How do we decide whom to support?

Following up on my previous post, I am wondering how people become so passionate about their favorite candidate that they almost forget we’re on the same bus. Most people agree that Hillary and Obama differ very little on the issues. If politics is not the main reason to choose one candidate over the other, what makes us decide whom to support?

Perhaps we look to whom we think is better at following through on their ideas and getting things accomplished. That’s when we get into discussions of their respective legislative records, who got more bills passed in the Senate, and who was better able to work across the aisles. That’s relevant enough, but I suspect that even before we look at such arguments, we’ve already made up our minds. Our preferences are shaped at a more subconscious level and reflect how we respond to each candidate’s personality and how we feel that we can relate to each of them. And it’s not just a matter of race and gender, though both may play into it.

Why do I prefer Obama? As a white woman (I’m not going to say middle-aged, though maybe that would apply), you’d think I was all for Hillary. But somehow I feel I can relate better to Obama. I’m not biracial, but like Obama, I grew up without a father, partially raised by my grandparents. Like Obama, I have lived in different countries and at times struggled to define who I am and where I belong. Many people in this country of immigrants have multi-ethnic, multi-national roots and Obama becomes a symbol for the new global American. There is a sense that his background gives him a broader perspective, a bigger vision.

At the website “Women for Hillary,” you can read comments from women who support Clinton. How about this one from Maya Angelou (in an essay celebrating Women’s History Month):

“There is a world of difference between being a woman and being an old female. If you’re born a girl, grow up, and live long enough, you can become an old female. But, to become a woman is a serious matter. A woman takes responsibility for the time she takes up and the space she occupies. […] Hillary Clinton is a woman. She has been there and done that and has still risen. She is in this race for the long haul. She intends to make a difference in our country.”

It’s as if Hillary’s toughness comes out of a sense of resentment, as if she’s been treated unfairly but has honorably fought her way to the top – when in reality she was born into privilege and has had every advantage in her education and career.

Then look at the words of another black female writer, Alice Walker:

“I am a supporter of Obama because I believe he is the right person to lead the country at this time. He offers a rare opportunity for the country and the world to start over, and to do better. […] He is the change America has been trying desperately and for centuries to hide, ignore, kill. The change America must have if we are to convince the rest of the world that we care about people other than our (white) selves.”

In her essay, Walker does talk about her past, growing up in racist, segregated Georgia. Clearly, blacks have much more blatant injustice and oppression to be resentful about than women like Hillary.

But Obama is not just black, he is also white, and his sister is half Asian. He defies standard definitions and bridges across traditional divides in our society. Obama’s vision isn’t fueled by resentment; it’s fueled by hope. He makes us feel like we can see beyond the struggles of the past and create a new future.

Obama may not be stronger on the issues or better at the political games than Hillary, but he possesses the ability to inspire, to make our minds and hearts soar, and that’s no small feat for a leader.