Count me in
So, prior to this week, i viewed the 2008 elections as a holding action, a continuation of the battle begun in early 2005 when, fresh from his "landslide" triumph over John Kerry, an energized George W. Bush decided to spend his hard earned political capital dismantling the Social Security system.
That worked out pretty well, didn't it?
In 2006, Democrats established majorities in both the US House and Senate. And although great things have not yet happened, the worst excesses of the Bush administration have been avoided. Back in 2000, i wrote on some mailing list or other, in response to someone urging me to cast a vote for Ralph Nader, that a Nader presidency would be a miracle, but that a Bush presidency, more likely the result of voting for Nader, would be a disaster that would take the country a generation to recover from. I thought i was being hyperbolic.
As it turns out, by virtually every social and economic measure you care to make,the US has fallen further behind the rest of the world. We own far fewer of our assets and resources than we did eight years ago. We're creating fewer jobs, and those we are creating pay less. The dollar is worth half or so of its peak, and falling daily. Over 2/3 of Americans believe we're on the wrong track.
So, I've been looking at 2008 as consolidating our gains from the past 3 and a half years, for regaining control of the rudder of the ship of state, and basically not allowing things to get any worse before we start trying to make them better. And given that, it didn't really matter to me who was the Democratic nominee. They were all better than McCain (or Giuliani, or Romney, or Huckabee, or whoever the Republicans were going to anoint as their successor to George Bush.) It was clear that all th eRepublcians have to offer is more fear and more war. No solutions, just a steady erosion of the American dream wrapped in a flag and a picture of a collapsing building.
Barack Obama's speech the other day changed that for me. For the first time, i think we can do more than hold our ground. I think we can restart the process of making America the place it needs to be in the 21st Century.
Count me in.
That worked out pretty well, didn't it?
In 2006, Democrats established majorities in both the US House and Senate. And although great things have not yet happened, the worst excesses of the Bush administration have been avoided. Back in 2000, i wrote on some mailing list or other, in response to someone urging me to cast a vote for Ralph Nader, that a Nader presidency would be a miracle, but that a Bush presidency, more likely the result of voting for Nader, would be a disaster that would take the country a generation to recover from. I thought i was being hyperbolic.
As it turns out, by virtually every social and economic measure you care to make,the US has fallen further behind the rest of the world. We own far fewer of our assets and resources than we did eight years ago. We're creating fewer jobs, and those we are creating pay less. The dollar is worth half or so of its peak, and falling daily. Over 2/3 of Americans believe we're on the wrong track.
So, I've been looking at 2008 as consolidating our gains from the past 3 and a half years, for regaining control of the rudder of the ship of state, and basically not allowing things to get any worse before we start trying to make them better. And given that, it didn't really matter to me who was the Democratic nominee. They were all better than McCain (or Giuliani, or Romney, or Huckabee, or whoever the Republicans were going to anoint as their successor to George Bush.) It was clear that all th eRepublcians have to offer is more fear and more war. No solutions, just a steady erosion of the American dream wrapped in a flag and a picture of a collapsing building.
Barack Obama's speech the other day changed that for me. For the first time, i think we can do more than hold our ground. I think we can restart the process of making America the place it needs to be in the 21st Century.
Count me in.
Labels: 2008 elections
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2 Comments:
You know, I have been a Hillary supporter since I first heard she was running. I thought she was more experienced than Obama, who seemed naive and idealistic to me. The fact that she's female was also a reason I wanted her to win the nomination - Breaking the diamond ceiling was something I was hoping for.
But after the disaster that has been her campaign, and more particularly, after that brilliant speech of Obama's, I think I'm going to have to abandon Clinton in favor of Obama. Perhaps he's not so much naive as he is a visionary. I know a number of great leaders who are visionaries - they hire people to support them in getting things done. He seems much more of a leader to me than does Hillary.
I guess I'm in, too.
By
Anonymous, at 1:05 PM
While I definitely think any democrat will be better than a republican (and, I'm not even a democrat, being "unaffiliated"), I've been very dismayed by what I've been seeing come out of Clinton's camp. It almost looks to me like she's got Rove's playbook and is doing anything she can to win.
By
Tanner Lovelace, at 1:32 PM
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