I sent out the Obama viral email this morning, created here by Travis Sparks et al. A great piece of work, and I really did send it to just about everyone in my address book. To which, I got a reply from a friend who serves on the local ACLU board with me. A fellow devoted liberal Dem. She pointed me to an op-ed from today's Chicago Tribune. (Today is also my bro's birthday - happy happy. Albert Einstein too!) Anyway, I've posted below her email reply, and then my pretty long winded reply to her. I edited it a few times, honestly, to take out some of the vitriol and disrespect that I spewed in the heat of the moment, thank goodness. As that would have been exactly what I accuse Hillary of. Reading the op-ed, and then writing my letter made me really think about why I support Obama, and thusly, I have tripled in my adoration and support for OHB. Enjoy!
First, my friend's reply:
Cara -- before jumping overboard for Obama, I suggest you read the column in today's Tribune on Obama from a supporter: http://www.chicagotribune.com/...
--Obama's position on many important issues is the conservative position -- health insurance but not for all, selling pollution permits instead of capping pollution, for ex. He may be the Adlai Stevenson of this generation -- and we know what happened to him. He lost to the military man, Eisenhower.
Clinton is not perfect but she is a tough fighter and most important of all, less likely to roll over for a stolen election, which is likely to occur as the stakes are very high for the disgraced Republicans. They'll do anything to stay in power and stave off war crimes and other prosecutions.
Hillary has been demonized in the press with sexist attacks, so Obama can remain above the fray. Given these attacks it's a wonder she wins anything.
You of all people should deplore that and be very, very suspicious of hidden motives (they like McCain, think he can defeat the Stevenson-like Obama?).
Also, today there's this in the Tribune, http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/...
And now my response:I have absolutely no idea why you think that article would turn me from being the ardent and outspoken Obama supporter that I am. It makes me even more so. I'm about to send it to friends who are Obama supporters.
"He refuses to demonize his political opponents; deep in his heart, I believe, he doesn't think of them as opponents. It would not be surprising to find Republicans and independents prominent in his administration."
This is exactly why I am such a massive supporter. The divisive politics that currently dominate our country are heinous. Far left liberals are as negative and spiteful as far right conservatives. And like the Buddhist mantra, I believe in finding the middle road. Sure, I am probably more liberal than moderate Democrats, but I'm the last person to make the decision that any of the tenets of the Republican party are worthless. Some of their tenets are very practical. Smallish government is not a bad thing in all cases. The ability of states to govern themselves to a greater degree than the federal system seems like a damn good idea to me. Hawaii is a far different place than Minnesota and should be governed as such.
"In short, Obama's approach is insistently charitable. He assumes decency and good faith on the part of those who disagree with him." This sentence drove it home even further for me. It's specifically what I love about the UU Church. I'll probably put in in my email signature once I'm done replying to you. I have always succeeded in my life under the mantra "you attract more flies with honey than vinegar." I have always succeeded in my efforts by working inside of the system, getting to know it well and relying on trust and the ability of the system to work - assuming that is was set up to work for people vs. it's own benefit. I offer up PFATW as one example. Look at the great success we've had (and will continue to have, I know) vs. PDC. We got a lawyer. We held friendly talks, we got to know them. Vs. the Tom Edwards style of getting in the face of government and the offender, railing and spewing negativity and bitterness. Tom's been working on the issue for what, 12 years, 20 years, and gained no ground. PFATW got involved, willing to play the game and hear out both sides, and we've succeeded brilliantly. PDC is looking for a new spot for their haz landfill elsewhere (Bloomington) and in working with WATCH over there, we're succeeding there too.
"And he wants to hear what they have to say. Both in substance and in tone, Obama questions the conventional political distinctions between "the left" and "the right." To the extent that he is attracting support from Republicans and independents, it is largely for this reason." Cutting off Republicans at the knees, just because they ascribe to that party, makes absolutely no sense to me. It's akin to hating another race, or people with disabilities. The beauty in this world comes from our differences.
Will I ever give on abortion rights? Hell no - if you don't want one, don't get one - but striving to convince Republicans like my father that in enough instances of tragedy for women and families, this must remain a legal medical procedure, is a worthy debate. I don't want to hate my father. Or my cousins, who are profoundly pro-life, but not militantly so. Militants are found on both sides. I don't want to be militant for anything. I don't want to blow up the ProLife office down by the Apollo, and I abhor those who blow up Planned Parenthoods. We all need to be free to live our lives and not be oppressed in the way that Bush & Co have wrought their style of government.
Obama is about government of, for and by the people. He listens to all sides and understands what the best solution is for the greater public. He is smart enough to understand this - a way that is diametrically opposed to DC politics as they exist now.
Hillary, for me, is the kind of politics I hate. RIght now, she's saying anything she needs to to win. Throwing around pictures of Obama in Kenyan garb, digging up random statements by his preacher, discounting the votes of millions of Americans because they aren't "important" states. She will very obviously do whatever it takes to hold on to power. How can someone like that put the best interests of the people above herself or her party? I don't want the race to be about "winning," or about our party's on top - things need to be about effective and helpful government that works for all the people of this country.
"Hillary has been demonized in the press with sexist attacks, so Obama can remain above the fray. Given these attacks it's a wonder she wins anything." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? YOU SERIOUSLY BELIEVE THIS? She has not been demonized with sexist attacks - she's demonized herself! Suggesting to the person in the lead that he should be her #2? That's spin better than any Karl Rove could accomplish. That 3 am phone call ad in Texas? That is fear-mongering straight out of Rove's notebook! Most people who saw that ad, before they saw Hillary's face at the end, were expecting John McCain to say he'd endorsed it!
Yesterday morning, in her NPR interview with John Inskeep, they discussed the FL/MI problem. First, she said that they primaries that took place in those two states in January had been fair, because neither of them campaigned in either state, Obama chose to take himself off the ballot in MI, and that the only fair thing to do was to let the voters who showed up have their voice. Then they discussed re-dos, and again she said this is the only fair thing to do for voters in those two states. So which is it?
That she allowed Geraldine Ferraro to continue to spew hate, the kind for which Ann Coulter is so well known for, is maddening. How could she not immediately fire her, and denounce her comments, in the way that Obama immediately fired and denounced Susan Power's? Obama will not have nasty, personal hate speech in his campaign. Hillary does not seem to feel the same since Ferraro resigned.
Obama's position is not the "conservative" one - it's the smart one. It's the studied one. It's the well reasoned one. He is not our Adlai Stevenson, he's where politics needs to go. Hillary is the kind of politics, divisive and power-hungry, that will leave us in the same state, as a nation, that Bush has promoted.
Obama's campaign has stayed away, consistently, from things like NAFTAgate (and that was the work of the Canadian conservatives, Hillary should write them a thank you note), from saying "x state is more important than y state," from "leaking" pictures of Hillary in some old Pilgrim costume, from offering a back seat to the person who leads the race in the popular vote, in number of states won and in the superdelegate count.
Obama maintains respect, thoughtfulness and consideration in his campaign. He won't tolerate the political bullshit and dirt that made Americans numb to Karl Rove and W's lies in sheep's clothing.
I'm sorry if I sound a bit harsh. I respect your admiration for Hillary, I really do. She's very politically experienced and savvy. But she's not the direction I want for this country. Obama can win, and will win, against Hillary and McCain.
Thanks for the links!