The Hall-of-Fame Basketball player, who since his retirement has become a well known author and who clearly qualifies as an important public intellectual, has written this extremely thoughtful op ed in today’s Washington Post explaining in lucid language why he supports the former Secretary of State for the position of Head of State / Head of Government, the two functions our presidential system combines into the one position of the occupant of the Oval Office.
Let me share how he begins:
There is a tradition in U.S. politics of somberly proclaiming that each election is The Most Important in History. The idea, of course, is to scare people into voting for some candidate or another. This is done by describing an apocalyptic future like some sadistic camp counselor telling horror stories at bedtime with a flashlight under his chin. In making this assertion so frequently, we run the risk of sounding like the boy who cried wolf, and therefore not being taken seriously when an election comes around that really is important to American history.
As this one is.
He then explains that this is not because of the historial significance of her gender or of the current President's race:
His race and her gender inform who they are, as any person’s cultural background does, but it’s policies that maketh the politician.
And it’s policies that make me endorse Hillary Clinton for president of the United States.
And he is only getting started.
Abdul-Jabbar then quotes from an essay written by Albert Camus two days after Hiroshima in which the Frenchman offered a warning that Abdul-Jabbar applies to our time:
“This is no longer a prayer but a demand to be made by all peoples to their governments — a demand to choose definitively between hell and reason.” That is what the stakes of this election are: We are choosing between hell and reason.
As you continue to read, you will learn that the Hell is what is represented by the possibility of either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz as President. He reminds us that in many ways our nation was founded on the principles of the Age of Reason, and these men offer
a rejection of these foundational ideals in favor of a hellish chaos of lies, misdirection, attacks on the Constitution and, most harmful to the country, a rejection of reason.
Now certainly the vast majority of the regular denizens of this web site can agree with that assessment of the two leading Republican candidates, despite our disagreements about whom to support for the Democratic nomination. And I think a similar percentage would agree with much of what Abdul-Jabbar has to say both about the frustration of many with Washington gridlock and the simultaneous willingness of too many in Washington, perhaps in reaction to movements like the Tea Party (my words, not his), to reject the insights of experts. He prefers the wisdom of a trained physician when he has chest pains — he does not think the “wisdom of ordinary people” is sufficient to address all issues. He wonders
When did we start devaluing intelligence and knowledge?
He places the importance of electing Clinton in the context of
preventing an international trend that threatens to unleash a triumph of hatred and fear over reason. We are in a defining battle between the resurgence of the irrational, and all the horrors that have historically gone with it — violence, bigotry, fascism — and reason, with all the advances that have accompanied it — justice and freedom for all, regardless of ethnic background, social status, gender or sexual orientation.
Please remember what I have just quoted, because I will return to it at the end.
Abdul-Jabbar praises Bernie Sanders for his populism and dedication to the well-being of all Americans, and calls him “a decent man with the courage of his convictions.” He thinks Sanders would be a strong ally for Clinton (although one might wonder about that after watching Thursday's heated debate)
But Clinton possesses that rare but crucial combination of idealism and pragmatism. She can both envision a better world and take the necessary steps to make that vision a reality. She embodies the principles of the Age of Reason and isn’t afraid to fight against the confederacy of dunces who would undermine the principles of inclusion and diversity that America stands for.
Abdul-Jabbar then recapitulates the many achievement of Hillary Clinton, beginning with her time as First Lady. He also explains why he admires her strong support of much of what the current President has attempted to do, including unfinished business on the bail system that targets the poor, the racial inequity of our drug laws, and an issue that both Democratic contenders have attempted to address, how young people can afford college without winding up with crushing debt.
There is one more paragraph from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with which I will shortly close.
Like Abdul-Jabbar, I can find much to admire in the passion of Bernie Sanders. I know that some of his supporters would argue that the polling data indicates that he would perform better against Cruz or Trump. While I believe that after the attack machine of the right were unleashed upon him that would not be true, that is in fact not the determining factor either for Abdul-Jabbar or for me.
When I endorsed Clinton I described her as being the best prepared to deal with a perilous world in which this nation now finds itself. I think Abdul-Jabbar has addressed some of that in the paragraph that I asked you to remember, and from which I repeat several lines:
an international trend that threatens to unleash a triumph of hatred and fear over reason
the horrors of the resurgence of the irrational bringing forth violence, bigotry, fascism versus the idea of reason that enable us to move forward with justice and freedom for all, regardless of ethnic background, social status, gender or sexual orientation.
I see this battle both internationally, with the rise of movements like the Taliban and Isis/Isil/Daesh and with the resurgence of extreme nationalism as seen in too many countries in the European Union, for example the National Front in France led by Marine Le Pen. I also see it here in the United States with the increasing attempts to role back achievements in social justice, and to prevent opposition by restricting access to the voting booth by hook or crook.
There are issues of economic justice. They are important.
The influence of the wealthy/powerful does need to be reigned in.
But those are not the only issues, and for many, there are more immediate crises that must be addressed.
Which is why even though I would not have originally phrased it the same way, I can fully associate myself with this final paragraph from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
This election truly is a choice between hell and reason, and I want the best, most-qualified candidate to ensure that the United States lands on the right side of that battle. In Clinton we have a proven warrior who has both the commitment and record of accomplishment to lead the fight.