What an historic day was yesterday? Both the 45th anniversary of MLK's "I have a dream" speech, one of the most powerful speeches ever, and the day that Obama accepts the nomination for President of the United States.
I will vote for Barack Obama. I agree with the Dems on most everything. I disagree with the GOP on most everything. I am a lifelong Democrat and never ever voted for a Republican in a national election. I have voted for Republicans in local and state elections, either because I knew them personally, or because, as was often the case in Kansas, there were no Dems running against the Republican candidate.
Early on, I was more for Sen. Clinton, mainly because I think it's about time a woman had a chance to run this country. But I wasn't opposed at all to Obama, and I was going to be happy no matter who won the nomination. Hillary Clinton gave a wonderful, powerful speech in favor of Obama; so did Bill Clinton, who seems to still be The Man to the Dems. And I really liked Al Gore's speech, too.
The whole convention reminded me of a pep rally. . . preaching to the choir. I want to believe that there is hope for this country. I want to believe that we can repair the US reputation globally; I want to believe that there is such a thing as capitalism tempered with responsibility; I want to believe that it is possible to revive the economy so that the gap between the rich and the rest of us shrinks instead of widens; I want to believe that the deaths of young people in a "war on terror" can end; I want to believe that the United States can negotiate instead of attack; I want to believe that we can come up with a solution to end our dependence on foreign oil without ruining the environment; I want to believe that government has no place in dictating reproductive rights of its citizens; I want to believe that this country can provide an education to every child that wants one; I want to believe that we can support the poorest of our citizens, most often women and children. And the list goes on.
I am fighting cynicism. I want to believe that regular people actually have a say in how the government is run. I want to believe that my vote might actually count. I want to believe that the people we elect to public office, on any level, no matter Democrat, Republican or Independent, actually want to represent to the best of their ability the interests of their constituency as opposed to their interest in getting re-elected. I want to believe that power doesn't corrupt.
As I said, I'm fighting cynicism. . .
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3 comments:
ahhh, I want to believe too...
Catherine in IL
Well said, Mary. You articulated it all for me. I fight cynicism every day these days.
It's interesting to note that the definition of "believe" is:
1. to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.
from http://www.dictionary.com
Ladies: I guess we just go forward from here, acting on our gut instincts, on faith. . . but I gotta tell you, this whole Sara Palin thing has me arguing with irrational thinkers who smugly comment that now I'll have to vote Republican. Okay, I think women need to have a loud and vociferous presence in politics and leadership, but why would I vote for someone, even a woman, who opposes everything in which I believe? It's good that we live in interesting times. . .
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