This diary is about us: I'm 25, and all of my friends are plus or minus two years from me. I start this diary with a few important points:
- The Democratic Party has been the best institution in American politics for people that believe in change, for many years. It has upheld the concept of equality more than any other major party, other than (maybe) the Green Party (and believe me, I voted for Gore in my first election.)
- I am an Obama supporter, and so are most of my friends and "colleagues" (a silly word - though we graduated from great universities, we still copy, fax, and type for our bosses). But I will happily vote for Hillary if she wins. I think she's a wonderful person and would be a great president. But we all like Obama much, much more.
- However, my generation (I'm 25), the generation that pushed for Dean in college (I went to Columbia University, a Deaniac base if there was one), has quite a few doubts about this party. We always did; we were the ones that took busses to D.C. in March 2003 to protest the war. I remember that bus ride, and so many of us talked about how many Democrats voted for it. This was particularly powerful, since all of us were in New York on 9/11.
Now that those caveats are out of the way, I want to tell you what me and my friends talk about on a regular basis. We believe in the Democratic Party. Ever since Dean became the head of the DNC, I think we've all gained a lot of trust for this particular Party to be an agent of change for our generation. I don't want to sound like I'm some sort of spokesperson for our age-group; I'm just talking about what the most-educated, most involved of us think. That was Ivy-League hubris, by the way; did you notice? :-)
So let me get to the main points here:
- If Michigan and Florida are allowed their delegates, I will quit the Democratic Party for the rest of my life. Many of my friends feel the same way.
a) Caveat: If FL and MI are allowed a new vote, with enough time for true campaigning, I would feel no problem with this. Whoever wins, wins, and this would be good.
b) Caveat: If they allow the Flordia delagates to count, but not Michigan (considering Obama wasn't even on the ticket), I will sit out this election but join the Democratic Party again next election.
- If both FL and MI are allowed as delegates without re-votes, I will never vote for the Democratic Party again. This is not some sort of threat, it's just a valid understanding of the Constitution, and what us as the populace deserve. I realize this sounds anti-Hillary, and as an Obama supporter it sounds moreso, but if this is the decision that is made: trust me, the Democratic Party will lose at least half a generation of people that trusted it. If this happens, don't be surprised if the Green Party shows up again big in 2012.
- If Superdelegates decide this election:
a) With the will of the people (i.e., the add their votes to the pledged delegates, and thus vote themselves irrelevant), we will still trust the Democratic Party, and continue to fight for our candidate, whoever he or she is.
b) If Superdelegates go against the will of the people, against the pleged delegates, then I will simply never again vote for a Democratic ticket, and neither will the majority of my friends. It's that simple.
- If we go to a brokered convention:
a) Where someone has more delegates, but not more popular votes: I will support whoever comes out on top of this situation (a SERIOUSLY unlikely situaiton).
b) Where only "party officials" decide our nominee: Not only will me and most of my friends lose respect for this Party, but it will lose the Democrats the election and pretty much the support of everybody betwen 18 and 27.
I write this Diary not in support of either candidate, though I did vote for Obama in Louisiana this weekend. I have been around this blog for many years, and I love it. But I don't think that many of the folks here realize what a tentative grasp the Democratic Party has on many young people. Yes, Obama has done a great job on getting us involved. But 8 years ago, when I was just a freshman at Columbia, most of the people I knew showed up for Nader's speech for the Green Party.
This is the election to prove to our generation that the "big D" Democratic party is the true party of "small d" democracy. So let's make sure that whoever our candidate is, it is chosen by the people. If Superdelegates or party machinations to include MI and FL are involved (without re-votes), believe this:
We'll be gone for good.
Update: Holy Sheesh! I guess my title was a little too strong, and it made it seem like what I'm suggesting is voting for Repulicans. Believe me, "me and everybody I know" would rather swallow crushed bones of rupert murdoch than vote republican! I was just suggesting that the hold the Democratic Party has on the youth is tentative, and a stealing of this election would let it slip away. That's all. Sorry for suggesting otherwise. I'm still young enough to love you all!
Update II: Well considering this amount of comments, though not recommended, I might as well mention that I'm the Executive Director of the largest grassroots non-profit in New Orleans. It's called Emergency Communities. If you happen to read this, don't worry about the politics involved - we still need your help!! Go to www.emergencycommunities.org. Thanks!