I SAW THE SIGN - THE CAMPAIGN FOR BARACK OBAMA

I have to admit, when I first started seeing a group of Barack Obama supporters gather in the freezing cold with signs in hand waving at my car, I laughed and thought - how are these people going to get me to vote for him by frantically waving signs at me and screaming his name?  Then, the following week, I started to see a few more of them - cropping up at my local shopping center handing out flyers, at major intersections - I even saw a mom on a street corner, hand in hand with her young son waving an Obama sign.  And today, they were out in droves, wherever we were, the Obama signs and supporters were front and center.  In the town that should be a slam dunk for Hillary Clinton, it is incredible that I haven't seen one Hillary supporter waving a sign and chanting her praises.  But when it comes to Obama, it's a whole different story.

He has not only captured the hearts and minds of Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy and countless other celebrities and politicians, he's won people over right in my own neighborhood and these supporters are so excited by the prospect of him potentially becoming president that they will spend hours outdoors on a February day to motivate people to cast their votes for their candidate.

A few months back, I didn't have a question in my mind that I was going to cast my vote for Hillary, but as we get closer to Super Tuesday, I'm starting to have my doubts.  Sure, her website is filled with details about all the issues she'll tackle when she's in the White House, but why, in her own hometown are there no supporters outside waving signs, handing out flyers or finding another creative way to earn my vote?

Sure, she's bought time on the Hallmark Channel to answer questions from across the nation but what I'd love to see is Hillary make a surprise visit to an undecided woman voter's home (um, that would be me) and convince her why she is the best candidate for the presidency.  I did send in an interview request to Hillary's website many months ago (I even asked for her to respond via email) and never got a response back.  Is that the kind of president I want to elect?  One that says she connects with the average mother but can only find the time to meet with potential voters as long as they throw a fundraising house party in support of her campaign?  Convince me Hillary. Why should I vote for you?  I really do want to endorse you, but there's something to be said about the words of hope, change and optimism offered by Barack Obama.  He's a brilliant orator, he doesn't waver from his convictions and sure, he may not be as experienced as you are, but sometimes, having a person in the White House who is open to the opinions and visions of others may be the right person we need to lead our country into the next decade.

Phil Keoghan, the author of the book No Opportunity Wasted and the host of "The Amazing Race" once told me that the world is filled with "Nah" people and "Now" people.  "Nah" people dismiss everything you suggest and if your idea seems too difficult to achieve, they'll give you 50 reasons why it will never work. While I don't think Hillary Clinton is a "Nah" person I do think she may not be as receptive to ideas that come from outside her inner circle and that concerns me.  On the other side of the spectrum is a "Now" person - someone who is a dreamer, who finds a way to turn a "no" into a "yes" without ever letting the "Nah" people bring them down.  Obviously, Barack Obama is without question a "Now" person - someone who brings a whole new perspective to the Democratic party and perhaps our nation.  It's time for a change. Will the person who leads the charge be Barack Obama?  I guess on February 5 we'll get closer to finding out the answer.