- July 29th, 2008, 10:22 am
#187756
Ok, do you wanna know why I support Obama? I'm posting my story. I have already sent this to one member but it wasn't "good enough." I don't care though. This is my story, and I'm sticking to it:
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I Support Barack Obama: My Story
By: Michelle K. Miller
July 26, 2008
My name is Michelle Miller. I’m a 23-year-old sophomore at Liberty University. I am also a supporter of Barack Obama. I know, that’s probably confusing to some of you, seeing as how Liberty is one of the most conservative schools in the country. However, there is a story and reason behind my support of Senator Obama.
I began going to church when I was six years old, attending with my friends or going by myself. Ten years after avidly attending church, I gave my life to Christ at Rick Gage’s Go-Tell Camp, which took place at Liberty. From that time, I really began to delve into the whole church experience— continuing weekly and bi-weekly church services, reading my Bible, and basically, agreeing with everything my pastors had to say, without really researching anything on my own. I just wanted to be the good little church girl that did what was expected of her. This blind faith following continued up until 2007, when I started attending Liberty University.
Up until that point, I was very conservative in my thoughts, my ideas, my values, and for the most part, my actions. I mean, I was human and still made mistakes, but I still considered myself to be conservatives. I wanted to be surrounded by people just like that, unlike I was at my community college and in my town. Anyhow, once I got to Liberty, and a couple of months passed, I began hearing more about politics and the general election in 2008. I hadn’t given much thought to the upcoming election, to be honest. However, in the last general election, I voted for someone really conservative—Michael Peroutka from the Constitution Party.
Well, once November came around, and the countdown to one year until the election came about, more politics were discussed. I didn’t know anything about the candidates, and it was clear that a lot of students didn’t either—aside from the Ron Paul supporters. We were subjected to one candidate, Alan Keyes, at convocation one Wednesday. I didn’t have any real problem with him; I just found him boring. However, we then had to listen to Chuck Norris-endorsed Mike Huckabee speak. I think people got way too hyped up about him. Upon listening to his speech, I didn’t like what he had to say. I just felt like he made a lot of promises that I felt were hard to believe. That, and just something about his personality rubbed me the wrong way.
It was then that I barked upon my journey to research the main contending candidates for the 2008 election. For some reason, I had heard a lot about Barack Obama, and felt really inclined to research him. The more I researched the candidates and their stances on the issues, the more I began to like Senator Obama. I read more about him and listened to some of his speeches, and I decided support him for President in 2008. It wasn’t a popular decision. Aside from my fiancé (now husband,) my friend Tara was the first person I told. She completely wigged out and yelled things like, “Don’t you know he’s a Muslim who’s going to blow up the whole country if he gets his way and becomes President?!” She made other incorrect and outrageous comments like that. A few days later, she decided to end our friendship, based on my support for the Senator. Similar patterns followed. No one wanted to talk politics with me, just because they knew I supported Senator Obama. They knew it’d end in an argument, because I had my mind made up, and they weren’t going to change it. Most people who knew about my support became very hostile toward me about it. I kind of expected it, but I at least hoped there’d be some open-minded people.
I moved off campus after the fall semester, to start the Distance Learning Program at Liberty, so it was a little easier to continue my support for Obama… but not much. I still received hostile comments and messages via mediums such as Facebook and AOL Instant Messenger. I got angry a lot of times, but began to have a new outlook after a while, and decided it wasn’t worth me getting angry and that I was going to still support Obama, and that’s all that mattered. I was standing up for something I believed in.
In February, I was messaged by the State Coordinator, Abby Williams, for Students for Barack Obama, and was asked to take over as the Chapter Coordinator of the Liberty University chapter of Students for Barack Obama. I gave it some thought, and said yes. We had one meeting in the winter, and tried to hold watch parties for the primaries, but ended up pretty inactive because of the snow and ice. However, since June, things have picked back up. I have a lot of support from amazing local Organizing Fellows, Jason Perkey and Jon Merlis, as well as others who work with them. I also have wonderful helpers, Phil Wagner and Brian Diaz, who are helping me organize from their home states, and who will be helping me put thoughts into actions when school starts back up in the fall. My story and struggle has apparently inspired the media to do pieces about me, and I’m happy to share my story.
