I guess if you believe this - "Real meaningful change rarely comes from the top down but rather from the bottom up." you should vote for Obama. However you will not get "real meaningful change."

The last time meaningful economic change happened, and happened to the extent that it reversed the trend of "the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer," was the institution of the "New Deal" under FDR. Real meaningful change and not from the bottom up.

Until the "New Republic" Conservatives started using race and race baiting to sway "the solid south" from voting Democrat because it was in their own interest, to voting Republican because "the Soviets/Terrorists are coming" and "the Cadillac-driving Welfare Queen (implying Black)" were taking their tax money, the Democrats retained the House and Senate for 4 decades. This was because of the New Deal.

IN 1994 THE Republicans gained the majority in the House and Senate. But they actually lost seats relative to the Democrats in all regions of the US other than the "solid south." the South was enough to turn the balance of Congress totally upside down.

Progressive Bulldog's post is what is really wrong with the Democrats lately, namely that they are more focused on, sometimes erroneous, ideology than on achieving goals, in this case - wining the general election for President of the United States.

Look at the demographics of the Dem. Primary and extrapolate it to the general election where the Democratic candidate will have to draw from a much larger set of people than voted in the primary Sen. Obama had overwhelming support among Blacks as a group, where Sen. Clinton tended to draw from more mature women. Sen. Obama drew from the higher educated more affluent voter where Sen.Clinton tended to draw from the working class.
How many more Blacks will Sen. Obama draw from the independents/Republicans in a general election? How many higher educated more affluent? Contrast this to the draw on mature white women or working class whites.

Imagine the "swift boating" of Sen. Obama using just what is known about him now. Now imagine the reaction of the independent voter where they hear about WhiteWater for the Gazillionst time.