Tomorrow is Election Day in the United States, and, above all, I hope that if you’re reading this and you’re eligible, you’ll take the time to vote. It is, as I’m fond of saying, the very least you can do as a citizen. Voting for those who represent you in government is, after all, your civic duty, and it is very important.

When voting tomorrow, I hope you’ll vote to re-elect President Barack Obama, as I did when I filled out my absentee ballot a couple of weeks ago.

Four years ago, I cast a ballot for then-Senator Obama, and today, I still feel good about that decision. His tenure hasn’t been perfect, but on the whole, I believe the President and his team have done a pretty good job keeping our country going, and have made great strides in the effort to correct many of the serious problems his administration inherited. I think he’s basically on the right track in terms of policy, and I’m more than willing to give him another four years to keep working in that direction.

When the President took office, he had some pretty huge expectations to live up to – as John Scalzi once so wisely said, “Your next president is going to disappoint you. Barack Obama does not fart cinnamon-scented rainbows” – he didn’t quite live up to the deification that so many of his supporters subjected him to; I don’t think any real, actual human being could. All the same, I think his list of accomplishments since his inauguration is pretty impressive: The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, ensuring equal pay for women. Ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, allowing all of our servicemen and women the ability to serve openly. Passing “Obamacare” and thus setting our country on the path toward true universal health care for all citizens. winding down the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Appointing Justices Sotomayor and Kagan, thus bringing the demographics of the Supreme Court more in line with the demographics of the country. That whole Bin Laden thing. And finally, managing to keep the country’s economy afloat and on the mend despite generally awful conditions world-wide.

He didn’t accomplish everything he promised or would have liked, for all sorts of reasons, but I want to give him another term to keep trying. I like what he’s accomplished, more or less, and I’d like to see what he can do with another four years, especially with folks like me leaning on him from the left a little more often.

I prefer this approach a heck of a lot more than that of the other guy, whose position seems to be tax cuts at the top, cutting useful programs, and throwing even more money toward the defense industry, while making life difficult for anyone who’s not a rich white male heterosexual. The rhetoric from the Republican candidate and his surrogates regarding the rights or women, gays and lesbians, and those dealing with poverty are very troubling to me.

That’s about all I’ll say about the Romney-Ryan ticket; suffice it to say that I don’t like what they’re selling.

I do, however, continue to get a pretty good vibe from the President as a leader and as a person. I’m very happy that he’s more an academic than a businessman – I like that the President seems like the smartest person in the room much of the time, and isn’t simply spouting business school platitudes and clobber scriptures. I like (though am occasionally frustrated by) the fact that he seems to have a general optimistic expectation that those he’s treating with about policy are coming to the negotiating table in good faith, even if they aren’t; I like the fact that he’s willing to compromise, even if I sometimes thing he’s giving up too much – after all, if everybody’s a little upset, it means the end result is a pretty good compromise.

Finally, I like the fact that Barack Obama looks a lot like America, at least the America I like to believe I’m living in. He’s the product of multiple cultural backgrounds, and is sensitive to those who look different or believe differently. He came from modest means, and with the application of his ingenuity, smarts, and the help of those around him, he made a life for himself and found himself rising toward the top, but I’m pretty sure he still kind of remembers what it’s like down toward the bottom. He’s spent much of his professional life in service to his community, and not just shareholders. His experience in America, at least superficially, is a lot like mine. That, in a lot of ways, is a comforting thought.

And finally, I love the fact that he totally geeked out in the Oval Office when Nichelle “Uhura” Nichols came by for a visit. That smile on his face is totally genuine:

So yeah, election season is all over but the voting. Go vote, and I hope that when you’ll do, you’ll take the preceding thoughts into account.