Election Eve

Angie,

I just hung up the phone with you. We were talking about the election tomorrow and you said you don't know yet who you'll vote for. You know I voted for Obama. It is certainly no surprise to you or anyone who knows me. I am a Democrat through and through. I believe that as human beings we are responsible for our brothers and sisters in every corner of the world. I believe that we must educate children, care for the sick, the disabled and the elderly, we must feed the hungry, and protect those who are vulnerable from violence and exploitation. I know I have Republican family and friends who believe the same things, just as passionately as I do. But for myself, I believe that right now the Democrats have a better plan to do all of those things and that, as a party, the Democrats are most aligned with my beliefs. That is why I voted a straight Democratic ticket, but again, that is no surprise to you or anyone else.

I believe that George Bush was the wrong choice in 2000 and in 2004 and that much of the turmoil that our country and our entire world faces is due, in large part, to the Bush Administration. If Al Gore had won in 2000 or John Kerry in 2004 I do not know what the world today would look like, but I would have liked the chance to see. For eight years I have listened to an Administration that preached compassionate conservatism; only to slash funding for children's health care and severely limit programs for the poor and elderly, give huge tax breaks to companies who operate overseas and cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans, preach that we are only safe when we attack nations who have not attacked us, send our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers to die in two wars, and ignore genocide and crisis across the world. But you can read the news, and I know you have. You may well disagree with me, but again, none of my opinions are a surprise.

What might be a surprise to you is that I (generally outspoken, ready for a debate anytime, passionate for causes, Michele) have felt absolutely paralyzed for the past eight years. I have felt like this country and this world were so far headed down the wrong path that nothing could change our perilous descent. I have felt excluded by those who have openly preached hate instead of love. I have felt alienated from fellow Americans who believed I was no patriot for believing we should never have gone to war in Iraq, for believing this war is ethically and morally wrong. I have been angered by people who have argued that I am wrong, or immoral, for the things that I believe in. But I have not had the courage to speak out. I have been afraid.

I have watched Barack Obama for the past four years. I believed him when he spoke of an America that is not divided into red states and blue states, at the Democratic Convention in 2004. I have read his speeches online and watched him on tv. I believe what he says. I believe he will fight for the middle class, that he will fight for health care for all Americans, that he will fight for an education system that values all children, for a country that values hardworking people no matter the size of their paycheck. But I have also heard his call to action. I have heard him say that it is time for Americans to work together for change. I might disagree with you or with my neighbor on the most contentious of issues; abortion, taxes, war, but there is certainly common ground that we can stand on together. I believe that when we look to our similarities instead of our differences we will be great people, a great nation and a great world. I believe that when two of the people I love most in the whole world, your son and daughter, see a man of color ascend to the highest office in our nation, they will believe that the color of their skin does not dictate the possibilities that lie before them. I believe that when my daughters grow up with Barack Obama as president they will know that to whom much is given; much is required.

Feeling angry and isolated and alienated for eight years has also taught me some lessons about concession and compromise. I do not think that that those who vote for McCain are wrong and I will not question their patriotism or their motivations. But I do I believe it is time for me to stand up for what I believe in, to stop making excuses to stay quiet and avoid discussion, to make changes in my own life that reflect the change I want to see in the world. So, this is my first small step. Please vote for Obama.

Here is what he said in his closing at the Democratic Convention. I believe he is what he says he is. I believe he will do what he has promised. I believe he is our greatest hope for a more just world.


Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: The American Promise (Democratic Convention)
Denver, CO August 28, 2008

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores. Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend. That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot. And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream. The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred. But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one. "We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back." America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess. Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.