In this brief on‑the‑road video recorded on Super Tuesday, Tom (the speaker) delivers a direct political endorsement for Senator Barack Obama. He first explains why he cannot support the other viable candidates: he criticizes Hillary Clinton for being tied to the divisiveness of the Bush administration and its legacy, and he argues that John McCain’s age and era‑specific experience make him unsuitable for the current moment. He then outlines why Obama uniquely qualifies: his African‑American and Kenyan heritage offers a powerful symbolic statement of America’s founding principles; his ability to unite a diverse electorate and his global appeal position him as a transformational leader. Tom concludes with a hopeful call to action, urging Americans to vote for Obama on Super Tuesday, emphasizing vision, imagination, and the importance of youth in shaping the nation’s future.
Chapters
¡Hola! It's Tom. It's Super Tuesday in America. I'm still on the road, but I wanted to do something that I haven't done before, which is really to express a political— a direct political opinion. I'd like to first talk about why I think Senator Barack Obama should be president of the United States. I think the— Opportunity for America to do something transformational really only exists with one candidate in the— of the current viable candidates. Hillary Clinton is an extremely talented, dedicated public servant. She's lived a lifetime of service to a consistent set of causes and has worked tireless— tirelessly to bring social justice and concern for every American to fruition. Unfortunately, Senator Clinton, as the spouse of a former president, brings all of the animosity and divisiveness of her husband's administration, to which she contributed herself, as a residual remnant of those years. I don't think we can afford 4 or 8 years of continued divisiveness of that kind. So I'm not able to support Sen. Clinton for those reasons. Sen. John McCain is another dedicated American who has given above and beyond. Others in his support of the United States. As everyone knows, he was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam era for 5 years and is a thoughtful, strong leader. I believe, however, that the time for him to be president has passed. It's difficult for me to see someone of Sen. McCain's age being president at this moment in time. I think there are too many issues that are difficult for someone with his— background and experience to fully comprehend, and I think that the importance of young Americans at this point in time is paramount. And so I'm not able to support Senator McCain. Now, Senator Obama, the idea of having an African American of Kenyan descent as the president of the United States is really one of the most powerful statements that our country could make about our commitment to the basic principles on which the country was founded. Now, that isn't a reason for someone to be elected president of the United States. I think that Senator Obama's approach to bringing together the enormous diversity of the American people and adding to that his potential for gaining support by people all over the world by virtue of his experience and background and his vision, I think all of those things come together to make this a unique opportunity for the country to make a statement about our belief in ourselves and in our leaders. And so it's for those reasons that on Super Tuesday, I think it's extremely important that we support and elect Senator Barack Obama president of the United States. Now, that's a long shot, but as we know, long shots sometimes pay off. And I'm certainly hoping that my fellow Americans today demonstrate a vision, demonstrate insight, demonstrate imagination and turn out to support Senator Obama. So, um, thanks very much, and I'll see you again soon from the other coast. Take care.
