On February 5, you will have the power to place your mark on American politics. With costs of college increasing, an economic slowdown and a war financed by debt, February 5 is your day. This election is too important for the poor whose isolation on an isthmus surrounded by a prosperous expanse reveals our broken governance. Yet as bad as things are, my hope in America rises not out of idealism but from my time in Iowa and the sensibilities of Barack Obama.

On the snowy plains of Iowa, Obama's message of hope and change became more than just words. After seven days of canvassing, I understand why America needs Obama. The people I met reaffirmed my faith in human decency and the importance of ending this chapter of divisive politics.

John and Sandra are retirees in Rake Town, Iowa. Dependant on Social Security payments, their standard of living has declined as food and gas costs rise. Amidst their troubles, I saw not only their determination, but hope for American politics.

The stories from Iowa have left me changed and with the understanding that problems in Iowa are no different than those in California. When you hear people's narratives removed from news media, the urgency of our need to build coalitions is clear.

Often the knock on Obama is his lack of political experience. But Obama shows sound judgement. John F. Kennedy, too, valued judgment over experience, saying, "Experience is like tail-lights on a boat which illuminate where we have been when we should be focusing on where we should be going." Where we are going, hope and change prevails over fear and inertia.

While little separates the Democratic candidates, Obama stands out in planning to provide $4,000 tax credits to college students, no income tax for senior citizens making less than $50,000 per year and tax reform for the middle class. Obama's health care policy focuses on lowering costs while mandating coverage for children. He promises gradual reduction of emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Beneath the promises lies sacrifice all of us must be willing to make-sacrifices to which I am committed.

Beyond the policy nuances, a vote for Obama will be a vote for you. Obama transcends categories-whether you're Republican or Democrat, secularist or evangelist, our commonalities outnumber our differences. Obama offers us a new politics, one that transcends labels, leaving us with just one: American.