In the newest issue of the magazine, fourteen eggheads and eminences wrote short essays announcing whom they'd be voting for and why. We'll be unveiling these responses on The Plank throughout the next two weeks. This is what C.K. Williams, a poet, had to say:
I'm very strongly in favor of Obama, mostly because he's the first presidential candidate in longer than I can remember who clearly thinks when he's asked a question, who analyzes and synthesizes rather than traipsing through a mental file of prepared, poll-tested answers. His policies are evolving--for me, a sign of strength, not of weakness--and he seems like a thoroughly decent person. In truth, though, I'd be pretty satisfied with any of the Democratic candidates. On the other hand, I have to say that, as a spectator, I'm much more fascinated by the Republicans. Watching those shifty, devious, unscrupulous creatures clawing at each other in spasms of demagoguery and pander is like beholding the whole vile, fear-driven history of humanity.
Part thirteen: Larry Kramer
Part fourteen: Alan Dershowitz