Let me share a little about my political background. During the 2000 presidential primaries I had a front row seat for the action. I was living in New Hampshire working on youth voting issues and saw every major candidate (and some minor ones too). I was surrounded by optimistic and idealistic young people. We wanted to make the world a better place. I went to the Republican National Convention and to the Democratic National Convention. I went to Arianna Huffington’s Shadow Conventions. I participated in peaceful demonstrations outside the RNC and DNC as well.
During that time I was listening to what all of the candidates had to say. I saw John McCain speak a few times and I liked what I saw. He seemed like a real stand up guy who was ready to work across party lines to do what was right for America. I liked Bill Bradley who was trying to change the way politics was played. If it was McCain vs Bradley in the 2000 election I would have felt comfortable that the country was going to move in the right direction. At the end of the day my primary ballot was cast for Bill Bradley.
The primary season was capped off by the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. I was there. At the Staples Center. My credentials included a club level suite. There was fancy catered food (free) and lots and lots of maxed out donors walking around. There was a balcony on the club level that looked out over LA. I went out there and watched the Rage Against the Machine concert as the protesters yelled at me for being part of the problem. I watched as the police got ready to fire bean bag bullets into the crowd and tear gas started to fly. I went inside to watch Al Gore’s speech. He had won the nomination on a promise to capture the moderate vote and his speech and campaigning was rife with mediocrity. It was all very surreal.
As I watched what had to be thousands of dollars worth of balloons and confetti fall from the ceiling of the Staples Center I thought back to earlier in the morning. I had marched through the streets of LA with a group trying to raise awareness about sweatshops in the US. We marched through the garment district where there were quite a few sweatshops. Sweatshop labor isn’t the terminology that is being used, but it is a core element to the current immigration debate. So there I was watching this incredible waste of money in the name of mediocrity with an acute understanding of how many of my fellow Americans needed help meeting their basic needs. My optimism and idealism was falling faster than the balloons. Was there a candidate in 2000 who was going to address the needs of all Americans? Not if the donors standing next to me had anything to say about it.
In a years time I went from being optimistic, idealist, and ready to do the hard work needed to being disenchanted and bordering on apathetic. The system was failing, but I had no idea how bad it was about to get.
So what does this have to do with Barack Obama?
I don’t know if he can mend the wounds of the past 16 years of contentious partisan politics, but I do have hope. He is selling a dream that I want to believe. I have no choice but to take a chance and see. I don’t want the present course to keep spiraling down until my kids are old enough to vote. I want something different.
If Hillary gets the nomination then we are all but ensured another 4 years of politics as a game and a sport. I believe that Obama will approach the position of President of the United States as a job of service to the American people, every single one of the American people. There is no other candidate on the Democratic or Republican ballot that has convinced me they will serve the people.
So why did I vote for Barack Obama today? Because I want a better United States of America. For the first time since the balloons dropped in 2000 I feel that is possible.
Go vote.
