I have no patience for purists. They find fault with every candidate, and then pat themselves on the back for having such neat and tidy principles that no candidate will ever fulfill them.
Well guess what, purists?
You are part of the problem, not the solution.
Every time you sit out the vote, you are confirming the front runner. If that’s your intention, fine. If that’s not, then get off your high horse and deal in reality.
I’ve been getting several strange mail messages today, presumably because of my widely circulated piece yesterday (http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/030608a.html).
They give me false pity: oh, you’re going to be disheartened even if Obama wins – he’s not so great. Who says he is? He’s better than the other candidates running, period. That’s why he gets my vote. Which isn’t to say there aren’t plenty of good reasons to vote for him. There are. In fact, there are frankly NO good reasons to vote against him, which is why the educated vote has gone overwhelmingly towards Obama.
They give me crap about his past. Like I care! It’s what he’s going to do going forward that interests me. He already made a break with his financial past by refusing to accept PAC contributions. So don’t send me lists of who gave him money BEFORE this campaign. He’s already sent a strong message: These are not the ones I will be beholden to.
Over 1.4 million people have contributed to this man. That’s a number with revolutionary potential to change the way politics are done in this country. You can prefer Hillary as a person, but you can’t prefer her style of top-down politics if you are looking to lessen the influence of money on our elections.
People are swayed by emotion. That goes for supporters of all candidates. I understand that. But I am not one of them, and don’t waste your breath suggesting I am because it just makes me realize 1) you don’t know me at all and 2) you’re an idiot for assuming you do.
I am extremely logical and practical when I choose a candidate. I don’t always choose the one I like best. I choose the one with the best chance of winning and whom is closest to my beliefs.
I choose the one who will not just win, but pull the largest number of Democratics into office as well.
And I will always choose, any chance I get, to support the one taking money from the people, not the PACs, as Clinton and McCain do.
In addition, Barack Obama has patterned his campaign after that of Howard Dean’s. He is using the tool built by the DNC.
Which brings me to another point. SO IS HILLARY. She is using the tool the very guy she’s trying to oust built for her use. The media keeps saying Obama has better software. It’s not true. Go sign up at her site, at Obama’s site, and at the DNC’s site. Guess what? It’s all the same software. The Obama supporters are just better at using it. (Maybe that also reflects that his supporters are better educated.)
So voting for Obama is a no brainer.
Does that mean he’ll save the country if they get elected?
I hate to tell you, but that’s OUR job, NOT his. There’s very little a president can do, but choose good people, lead with words, and hope for the best.
There’s no doubt in my mind that a Clinton presidency would be a disaster for our party, even if it were marginally better than a McCain presidency for our country. Why would I choose to sink the party it’s taken us the Clintons’ eight years of absence to rebuild?
We get the government we deserve. Not we as in you and me activists, necessarily, but we as a public.
And when we all hang out on blogs together and complain to each other, we’re not reaching out to those who might think they disagree with us, but upon listening to us, may change their mind.
I left all the JFK assassination discussion groups long ago because I realized the assassins were winning. They got us all talking among ourselves, and the public was none the wiser.
The powers that be love it when we sit and blog and complain. It allows us to vent and get reassurance, because if we didn’t, we might make a REAL revolution.
So quit whining that no candidate can pass your smell test. Choose from the items on the menu. The cook isn’t running out to buy ingredients for a new candidate dish anytime soon.