So, those of you who know me are probably aware of the fact that in the past, I would have identified myself as a Republican. Aggressively. I mean, I used to watch JAG, for crying out loud! That’s just one step away from Walker: Texas Ranger (in fact, my Tivo used to recommend it). I was like, a party-line-towing, card-carrying member of the Grand Old Party, you guys. That was up until a couple of weeks ago.

I guess the change actually started a little while ago, when George Ryan, former governor (Republican) of Illinois, declared a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois. If you aren’t familiar with what happened, basically an absurd percentage of inmates on death row were being found innocent through DNA evidence. There was clearly a flaw in the justice system, and Governor Ryan really had no other choice (even if he was a corrupt politician). Before this, I had been all for the death penalty. After the whole death penalty debacle in Illinois, I started thinking over the issue, and found myself being dragged by the scruff of my neck to the other side of the debate. Am I completely against the death penalty now? Well, no, but let’s just say I have serious reservations about it’s use.

The whole death penalty issue sort of obliterated the world of black and white I was living in. I started to re-evaluate a lot of issues: AIDS, poverty, globalism, war, climate change, etc. Or if not re-evaluating, at least keeping a much more open mind. I still identified myself as conservative, but found myself creeping slowly toward the middle.

Then, I come back from a semester in Chile and find myself in the middle of the Presidential primaries. I’m a Political Science major, so it’s in my nature to pay attention to this sort of thing, especially since this is the first time I’ll be able to vote for a President. Let’s just say I am more than a little confused. My frustration with the Republican candidates has reached the boiling point, and I am somewhat taken with the idea of a re-energized America under Obama. In the past, I would have never even considered voting for a Democratic candidate, but now I find myself in the undecided, wait-and-see-how-this-plays-out demographic. Nobody is more shocked about this than I am.

To be honest, this confusion has added a little excitement to my life. I thought I had everything figured out, but I’m realizing more and more that I just have no idea. I’m looking forward to working through the issues with a new perspective. Lorin: welcome to the world of gray.

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