I’ve refrained from political discourse on this blog for a variety of reasons, all of them revolving around the notion that I don’t consider myself intelligent, articulate, or even knowledgeable enough to put anything down that you might consider insightful. Quite frankly, I’m an idiot when it comes to politics, especially when compared to many of my close friends who are incredibly passionate and dedicated to this election (one friend went to Indiana to knock on doors for a day, and another has stepped away from law school to volunteer in Ohio).

I was also “undecided” for quite some time. I tried my hardest to not blindly follow my peers in my voting decision (lest I repeat the Ralph Nader debacle of 2000). I attempted to remain unbiased as my friends almost unanimously pushed their candidate on me. I’ve ultimately concluded after doing some of my own research and watching the debates that my perspective does align with that which they were presenting, and I’ve reached a decision. I won’t try to explain my exact reasons (see first paragraph above for why), but instead just link to Colin Powell’s endorsement, which I think does a great job of summarizing most of my own sentiments (and those of millions of other Americans).

So yes, I am endorsing Barack Obama. Here is my official “Damn I feel like such a badass because I’m voting absentee in a swing state and also I have a blog and can do this kind of thing” badge of endorsement.

Perhaps more important than this endorsement is the fact that I am currently in Chicago, which - I don’t know if you’ve heard - is in the state where Obama’s from. On election night, he’ll be (hopefully) giving his victory speech downtown in Grant Park. Guess who will be there? Me. I WILL BE THERE.

Jake, a classmate of mine with quick fingers, was able to snag a ticket for himself and a guest when the signup opened up online yesterday, and I finagled my way into being his +1. And the best part of the whole thing - the part that makes an incredible story even more incredible (and possibly more absurd) - is the fact that Jake is from, of all places, Alaska.