No disrespect to Kamala Harris, but I was more excited about Barack’s campaign in 2008. I was in my 20s and I was disillusioned because the war killed some of my friends and family while those who returned were not the same as before. My last year of grad school wasn’t so exciting because the job market sucked and the economy was in the toilet. I was worried about finding a job and having health insurance after I left school and could no longer get coverage through UT.
Barack Obama gave me hope he was going to fix things and stop perpetuating the lies the Bush administration fed to us after 9/11. Obama promised to end the war in Iraq and pushed for health insurance to keep people on their parents’ plan until age 26.
Looking back, I know the excitement I felt for Obama in 2008 is what young and olds feel for Kamala today. My key issues regarding the war and health insurance back in 2008 are how people feel now about reproductive rights, medical privacy, and gun control.
Yes, I was more excited about Barack back then, but the excitement I felt was rooted in my belief he would be the savior to all the problems the Bush administration created. The Harris-Walz ticket feels different. I don’t view them as “saviors” who came down to help guide us through the fog the way I felt with Obama. I view Harris-Walz as people I grew up with who also happen to be in high ranking positions of power. Harris is like someone I can call up and say hey, “pick Tim Walz for VP” and she would actually listen.
The Harris-Walz campaign feels like regular people. Just me and you and the neighbors down the street who also happen to be politicians coming together to defeat a terrible monster who is rotting the country from the inside out. The issues today are bigger and more life changing this time around, but my excitement level is tempered because I just can’t get it up as high 16 years later.