I understand why Hillary Clinton isn't giving up very easily. Would you, after spending an entire life, decade after decade, working toward this dream? I bet when she became first lady of the United States in 1993 that she could hardly believe it, and yet she probably knew that the next step would be her's. She knew at that moment that she had to get her chance too. And I don't blame her. Just because she is a woman doesn't mean she doesn't have the right to become president or the right to have the ambition for such a job. In fact, she has not only the right but the backing of millions and the support of very rich people.
I understand also the reluctance on the part of some in the Democratic Party to pass her by. It is sad to say to someone, "No, your dream isn't possible." It is deeply hurtful to most to deny someone what they really, really want. I believe that the people in the Democratic Party are genuinely, for the most part very nice people. And, certainly, collectively, the American people are kind, compassionate and incredibly giving. We don't like to hand people a loss, and we love to see people achieve victory.
But, more importantly, I also understand that it is time for the government of the United States to reflect more precisely the kindness and compassion of the American people. It is time that the government enrich our politics, rescue our politics, change our politics from the pits of cheap shots and unfair slanders.
We are not Hillary Clinton; we are not John McCain; and we aren't even Barack Obama. We are the American people. We have the capability to rescue our society from the degredation it has experienced in these last years. We have the tools in our minds and our hearts to improve the nation. As Barack likes to say, "We are the change we've been waiting for." In other words, I support Barack Obama because he understands that Washington can no longer be a place where we push all of our problems and forget about our responsiblities.
He'll be the president to truly challenge us to be the citizens we can be and are supposed to be. This "next chapter in American history" that Barack keeps talking about isn't going to be entitled "Obama," it's going to be entitled "You, Me, All of Us."
The news story for the last few days has been about Hillary and her so-called comeback. The Clinton campaign is now using this period to produce the false impression that she is the best candidate and the one most likely to win the presidency in November, despite evidence to the contrary. Nevermind Barack's twelve wins in a row. Nevermind the fact that over one million people have donated money to the Obama campaign. Nevermind that over two million phone calls were made on behalf of Barack within just a few days. Nevermind that Obama was down by over 20 percentage points in Ohio and in Texas and came back to only narrowly lose to Hillary last Tuesday.
The real story of the last few days is the amazing comeback of the Obama campaign, how they have organized millions and drawn hundreds of thousands into the political process. It seems to me that the old media and the old Democratic Party is slow to embrace this new and exciting movement where politics as usual doesn't fly any longer. And, to be honest, I don't blame them. It's scarry to enter into something new and something unfamiliar.
In America, we've grown accustome to the politics and media coverage of attack and destroy. We've been doing it for sometime now. It doesn't matter who's idea it was or which side started it first. It only matters that we recognize the negative impact it has had on our democracy. Trust in political parties and the governments they form has fallen dramatically in recent decades. Cynisism has become the accepted norm and optimism the exception.
It's time that this campaign respond to the Clintons and to their media backers not with the same negative stuff they throw our way but with the positive things that prove we have the right idea and that we can change America for the better. Tell them about all the amazing things Senator Obama has been able to do during this camaign. Tell them the stories of apathetic citizens becoming energized because of Obama's message of togetherness and hope. Tell them so that they gain the courage once again to report above the fray and above the politics as usual so that America can have a discussion about the future and so that America can see what Barack is really about.
Hope, optimism, and idealism are not signs of weakness, unpreparedness, or lack of experience; on the contrary, they are signs of courage and boldness in the face of incredible odds. The only thing that has ever worked against incredible odds, and make no mistake, America faces incredible odds in these coming years, is hope, optimism and idealism. We need a president who inspires change and action for the better.
Let that be our response to Hillary's attacks and to the media's relentless unfairness.
