Senior Lincoln Scott has been paying close attention to Barack Obama and John McCain’s specific policies—but he claims this election is all about attitude.

“Obama’s strength is hope,” Scott said. “He can really inspire people to do things. Policy-wise, there isn’t that huge of a difference between the two.”

With the presidential election fast approaching, Scott, the former Young Democrats club president, has found himself siding with the Democrats yet again. Many of his views are rooted in his upbringing. “My parents are raging liberals who take me to third world countries,” Scott said. “Seeing the poverty has completely affected my views—it almost makes me sick. The Democrats have always sort of been for the underdog, and I respect that.”

Scott is drawn to what he describes as the Democratic Party’s history of tolerance. “One of the principles my parents raised me on is basic respect,” he said. “The Democratic Party does a much better job with that. I like the fact that there aren’t nearly as many religious fundamentalists in my party.” Although Scott describes himself as fairly moderate, the idea of backing down on key social issues is unthinkable to him. “I will not compromise on abortion rights and gay marriage,” he said.

Still, he was not concerned about these issues in the context of the election until McCain chose his running mate. “I can tolerate McCain, and I believe that almost anything can be better if the two parties compromise, but I loathe Sarah Palin,” he said. “Choosing Palin was the worst thing McCain could’ve done. Biden’s experience compliments Obama really well, and he brought a sense of calm and collected maturity during the [vice presidential] debates; Palin essentially gave a speech, addressed her key points and refused to answer the questions.”

Like many Americans, Scott feels more strongly about the running mates than the candidates themselves. However, he chose to support Obama early on. The senator’s views on foreign policy cemented his decision. “The biggest and most valuable difference between the candidates is that Obama realizes that closing your ears and screaming at the top of your lungs is not a good way to solve things in today’s world,” he said. “The McCain campaign fails to understand that in order to prevent nuclear proliferation, we have to talk Iran out of it.”

Obama’s healthcare plan swayed him as well. “Healthcare—I love health care, and the Republicans seem bent on squashing it,” he said. “I think for a country to have any sort of good economy, you need a standard of living as a bottom line. People should be able to count on having certain things, so they can actually have extra money to spend.”

While Scott supports the majority of Obama’s policies, he predicts the senator will face criticism for his stance on Iraq. “I don’t think his plan is right for Iraq,” he said. “Pulling out without looking back is bad. There needs to be some compromise between McCain and Obama’s policies.”

Like Obama, Scott has adopted the Internet as his main campaigning tool. “I’m too young to vote, but I’ve been trying to educate people about the problems I see with the Republicans,” he said. “E-mail and message boards are wonderful things.”

When it comes down to it, Scott fits the standard liberal mold fairly well—but he has not threatened to move to Canada in the case of a Democratic loss. He has more creative plans. “If McCain wins, I’m going to remove all arctic animals from Washington D.C.’s zoos so Palin can’t shoot them,” he said. “But seriously—I’ll be mad, but I’ll probably just go on with life and hope Palin doesn’t get too much influence. What else can you do?”