However, there are some people who are dead-set against my voicing story, my struggle, and my thoughts that apparently go against the Bible and Liberty University’s doctrine. Many have asked me why I just don’t leave Liberty, for a different school. My answer is simple: There are people who run from adversity, and there are people who face it, tackle it, and try to change it. I am the latter. I know that I am up against a lot. That’s fine. Like I have told everyone I meet who is interested in my story: If I can convert just ONE person for Obama, it’s all worth it.
People have also asked me that if since I am a Christian, and I go to a Christian school, then how come I am voting for someone liberal? Why Obama? What was the deciding issue that brought me to my support for Senator Obama?
I have those answers.
I am a big believer in equal rights for all. Not just men, not just women, not just whites, not just blacks—and certainly not just for heterosexual couples. I know that sounds weird coming from a happily married heterosexual woman. However, I have many family members and friends who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual, and I think that they should most certainly have the same rights as couples, as I do in my heterosexual relationship. Every Christian person I talk to refutes that by saying, “Don’t you know what the Bible says about homosexuality? It’s wrong!!” Of course I know what the Bible says about homosexuality. As stated before, I’ve been to church since I was six years old, and am well aware of what the Bible says. However, I raise you this: I don’t care if the country was supposedly founded on Christian principles. Now, in the year 2008, in this country, we are Christians, Atheists, Jews, Catholics, Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, and every religion in between. We do not all worship the same god. So, why should those in America who aren’t Christian, have to live under laws inspired by the Christian God? Though we do not all worship the same god, and we don’t all live by the Bible, we in America, do however, live under the document that says “ALL men were created equal.” That’s right, ALL. It doesn’t say “Straight, white, conservative men were created equal.” The word “all” is inclusive of everyone. Also, I think it’s wrong to want to take away the rights of one group of people. If you’re going to take away the rights of homosexuals, why not take a step back and take away the rights of blacks, or a step farther back and take away the rights of women? It’s illogical. It makes no sense. Barack Obama is willing to allow civil unions, and give those couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, which I wholeheartedly agree with.
Now, as for the rights of women, I want to speak on the right to choose abortion or not, as someone who is 75% pro-choice and 25% pro-life. Some extreme conservatives want to do away with abortion 100%. I, however, believe that the government shouldn’t have so much control over a woman’s body. I keep being told that it is a very low percentage, but there are cases of incest, rape, and medical emergencies that a woman should have the right to opt for an abortion. However, living in a county with a high rate of teen pregnancies, I do not condone the option of abortion for promiscuous teens that go having sex with anyone, then say “Oops, I got pregnant. Time for an abortion!” I’ve been asked, then, if I think pre-marital sex is wrong. I have responded that I think it’s up to the couple, and that if they are going to have sex, they need to practice birth control. Speaking of which, Barack Obama wants to make access to birth control easier. I think that Obama’s pro-choice stance with easier access to birth control is the right balance.
Healthcare is another hot issue that I used when choosing who to support. As someone who doesn’t have healthcare because it is unaffordable, I support Obama’s plan to make healthcare easily accessible (without discrimination for pre-existing illnesses,) more affordable, and simple. I especially love that he is mandating that there be mandatory coverage of children, where they can be covered on their parents’ insurance until the age of 25. I think that’s reasonable, as 25 is a good age, because most students will be done with college, and can afford healthcare on their own then.
Furthering education is becoming less and less important to high school graduates, due to the debt that post-high school institutions cause. Senator Obama wants to fix that. His plan is to create an American Opportunity Tax Credit by simplifying the process for financial aid, ensure that the first $4000 of the student’s education is completely free, and will cover two-thirds of the cost of the student’s tuition at average public colleges and university, therefore making college pretty much free for anyone who wants to attend.
One of my main issues, and the issues of many people is not having a good job. Barack Obama wants to improve that by creating programs that will help low-income Americans to climb the ladder in the workforce, increase minimum wage (which is something we are seeing now,) increase sick days, provide tax relief, help single parents, and promote responsible fatherhood. These are just few of the good ideas Senator Obama has about improving jobs and job quality.
The last main reason I chose to support Senator Obama is his plan to bring our troops home. While he wants to be careful about how it is done, he at least has a plan. His plan is to end this war, and at one or two brigades at a time, pull out, and have them all out in sixteen months. While I think that setting something that sounds like a deadline is dangerous, I believe that Senator Obama would come through on this responsibly and victoriously.
And that, my friends, is why I support Barack Obama for President. I may continue to get criticized by church and school friends, but I can honestly say that I am standing up for someone and something I believe in—I am standing up for Barack Obama, and I am standing up for change!!
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