Al Gore was my first choice for president on the Democratic ticket. When he wouldn't run, Edwards was my man. Now that Edwards is out, I am for Obama. If Clinton gets the nomination I will be there for her. Will somebody please explain to me why I should give a flying F--- in a rolling donut who any politician, no matter what their caliber, endorses?
I am one of those foot soldiers whom the dilettantes love to call, sneeringly and dismissively, a "party hack." Here is where I work and this is what I do. Anybody can Google me and decide for themselves what I am.
I stand for education, inclusion, and empowerment of every voter. I want the system to work for everybody for whom we can make it work, and I want voters in all communities to have neighbors who they can go to when they need help from their government or from the Democratic Party.
This work, at the neighborhood, town, city, and county level MUST continue no matter who is in the White House. WE must be the leaders. WE must deliver for those who depend on us.
Yes, we want to end the war in Iraq. Yes, we want to wean ourselves from dependence on petroleum and coal. Yes, we want to halt and reverse global warming. Yes, we want to clean our air and water. Yes, we want to break the stranglehold of corporate absolutists on our legal and political systems.
But at the same time, we want to empower people to become participants and not spectators. We need to demonstrate that we can get our potholes fixed and keep the f-----g Wal-Marts out of our towns.
This is Jacksonian democracy in action. I believe that the Democratic Party, warts and all, is the best avaliable vehicle to effect that kind of positive change. Therefore, I work tirelessly within the party to make it the best possible party, and the most accessible, for all citizens at any income level, educational level, comfort level, or level of involvement.
Yes, we are about issues. Yes, we are about policy. Yes, we are about core values. But if we are not about people first, and about building personal relationships that help us achieve our policy goals, then these goals, no matter how lofty and noble, will be just abstractions, and we will not be building any true mass movements.
So sorry, John, sorry, Al, my work, and the work of my compadres and my comadres goes on with you or without you, even if you endorse the candidate whom I favor at this moment.