An appeal to my conservative friends in Ohio

I'm about to ask you to vote for Barack Obama in the primary election on March 4th. Hear me out.

I believe that in a perfect world, the next American president would be Republican Rep. Ron Paul. Other than being kind of an asshole about immigration, he has flawlessly brilliant live-and-let-live libertarian ideals. God bless the guy, and may he sleep the sleep of the just.

However, the fact is that the Republican nominee is going to be Sen. John McCain... no matter what Huckabee says about "miracles."

So the only primary election that's really going to matter come March 4th is the Democratic one. It's fairly common knowledge that with Obama currently winning state after state, Hillary Clinton's presidential hopes rely on her winning both the Ohio and Texas primaries. (Don't take my word for it. Read this.) It's going to be big... so big that I'm regretting having registered and voted here in Cali.

So I am asking you, friends, to please vote for Obama on my behalf. Here are a couple of reasons why you should:

- The only thing you need to do to vote in the Democratic primary in Ohio is say you're a Dem when you go in. And then the next time, you can say you're a Republican or a Libertarian or a Communist or whatever.
- Don't think of it as a vote for Obama. If you like, think of it as a vote against Hillary. If McCain loses in November, wouldn't you rather it be to Barack Obama than to Hillary Clinton? Even if you disagree with some of his policies, you have to believe that he is more deserving of the trust we're forced to place in our president than that power-hungry Hillary. (Scary fact: If Hillary is our next president, we will have had Bushes and Clintons as president for 24 years.)
- Many of the conservatives I know would have a ton of difficulty voting for a candidate who is pro-choice. However, presidents do not decide such things as reproductive rights: that is the work of the judicial branch of government. Furthermore...
- In November, when it really matters, you can still vote for John McCain if you want.

Take it easy friends.