah, which, as everybody knows, is the Mecca of conservative politics in America. As a Democrat, I'm grossly outnumbered, and I've come to terms with that. But something is happening here in Utah. No, we haven't elected a Democratic Governor or Senator, and we certainly haven't given the state Congress over to the Democratic Party. But here, even in the heart of the Republican body, REPUBLICANS are voting Democratic. And they're not just voting for any Democrat - they're voting for Barack Obama.

My mother-in-law is as red as they come. She has been and will continue to be one of the most conservative individuals I will ever know. She votes for her party, regardless of the candidates. But on February 5th, when Utah held its primaries, she voted for Barack Obama, making it the very first time in her 52 years that she has voted for a Democrat. Amazing, isn't it.

Now, the question is: why? The answer is simple. Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney had already sealed up Utah - he had it on the day he announced his candidacy. She was a Romney supporter, but knowing that for the Republican Party it was a winner-take-all contest, and knowing that Romney would win, she looked elsewhere.

She voted for Obama because she believes that he's the best man for the job (with Romney as the exception). She was so violently opposed to McCain or Clinton winning - especially Clinton.

My mother-in-law is like so many others, who see Barack Obama as someone who can unite a galvanized country and work on both sides of the political divide. Clinton, on the other hand, is one of the post polarizing political figures in recent history. I'm not a Clinton-hater, but I know that if she's nominated the GOP will have a better shot at the White House as a result of her polarity, and the nation will continue to be as divided as Bush is leaving it.

Clinton has more experience, as does McCain, but experience doesn't mean everything. Experience pales in comparison to the importance of judgment and character. Just ask Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy.