Politics

When I first took government in high school I loved it. It was so enjoyable for me and being able to take part in the caucuses in January it was really fun. I wanted to listen to the candidates and take them all in. I think having the right to vote is a privilege not a right. As a woman we have come a long way from when we did not have the right to vote. I wanted to make my own opinions on what I liked and didn't like with the candidates running and not listen to my parents opinions unless I had questions. I think all too many times you see young voters vote for the candidate their parents vote for because they do not do their own research or they only know what their parents say and do. Looking at all the candidates I found that I am a liberal and at heart a democrat. I was deciding between Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton. I am a fan of both but Barack Obama just stood out to me. I went to watch him speak on break in Des Moines at a local high school and he was amazing. He was so concerned with things that I cared about. I met him and shook his hand and he gave me a hug. It felt real. It was heartfelt. He found out that a girl's brother came back from Iraq and had killed himself a while after he got home. He first apologized for her loss and then proceeded to explain what he would do to change this. He also pulled her out of the crowd and put his arm around her and talked to her about her loss and how this happened. All in all I am so excited to finally vote in November and I am hoping that the rest of the people my age realize how important this really is.