i’ve been trying to figure out how to put this in words, but i’m having a problem doing it.  i guess the easiest way to do so would be to put the fact out there, and then try to explain myself, so here goes:

i am a HUGE fan of barack obama.

it seems so strange to say this, because people generally reserve their “fan” status for celebrities or musicians, but political figures? not so much. but for the first time in i-don’t-know-how-long, i finally feel like we will finally have someone who knows how to be a man running this country (that link goes to one of the best articles i’ve read in quite a while). he somehow manages to circumvent the “slimy politician” description and instead comes out as a man with integrity, who demands respect because of it. one of the definitions of a true leader is someone who inspires, and my god, does he ever.

the thing is, saying that you’re a “fan” of someone seems to connote some sort of superficial teengirl glee, but the fact of the matter is, it goes much deeper than that for me. what i feel barack obama represents for me is a better economy, progress on key social issues, and gender equality. he clearly recognizes the importance of his female constituents, and i truly believe that he will take steps to ensure that our rights are protected.

evidence of the last one is the proposed DHHS bill (which would limit women’s access to birth control by letting providers decide if they want to give it out based on their personal religious convictions – done by categorizing birth control under “abortion”…whaaa??), which our dear president-elect is already working on overturning during his first months in office.  and this is among the other hundreds of ridiculous bills our joke-of-a-president will be passing, essentially requiring our president to spend the majority of his first months in office straightening out the chaos left in bush’s wake, instead of spending his time, i dunno, FIXING THE ECONOMY. but what does mr. bush care, he has millions from his family’s wealthy oil business to last him through the recession. dickwad.

ahem. (it’s probably pretty obvious that for as much as i’m a fan of obama, i’m an anti-fan of bush.)

today, i read obama’s recovery plan, and once again, i think this man is brilliant and i feel like finally, someone is going to actually LEAD our country instead of spending his time in office pandering to the major corporations that donated millions to his campaign and shooting first and asking questions later.  but, wait, did you see that?  look again (bold mine):

But this isn’t about numbers. It’s about each of the families those numbers represent. It’s about the rising unease and frustration that so many of you are feeling during this holiday season. Will you be able to put your kids through college? Will you be able to afford health care? Will you be able to retire with dignity and security? Will your job or your husband’s job or your daughter’s or son’s job be the next one cut?

i am stunned. i’m sure that using those terms as though he’s speaking to women was strategic on his and/or his speechwriter’s part. but all the same, it means that our 44th president does not underestimate the power of his female constituents in the slightest, and takes them seriously. and that, my friends, is one of the biggest reasons why i am a barack obama fan.