I grew up in Michigan, but live on the East Coast now. Due to having a job & family, and the rising cost of airfare, I don't get back home nearly as much as I'd like. I think most people realize the economy in Michigan is really hurting, and that Michigan is one of those crucial states for Obama. All my family is still there, and thankfully they've been hanging in there ok, making do with less. In my mind, they're your typical Midwesterners, salt-of-the-earth types - hard-working, church-going, kind-hearted but generally resistant to change. Overall, they are probably slightly more Republican than Democrat. This year, they're split down the middle but increasingly leaning in Obama's direction. One stubborn hold out for McCain has been my 89 year old Grandma. My mom (a lifelong member of the teacher's union, big Obama supporter and campaign volunteer) has been working on her but told me she was getting frustrated. So, I offered to write Mor Mor a letter (in Swedish, we call grandma Mor Mor, which means "mother's mother") (this was right before Sarah Silverman came out with her hilarious video).
More below...
I thought I'd post the letter here because maybe there are other people out there thinking of doing the same thing, but not sure where to start or how to approach it, or worried about offending sweet old grandma. Maybe my letter could inspire others to do the same...
Dear Mor Mor:
I love you dearly and know I don't write nearly as often as I should. But today I feel compelled to write to try to persuade you to vote for Barack Obama for President.
I've always considered myself an Independent voter, conservative fiscally but leaning Democrat socially. I believe people do need a leg up sometimes, but also believe in personal accountability. This election has been truly eye-opening for me. I think we've arrived at a point in the history of our country where our choice in this election could have an enormous impact on where our country goes from here.
There are lot of reasons John McCain might seem like the right choice: his war service, his many years experience in Congress, his reputation as a "stright-talker" and a "maverick". And his choice of a woman for his running mate might seem to make him even more attractive as a candidate.
The reality is, if you scratch below the surface, you can see not only that McCain is a terribly wrong choice, but that in the person of Barack Obama we have a enormously better choice, for these difficult times we face as a nation.
First, let's examine John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, more closely.
It's true John McCain is a war hero, but does that mean we have to elect him President? It's possible to honor his service to our country without handing him the keys to the White House.
At one point, John McCain may have been a straight-talker and a maverick. Indeed, these may be the reasons he lost his bid for the presidency in 2000. But he's no longer either of these things. A non-partisan organization established to fact check claims by politicians has found him to be running a dishonest campaign, spreading lies and half-truths. And since 2000, he's voted with George Bush more than 90% of the time. How is that being a straight-talking maverick?
Well, what about Sarah Palin, she seems like a strong, intelligent, Christian woman. This may be true, but her meager and fiercely partisan record in government in Alaska, her extreme positions on social issues, and her propensity to tell lies and half-truths on the campaign trail has revealed her to be not only inexperienced and unfit to stand a heartbeat from the presidency, but a poor representative of true Christian values of honesty and brotherly love.
John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate shows not that he still has that maverick spirit, but that he has been hijacked by the extreme right of the Republican Party and will do anything he can to get elected. Once he's in office, we can only expect him to continue to cave into pressure from radical elements in his party. And the consequences of that are downright scary, especially to women. Women have come too far to now see their right to choice made illegal or even their basic right to contraception outlawed. We all know the next president will be charged with selecting Supreme Court justices. The highest court in the land is already becoming stacked with justices whose basic philosophies are far more right of center than mainstream America. Now, the Republicans have a chance to finish the job. They are even talking about setting damaging legal precedents so that women will not be able to sue for sexual discrimation. In this day and age, when women still make cents on the dollar to men, and still face blatant discrimation in the work force, instead of trying to equalize treatment of the genders, the Republicans want to set women back. The choice of Sarah Palin, rather than showing a step forward on equality, shows a major step backward, because of the extreme ideology she represents.
Did you know ...
- that Sarah Palin spent $50,000 to re-decorate her mayor's office once she was elected, without her town council's approval, and when challenged on it she said, "so sue me." You live in a small town. Can you imagine if your local mayor decided to lavishly out-fit the mayor's office, without anyone's approval
- that Sarah Palin said she had nothing to hide in the "Troopergate" investigation into her firing of an Alaskan police commissioner but then, once picked to be John McCain's VP, hired a team of "big gun" lawyers to come to Alaska and shut the investigation down, and has now gone so far as to vow that they would not honor government subpeonas to testify. If she has nothing to hide, why isn't she cooperating
- that Sarah Palin supported the "Bridge to Nowhere" before she opposed it, and then when she opposed it, she still kept all the hundreds of millions of Federal money given for the project for the benefit of Alaskans, instead of sending it back to the Federal taxpayers
- that John McCain once cursed his wife out for wearing too much make-up in front of a group of reporters, and once told a group of motorcycle bikers that his wife should sign up for a topless beauty pageant? Does this show respect for his wife, and women in general
- that John McCain supports privatizing Social Security? With the events in the stock market these days, we can see how disastrously that would play out
- that John McCain has so many houses, he doesn't even remember how many he owns
- that John McCain's tax cuts would mostly benefit the top 1% wealthiest families in the country, and would do nothing to help the nation's poorest
- that John McCain's healthcare plan would leave millions of American without coverage, and make coverage too expensive for millions more? He even proposes to tax employer provided healthcare coverage. Who benefits from these changes? Insurance companies, not ordinary Americans
- that John McCain voted against giving war veterans funds for college
- that John McCain has time-and-time-again voted against any raise in the minimum wage
Much of this information - the information voters need to make educated decisions - is covered in big city newspapers and on the internet. I have made it my mission to get to the truth in the claims the politicians are making and have been working hard to educate myself as a voter, reading news reports every day and trying to cross-check facts on my own.
