Hating on Obama

As primary season slowly heads into full gear, I've started making some decisions.

I won't be supporting Barack Obama.

This week, Obama's campaign launched some attacks at Bill and Hillary Clinton. Though Obama has recently called our politics "small" and has often admonished both politicians and citizens to "put away their toys" and to "grow up," the Obama attacks were childish.

He attacked the Clintons (mostly Bill) for doing business with people and companies who either outsource jobs to India or who squeeze American union workers. That'd be a fair attack, if Obama's hands were clean. But his wife was until recently on the board of TreeHouse Foods, a supplier to Wal-Mart. Of course, Hillary Clinton was once on Wal-Mart's board.

So, struck me as a hypocritical attack because it conflicts with Obama's promise to not engage in petty politics and also hypocritical because Obama and his wife have also participated in similar economic arrangements.

But, my problems with Obama run deeper than that.

There's no "there there," as Gertrude Stein once said.

He speaks in platitudes. He is, for all intents and purposes Barack Oprahbama. I know he's smart but I can't say I respect him much. His own view of politics is small. He's a Hallmark Card type of candidate.

He's also benefitting from a cult of personality. He's charming and loved for it. But his supporters make a better case for him as a person than as a thinker.

So... Obama's out for me. I think I'll vote for Richardson when the NY primaries come around, but it will be a done deal by then and Richardson will no longer be a serious candidate. I'll vote for him just to see that he gets VP consideration or a cabinet post.

As for who I'm pulling for... it's either Hillary Clinton or John Edwards at this point. Though I kind of do wish Gore would run, despite earlier statements that we don't need a "saviour" candidate.

I could even see myself supporting a third party candidate, provided a true progressive emerges.

But I won't be voting for Obama. I think he exposed himself this week as being as petty as the politicians he criticizes.