BY JUNG KIM

In print | February 7, 2008

It seems that I have gone into political hibernation, but now I think it is time for me say a word or two about this “magical” process of democracy that we call the election.

First, about the two “insurgent” faces you see on the screen – Congressman Dennis Kucinich and former Senator Mike Gravel. These two seem to embody my ideals more than any others in the race. Senator Gravel’s filibuster to get the “Pentagon Papers” published is still the textbook definition of political iconoclast. However, like the editorial board of “The Nation” said, their inability to raise money and to organize makes me look to someone else. However, they will still be my first “ideological” choices and I will always have the utmost respect for these two distinguished politicians.

The next name, former Senator John Edwards, may be old news, but I think he deserves a few parting words. Senator Edwards was the guy I went to for that good ol’ fashioned populism who – all jokes aside – struck a chord with the issues that I find are most dear. Senator Edwards, in his political and post-political career, was an advocate for those who did not have a voice. He worked hard to fight poverty and looked out for the “little guy” in the face of big corporations. His work with the University of North Carolina School of Law’s Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity was an inspiration to a young high school intern working poverty law in Little Rock.

Finally, the million dollar question for the would-be political junkies out there: Clinton or Obama? This one took some thinking. Policy-wise they are both along the same pages (give or take a few differences in fields like healthcare) and in the long run both Clinton and Obama would make excellent presidents. Either of the two candidates will create a safer, fairer and better America. They will both work towards making sure that all Americans get a fairer tax, better health insurance and go to sleep knowing that they are being taken care of by their government. So why am I then working against most of my college friends (it’s undeniable that Senator Obama has a lot of support on college campuses nationwide) in endorsing Senator Hillary Clinton? The answer is simple; politics is not always about politics. There is a fair amount of personal attachment to the Clinton family. Having worked in Arkansas state government and politics, I worked with some of the most brilliant people, these people being former Clinton administration officials. If they are any sign of what is to come in the (new) Clinton administration, then I know that this country is in the very best of hands.

Senator Clinton is by definition a statesman (stateswoman, that is). Her political career spans from the courtroom to the state house to the White House to the Senate. It is this (gulp!) experience that gravitates me toward the Senator from New York. Knowing that she can unite a divided nation and work with both sides of the aisle in tackling the toughest issues satisfies my hunger for change (the word everyone seems to be talking about). It is a more solid promise than that of Senator Obama, whose speeches always seem to captivate me and, yet, leave me wanting more. I want more from the Senator, more definites, more clarity, something I get from speeches by Senator Clinton.

By the time this op-ed gets published, Super Tuesday will have been digested and we will have a sense of who is likely to be the next president of the United States. However, for a guy from a place called Hope (actually I’m really from Little Rock, but Arkansans seem to really like this slogan) there’s always…you know, the rest.

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