Throwing Away My Vote
You can't vote for Obama in the primary," my mother informs me over lunch today.
"Why not?" I ask, between bites of chicken.
"That's like throwing your vote away!" she says, pounding her fist on the table. For an elderly little woman, she can still do some good table-pounding. The silverware shook. "You have to vote for Hillary - because she's the only one left who MIGHT stand a chance of beating the Republicans."
"Well, I don't like Hillary as much," I said. "I like Obama's platform better. I actually believe he can do some good for our country."
"It doesn't matter what he says he can or can't do," she says. "They won't give him the chance. No one's going to vote for a colored man down south." She's 78, and still hasn't learned how to say black or African-American. "Even Democrats down there will vote Republican if he's white. They might not vote for a woman either- but she's got a better chance at least. If only Edwards hadn't dropped out.. he was our best hope. But the Republicans - they pushed Obama ahead. That's what they want us to do - have him run against McCain, because they know they can beat a black man. Do you want to just play into their hands? Don't throw away your vote!"
Actually, what I wanted her to do was stop talking politics so I could go back to eating my chicken. From past experience, I knew that no matter what I said she wasn't really going to listen anyhow. To her, voting for Obama would be a cardinal sin - one that would assure the downfall of my party and doom us all to four more years of Republican tyranny. So what was I going to do?
Well, for one, finish my chicken. It really was very tasty. And also - vote for Obama.
To a certain extent, I can understand her reasoning. Historically, the majority of presidents have been rich old men of the Caucasian persuasion. Obama is different - he's young, black, charismatic, and (as my mother is quick to point out) relatively inexperienced compared to the other candidates. But what makes these bad things?
Historically, some of my favorite presidents have been outside the established presidential mold. Abraham Lincoln. Grover Clevland. Teddy Roosevelt. Franklin Roosevelt. Jimmy Carter. Bill Clinton. In many cases, no one expected them to win, either. But they did. And they went on to bring fresh perspectives to the presidency.
I also believe that established mold is changing. Politicians have Myspaces and Facebooks; they are here on Gather! They make videos that appear on Gather, on YouTube, all over the internet. We have a woman running for president . We have a young black man running. We had an Italian in the race. All kinds of diversity, not just a choice of this-rich-old-white-dude or that-rich-old-white-dude. Isn't that a good thing, no matter who wins? Isn't that a trend you'd like to see continue? I know I would.
So am I throwing my vote away by voting for the man I consider best suited for the job? I certainly don't think so. Even if Obama doesn't win, I will know that I voted in good conscience for a candidate I truly believe in. And I certainly hope that my fellow Americans are getting out there to do the same.
"Why not?" I ask, between bites of chicken.
"That's like throwing your vote away!" she says, pounding her fist on the table. For an elderly little woman, she can still do some good table-pounding. The silverware shook. "You have to vote for Hillary - because she's the only one left who MIGHT stand a chance of beating the Republicans."
"Well, I don't like Hillary as much," I said. "I like Obama's platform better. I actually believe he can do some good for our country."
"It doesn't matter what he says he can or can't do," she says. "They won't give him the chance. No one's going to vote for a colored man down south." She's 78, and still hasn't learned how to say black or African-American. "Even Democrats down there will vote Republican if he's white. They might not vote for a woman either- but she's got a better chance at least. If only Edwards hadn't dropped out.. he was our best hope. But the Republicans - they pushed Obama ahead. That's what they want us to do - have him run against McCain, because they know they can beat a black man. Do you want to just play into their hands? Don't throw away your vote!"
Actually, what I wanted her to do was stop talking politics so I could go back to eating my chicken. From past experience, I knew that no matter what I said she wasn't really going to listen anyhow. To her, voting for Obama would be a cardinal sin - one that would assure the downfall of my party and doom us all to four more years of Republican tyranny. So what was I going to do?
Well, for one, finish my chicken. It really was very tasty. And also - vote for Obama.
To a certain extent, I can understand her reasoning. Historically, the majority of presidents have been rich old men of the Caucasian persuasion. Obama is different - he's young, black, charismatic, and (as my mother is quick to point out) relatively inexperienced compared to the other candidates. But what makes these bad things?
Historically, some of my favorite presidents have been outside the established presidential mold. Abraham Lincoln. Grover Clevland. Teddy Roosevelt. Franklin Roosevelt. Jimmy Carter. Bill Clinton. In many cases, no one expected them to win, either. But they did. And they went on to bring fresh perspectives to the presidency.
I also believe that established mold is changing. Politicians have Myspaces and Facebooks; they are here on Gather! They make videos that appear on Gather, on YouTube, all over the internet. We have a woman running for president . We have a young black man running. We had an Italian in the race. All kinds of diversity, not just a choice of this-rich-old-white-dude or that-rich-old-white-dude. Isn't that a good thing, no matter who wins? Isn't that a trend you'd like to see continue? I know I would.
So am I throwing my vote away by voting for the man I consider best suited for the job? I certainly don't think so. Even if Obama doesn't win, I will know that I voted in good conscience for a candidate I truly believe in. And I certainly hope that my fellow Americans are getting out there to do the same.