THE COLOR PURPLE

The color purple, which is known in political terms as a swing state, is now referred to as Barack Obama's ability to blend America's Red-Blue politics into a bipartisan union. Voters have been looking for a candidate like Obama ever since 2003 when the "Red State - Blue State Phenomenon" materialized across this nation. Obama's biography reflects what is needed to heal this division rather than to divide it ever further. He was born to a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya. He graduated from Harvard Law, America's top law school and one of the whitest institutions in the country, yet went on to work as a church-based community organizer in an impoverished Chicago neighborhood devastated by steel layoffs. I'm urging Pennsylvanians who call themselves conservative, and those who call themselves liberal, to stand together and call yourself the color purple and to cast your ballot for Senator Obama.

During Obama's eight years in the Illinois State Legislature he crossed party lines to expand health care to more than 150,000 parents and children, and spearheaded death penalty reform in Illinois that saved the lives of 13 people who were sitting on wrongfully sentenced to death row. At that level, and later in the United States Senate, Mr. Obama co-wrote ethic reform bills in Illinois and Capitol Hill. This bipartisan work has recently inspired the David Wilhelm, ex-campaign manager of President Clinton, to endorse Obama.

The people have bought in to his "pulpit personality" which resonates with liberals, conservatives and libertarians. His "Yes We Can" mantra, message of "Hope" and declaration that this is an election about the "past verses the future" has inspired both the right and the left. Simply, Senator Obama's rhetoric represents a genuine change from the establishment. After being governed by fear and cheek arrogance for seven years, everyone is looking for something new in 2008. His Democratic opponent does not represent this freshness that we need.

Senator Hillary Clinton's "I'm ready on day one" argument has not vibrated with the voters of the last eight primaries. Mr. Obama has proven that he has wise judgment and good character. Those qualities will prove him right on day one. He had backbone and vision by speaking out publicly against the Iraq War long before the invasion. Meanwhile, Mrs. Clinton quickly jumped aboard the disastrous war bandwagon as a moderate maneuver to boost her future candidacy. He's run a positive campaign and hasn't gone into public defense mode when being impudently attacked. He has withstood the Clinton machine and actually pushed forward.

Voters across America have shown that change cannot be postponed any longer, especially in Virginia, where 10% of Republicans in their open primary voted for Senator Obama. The voters of the Commonwealth, a state that once was home of the Confederacy and once encompassed strong resistance to desegregation, has shown the country that it's not our great grandfathers Virginia anymore. Senator Obama was able to win our twelfth largest state in the Union by a significant margin. The results of the Virginia election have shown that Obama has made in-roads with white voters. That's coupled with the consistency of African American voters and an emerging Latino vote. After the Potomac Primary, Obama has now won the Hispanic vote in five states.

Over the last month we have seen what change looks like across the country. In the forty days between the last primary in March and Pennsylvania's on April 22, Obama's stance on issues will sweep rapidly across our state with town hall meetings and rallies. All Pennsylvania voters will come out winners if we cast a vote based on principle. More than any liberal, moderate or conservative candidate in this election, Mr. Obama unites people around an authentic message of hope, optimism, responsibility and change. In the process, and across all points of this vast country, he has brought together Democrats, Republicans and Independents to vote for him in 16 primary victories over Clinton's nine, and nine caucus victories to Clinton's two. Because of Senator Obama's candidacy, we have become the color purple.

Todd Mealy, Director of Lancaster Meet Up for Obama