Recently, the smear tactics and slimy politics have taken the luster off the Obama campaign. Where there was once the promise of an uplifting campaign, we now find ourselves mired in the muck of sleaze politics.
But while many find themselves understandably resigned to another 8 years of hyperpartisan division, there is an alternative. For every voice silenced out of the expectation of a predetermined result or because of old-fashioned election day dirty tricks, there is an alternative. For every fearful, uninspired vote for Hillary Clinton, there is an alternative.
And that alternative is courage. And it is why I'm voting for Barack Obama.
For anyone who may not have been previously aware (please note the sarcasm), there has been a consistant pattern of racially-charged accusations and smears of Barack Obama. From Andrew Cuomo's "shucking and jiving" remarks to Bob Johnson's Mark Penn-inspired references of Obama's teen-aged drug usage, these underhanded attacks have had the desired effect of painting Obama as the "Black Candidate" while convincing lower-income white voters to choose Clinton as the nominee.
Recently there have been several diaries outlining the increased use of racially-laden imagery and terminology used by the Hillary Clinton campaign and her surrogates. There have been others which highlighted her campaign's determination to win at all costs, even if it requires cheating. While many here have presented the argument that politics has always been dirty, others like myself are disgusted by the depths that the Clinton camp will go to smear a fellow Democrat. However, even those who worry that these attacks on Obama are nothing like he would see from the Republicans are falling into the trap laid by the Clinton campaign.
In a movement based on unification and a desire for fundamental change, the Clinton camp is trying to send the message that we should be afraid to try to make a difference. Hillary's smear peddlers are trying to convince us that we should give in now because it is only going to be worse when the Republicans do it. So rather than stand tall and vote for the candidate who will make the best president, we should act like good sheep and vote for the best campaigner.
Sorry, I'm not buying it.
If I wanted to be the party of sleazy but effective campaigns, I'd be a Republican. If I wanted to be a part of the Rovian "divide and conquer" strategy, I'd be a Republican. If I wanted the candidate who "sounded tough", again, I'd be voting Republican. But I am a Democrat, and I will not be scared into acting like a Republican under the misguided expectation that we have to act like Republicans in order to win in November.
That is why I am voting on January 29 for the courage to act like a Democrat and still win an election. I am voting to have the courage to stand up to the Democratic Party Establishment that sometimes looks more like the Republican. I am voting to speak out against the smear tactics, the dirty dealings and slash and burn politics that have been coming from our own side.
And if anyone wants to stand with me, be they Latina, African-American, elderly, or male- I'll be happy to join my voice with yours. But if others want to support a candidate out of loyalty to past regimes, out of crass political positioning, or out of fear of being on the losing side yet again, I'll be standing alone.
Because I'm voting for Barack Obama. Because I believe in having the courage to do what is right.
Note: This is my open letter to any undecideds, Hillary Clinton-leaning primary voters or soft-supporters of Barack Obama. In a perfect world, it'd be a message I would send via a full-length ad to every Hillary Clinton super-delegate demanding that they hold Hillary Clinton accountable for the rift that her campaign and her husband have caused in our party. But since I lack the $77,000 that would take, I'll have to be content with saying my peace and watching the diary fall down the diary list.