A center-right swing voter, on his wife’s suggestion, canvassed for Obama. Here’s what he learned:

I’ve learned that this election is about the heart of America. It’s about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It’s about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.

Giving people hope should not be a sufficient reason to vote for someone. Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Adolph Hitler all gave people hope. But feeling good about a politician should not be a sufficient reason to vote for that politician, as the example of Hitler shows.

Policies matter. When Obama is elected he isn’t going to spend time giving people hope. He might do some good things, like get out of Iraq, close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and end warrantless wiretapping of Americans. Other than that, he will increase regulation and taxes making America even less economically competitive. That’s not hope I can believe it. But that’s why I voted for Bob Barr.