So what about Barack Obama, how is he any better? Let's start with his age and experience, because those are issues a lot of people are concerned about. Well, he's young, but he's not that young. He's had a highly distinguished career. He graduated near the top of his class at Harvard Law School, and was elected to be the first black President of the Law Review while there. As someone who graduated from law school, and was elected a managing editor of my Law Review, I know what it takes, in terms of intellegence and interpersonal skills, to earn these accolades, and it's no small feat.
He also worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, working for the rights of the poor, trying to get them better city services. It was a thankless, low-paying job but he did it, and did it well, proving his commitment to standing up for the underpriveleged. He practiced law for a time, too, and tought U.S. Constitutional Law at the esteemed University of Chicago, honing his skills at legal analysis.
He began his career in politics in his state's legislature and then, after many years, was elected to the United States Senate. He authored (in his own hand, not ghost-written) two best-selling books. His record in Illinios and the Senate shows a person who reaches across party lines to seek non-partisan agreements and works tirelessly for benefit of the poor and middle class. Contrary to Republican claims, he did pass significant legislation, despite being in the Democratic minority in the Senate. More than anything, however, his writings and his work reflect a rare kind of intellect, coupled with a genuinely compassionate spirit. Someone smart enough to tackle the big issues, but always willing to consider the other side's point of view, and never losing sight of his moral principles. It's exactly the personal combination necessary to run a complex county like America in complex times such as these. And, I think, the way he has run his campaign thus far, trying hard to stay above the board and not resort to the low-blow types of attacks, has been true to this.
People are also concerned about his background. Is he really a U.S. citizen? Is he secretly a Muslim? Yes, he's a legal citizen (born in Hawaii) and he's a true Christian who has raised his family in the Church (and even caught flack for radical statements his pastor made). When you first hear of him, he may seem exotic or even frightningly different, but when you find out more about him you realize he is actually a true representative of today's America. America always has been a diverse country and a nation of immigrants. That's no different now, except people are arriving from different parts of the world, speaking different languages. Increasingly, America's citizens come in many different colors. But what about his patriotism, people ask. They wonder if he doesn't wear a lapel pin or say the pledge of allegience (in fact, he does). He has said repeatedly that the reason he is running for President is for his love of this country, and for wanting to make it strong for the future of his children.
Did you know ...
- that Barack Obama's healthcare plan would at long last provide the beginings of universal, low-cost, high quality healthcare for the nation
- that Barack Obama proposes to cut taxes for all but the wealthiest taxpayers
- that Barack Obama supports legislation to give women equal pay for equal work
- that Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate because he thought Joe Biden was qualified to be 2nd in command of our country, not because he thought it was what he needed to do to get elected
- that Joe Biden has been working in Washington for most of his career, but always rode the train home to his house in Delaware at night, and was ranked the poorest Senator, showing that he has never tried to personally benefit from his powerful position. He's been a true public servant
- that Barack Obama has vowed to take back Washington from the hands of the corporate lobbyists who peddle money for influence (while John McCain employs lobbyists on his compaign staff)
- that Barack Obama wants to fight rising energy costs and dwindling fossil fuel supplies, and create more jobs, not only by drilling for more oil, but by making America a world-leader in the development of next-generation alternative fuels
- that Barack Obama opposed the war in Iraq when it was unpopular to do so, and for the right reasons - he believed it would be a hard war to win with honor
- that Barack Obama came out in favor of a time-table for an honorable withdrawal from Iraq, which the Iraqi government quickly endorsed and the Bush Administration has now admitted he also supports
- that 18-44 year olds support Barack Obama by a margin close to 20%. The generations who've been told they will have no Social Security to fall back on when they retire, who will have to pay for the current financial crisis and Wall Street bailouts out of their paychecks, and who will have to face the challenges of the coming oil shortages and the increasing threats of global warming - these generations overwhelmingly support Barack Obama, because they believe he can successfully lead this country through all of these difficulties
If you're still undecided after learning more about these two candidates, think about what the last 8 years have brought us. Because of the Bush Administration's policies, America's once-strong economy is crippled. A hands-off approach to corporate regulation has let Wall Street run away with Main Street's money. A penchant for running budget deficits and fighting costly wars without end on foreign soil has bled our national coffers nearly dry. Our reputation as a world leader of freedom and human rights has been badly tarnished. Do we really want to give the Republicans 4 more years? After everything they've done, do they deserve 4 more years? It's time to give the other team a chance to right all of these wrongs.
Please consider everything that I'm writing to you today and make an informed decision for yourself. Of course, I will love you just the same, what ever choice you make. I just hope you will agree with me and support Barack Obama.
Love,
[Me]