Bless the simple, awkward dignity of Iowa politics
Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 09:15:19 PM PDT
I was there tonight, in Clap recital hall, at the University of Iowa campus. I sat in an auditorium with 765 neighbors, including many friends. The people for Obama sat on the left, the folks for Edwards on the right. A blue rope divided the two groups. The folks for Clinton were in the foyer outside. Kucinich, Dodd, Richardson supporters were in front. A few other groups were in side areas. To take a count, each person held up their card and said their number, in order, one after another, by row.
It is a beautiful thing to watch people stand up and be counted.
Literally.
There was no hostility. There was a clear sense that everyone knew that all the candidates were good. Some families were split in different camps, but it was cool. The boy was expressing independence from his parents.
After the first vote, I walked over to some undecided voters and laid out a few arguments in favor of Obama. Another fellow joined me and made a case for Richards. It was a good case, but Richards was not viable. We both knew that. I pointed out that Obama would be a good alternative. I felt like I was a citizen and they were citizens and we were figuring out what we needed to do.
Ultimately Obama took 51% of the vote. In another polling place in town (Longfellow district), Clinton wasn't viable, but Kucinich was. All politics are local.
I won't forget the sense of shared pride when my friends and neighbors stood, one after another, for the candidate of our choice.
Afterwards, I went for a drink with my wife at the home of wonderful socialite on our block. We watched the candidates. We commented on how Hillary did a good job with her speech. Edwards did OK, but no one liked when he talks about miners and poor individuals. We knew about being poor. It's not polite to use them as props.
When Obama finally came on. Things got quiet. People listened hard. They wanted reassurance. He gave them reassurance. He was calm and classy. There was a little discomfort when he briefly followed the Edwards approach briefly, but fundamentally there was a sense of pride. Pride that we had a man who saw a future and wanted us to move, to work hard, for that future. We want to be put to work. We want to move forward. We want someone to lead us towards the light.
No one was ashamed. No one was cynical.
It was a beautiful thing.
I love my country. I love my neighbors. We could do beautiful things. For us, for our children and for the world. We can work together for truth and justice. We can bring change.
God bless America.
God bless hope.
And God bless the simple dignity and awkward, public politics of the good people of Iowa. We might not be right all the time, but its not because we're not trying.
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