First off, you most certainly do not owe me an apology. If anything, I understand exactly where you come from.
I actually just had a conversation in which I talked about how surprised I was that I so convinced, so completely convinced, that this was the right man for the job when he is so frequently.... well, moderate.
Much like yourself I have spent the last several years disappointed with the direction our country has taken, but outright disgusted with the Democratic party. For too long now, winning has been what's important, with what we stand for compromised away a piece at a time. As saddened as I was to see the Bush administration devaluing the Constitution, robbing the citizens, bankrupting out schools, and otherwise essentially plundering the common goods for the sake of an elite few, I was absolutely outraged to watch the Democratic Party time and time again refuse to stand up for us, because it might cost us seats.
And then, there was this man who somehow managed to take my breath away and give me hope again. And while "Hope" has become a sort of by-line for this campaign, it's because it's so incredibly fitting. Because what I was inspired to hope for was someone out there who actually remembered what it meant to stand up for what you believed in.
And that's what's always struck me about Senator Obama; his audacity and his honesty, even when we're not entirely on the same page. Health care is a perfect example. Here's a man who's willing to look at you and say "I'll be honest, if I were going to re-design the system from scratch, I'd make a single payer system. But today, I can't. What I can do is work with both parties and create a national insurance system that is affordable for all Americans and doesn't exclude any of them. I can make things better, with your help."
And I've never been a part of a campaign like this. And I've spent a lot of time around campaigns. (I took my first steps, literally, in John P. Brown for Judge headquarters in Nashville, TN.) I have never been a part of a campaign so entirely committed to empowering every person whose a part of it, to teaching them how to organize and achieve their own goals. I can say, without an ounce of doubt, that, win or lose, peoples lives will be better for having been touched by this campaign.
And that's something new under the sun. Well, maybe not new, but a long time absent. It's enough to make me proud of my party again, proud to be a part of it all. And that's something I'd started to doubt would ever happen again. And all the more amazing because, just a few short months ago, we all really believed that this was a long shot. That while there was an outside chance to win, it was far to the outside. I think that's easy to forget amidst the sensationalism of the moment.
But this isn't just a fight for the Presidency, it's a fight for the soul of a Party, a Party that once stood for the acceptance of all equally, and may do so again. So you'll never have to apologize to me for a difference of opinion. ;)
I actually just had a conversation in which I talked about how surprised I was that I so convinced, so completely convinced, that this was the right man for the job when he is so frequently.... well, moderate.
Much like yourself I have spent the last several years disappointed with the direction our country has taken, but outright disgusted with the Democratic party. For too long now, winning has been what's important, with what we stand for compromised away a piece at a time. As saddened as I was to see the Bush administration devaluing the Constitution, robbing the citizens, bankrupting out schools, and otherwise essentially plundering the common goods for the sake of an elite few, I was absolutely outraged to watch the Democratic Party time and time again refuse to stand up for us, because it might cost us seats.
And then, there was this man who somehow managed to take my breath away and give me hope again. And while "Hope" has become a sort of by-line for this campaign, it's because it's so incredibly fitting. Because what I was inspired to hope for was someone out there who actually remembered what it meant to stand up for what you believed in.
And that's what's always struck me about Senator Obama; his audacity and his honesty, even when we're not entirely on the same page. Health care is a perfect example. Here's a man who's willing to look at you and say "I'll be honest, if I were going to re-design the system from scratch, I'd make a single payer system. But today, I can't. What I can do is work with both parties and create a national insurance system that is affordable for all Americans and doesn't exclude any of them. I can make things better, with your help."
And I've never been a part of a campaign like this. And I've spent a lot of time around campaigns. (I took my first steps, literally, in John P. Brown for Judge headquarters in Nashville, TN.) I have never been a part of a campaign so entirely committed to empowering every person whose a part of it, to teaching them how to organize and achieve their own goals. I can say, without an ounce of doubt, that, win or lose, peoples lives will be better for having been touched by this campaign.
And that's something new under the sun. Well, maybe not new, but a long time absent. It's enough to make me proud of my party again, proud to be a part of it all. And that's something I'd started to doubt would ever happen again. And all the more amazing because, just a few short months ago, we all really believed that this was a long shot. That while there was an outside chance to win, it was far to the outside. I think that's easy to forget amidst the sensationalism of the moment.
But this isn't just a fight for the Presidency, it's a fight for the soul of a Party, a Party that once stood for the acceptance of all equally, and may do so again. So you'll never have to apologize to me for a difference of opinion. ;)
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...but thank you for sharing this. It helps me put a finger on what the "big deal" is here.
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