The Mad Rants of an Unconventional Soccer Mom

It is the eve of the Indiana Primary. I will admit that I am nervous about what tomorrow will bring. Obama will win North Carolina, but I do not believe that he will win here in Indiana. Analyst believe that 60% of likely voters in Indiana will be women. That does not bode well for Obama. So tomorrow night Clinton will declare that North Carolina doesn't really matter and that Indiana is the most important "bell weather" state in the Union. The race will go on.

But if there are really any truly open minded, undecided voters out here in Hoosier land I hope that they took the time to really examine both of the candidates. I know that many say that in a side-by-side comparison they have some similar policy positions, but they are not the same candidate. There are important differences. Here are some important ones:

• He opposed war and occupation of Iraq, she supported it until she saw that it was not politically wise in the democratic primaries.
• He opposed the Kyl-Lieberman bill stating that the Iranian Army is a terrorist group, she voted for.
• He tried to ban cluster bombs, she opposed the effort.
• He was unwilling to let interest rates got to 30%, she was.
• His focus is affordability of health insurance, hers is to mandate, with punitive sanctions if you don't sign up.
• He is willing to protect Israel, she is willing to use the US military protect the whole Middle East and "obliterate" a nation of 70 million civilians.
• He is advocating long-term solutions to ending our independence on foreign oil, she is advocating a "gas tax holiday" that would cost hundreds of thousands of Americans jobs.

Equally important to me is the matter of character. Clinton's campaign tactics have shown me that she is not to be trusted with sustaining a liberal position on anything. She is an opportunist; she would not be above adopting anti-choice or anti-gay positions if it suited her short-term political interest. The Democratic party is merely the vehicle for her ambitions, not an organization whose principals she will fight for. Not only that, but her campaign has been about fear mongering and dog whistles. Did you ever imagine a democratic candidate using images of Pearl Harbor and Osama Bin Laden against another democratic candidate??? CHARACTER MATTERS! Here are some more differences between the two:

• He doesn't think it appropriate to imply his Democratic opponent is unqualified for the office, she does.
• He doesn't want to change the rules for getting the nomination after the race has begun, she is desperate to.
• He has demonstrated that he can run a nation-wide campaign, she has not.
• He has proven he can expand the Democratic side of the electorate, she hasn't - and she might well expand the Republican side.
• He has proven he has the judgment to select appropriate people and run a campaign enterprise that will approach a quarter billion dollars, her campaign is in debt and in shambles.
• He is trying to inspire us and appeal to the best in us, she is trying to scare us.
• He thinks he has to earn our vote and our trust, she thinks she is entitled.

Barack is about the empowerment of the people. His inclusive approach is a keystone of his campaign and of the administration he promises. I believe that when he is President he will bring us all into the process of creating the solutions that will restore our constitution and get us back to being respected in the world.

The choice for me has always been clear: TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION vs FEAR MONGERING, TRIANGULATION AND SECRECY.

I don't know if anything I have written in these last few weeks has had any kind of effect on anyone. My only hope is that everyone will have taken the time to educate themselves on the issues that matter most to them and vote their conscience tomorrow.

Peace.