at the beginning of yesterday's long process everyone seemed fired up, happy, and energized. 7 hours later the mood had definitely changed. after waiting in a really long line to sign in, another to get our temporary credentials, another to get permanent credentials, being shifted from one cafetorium table to another (with little tiny stools) multiple times for sometimes unknown reasons, waiting, waiting, and more waiting, people were starting to get irritated, tired, and hungry.
i have attended state level conventions for the green party, and those hippies were way more organized than the democrats appeared to be.
that being said, it was a good experience in a lot of ways. i met a lot of new people and got to know the folks from my precinct pretty well. it was nice to see such diversity in my county coming together for a common purpose (well, two purposes). i have read some crazy stories about other precincts, but ours was relatively without contention. the clinton folks were pleasant to us and we to them although both sides pretty much stayed segregated. we even had a married couple from our precinct that was split between candidates. i have to say that they obama crowd seemed to be much more diverse than the clinton crowd. it is a really good feeling to be in a room with folks you have never met, come from a different backgrounds than you or were born in a different era, but that share a lot of your same beliefs. our precinct captain said that the convention in our county usually consists of about 15 people. i don't know the exact count for yesterday, but i would guess there were at least 250 people in attendance. although it was at times quite frustrating, it is worth the effort to show my support for barack obama becoming our next president. it was a good experience overall, and a learing one. if there is a next time for me, i am bringing lunch, a book, and possibly a flask.
okay, i have to admit it. i am not a democrat. i voted for nader in 2000. hell, i was a founding member of my county's green party. i was one of the seven people who helped organize the hosting of the state green party convention. my husband actually ran as a green in a statewide race in 2002.
i am an... obamanader? can i coin that term? (oh yeah, i am making a t-shirt)
now, i know there are a lot of dems that are still sore about that election, but i stand by my vote. i fully support obama and am hoping desperately that he will be the democratic nominee. my husband was chiding me last night for my obama affiliation. "he is a democrat! he doesn't care about you!" as i told him, i stand by my vote for nader in 2000 and my future vote for obama in 2008 for the same reasons. in 2000, the democrats were not speaking on a large scale to the issues that matter to me: universal healthcare, protection of the environment, peace, social justice. while al gore has always been a champion for the environment, back then the tipper censorship crap was still fresh, and he spent most of the election agreeing with bush. nader was the freshest alternative to politics as usual. today, the democrats (both clinton and obama) are speaking to my core (green party) issues. based on issues alone, i guess i should be able to support clinton as well as obama, but for some reason, i just don't believe hillary when she says it. her message seems to change with the wind, and it makes me leery, however...
barack obama inspires me. when i listen to him speak, i am moved to tears because he speaks about the america that i lived in as a child (at least i thought i did). he imagines the same america that i hope for. i want to be proud of my country. obama is a democrat, and i am not, but i am not holding it against him. hopefully, noone will hold it against me.
also, michelle is awesome.
a cabinet position for nader would be scrumdillyicious.
Although I was not even born when President Kennedy was killed, his persona has loomed large in my life. My parents were both staunch supporters of John F. Kennedy. When they speak of him, my mother especially, they glow with pride and and become wistful and mournful for the loss of the man and his potential. My mother has told me many times of the sadness she felt when President Kennedy died. She speaks as if he were a member of her family, and tells me that the whole country felt that way. Images of this president and his young family, have always made this generation seem something close to mythical to me. Consequently, I have always hoped for, and to some extent, expected this same kind of reaction from myself to one of the other Presidents that have served during my lifetime. I have been disappointed every time.
I just watched Senator Obama's post South Carolina speech, and, once again, I have tears in my eyes. I have hope coming out of my ears right now.! When I first heard him speak before the Democratic Convention, I thought, well that is who they should have running for President! I have watched him speak many times since then, and have to say that I am moved to tears at the possiblity of this presidency every time. I watched his wife, Michelle, at an event on C-SPAN a couple of weeks ago, and was struck by how someone so beautiful and stylish could be so down to earth, eloquent, and truly funny. I feel as if this man and his family could make us all proud to be Americans again.
Over the years, these aforementioned parents have somehow become Republicans. My dad is retired from the Air Force, so I guess I can see the evolution of the beast, but it is strange. They support gay rights, do not attend church, are not affluent, and support government social programs, however they generally vote Republican. I saw them tonight and decided to ask them what they were thinking about the presidential nominations. I have especially been wanting to speak with my Mom about her opinion, because I was really hoping she was seeing the same hopefullness in Obama that she had seen all those years ago in Kennedy. I was afraid though, because any broach of politics in my family these days generally causes my Mom to groan and become irritable. At least that is the case when I am around, since I usually stir up "trouble", even though Dad is always up for the debate. They disagreed on the Rep side, with my mom supporting McCain, and my dad going with Romney (probably influenced by that loco limbaugh, who seems to be the only person on talk radio here in central texas, but that's another story...), however, both of them said they supported Obama on the Democratic side. The fact that they even mentioned a Democrat is amazing. An anti-war Democrat at that! And they are aware of his positions on the issues! My mom spoke of how great she thought Michelle Obama is, and how beautiful their children are. She was also struck by the honesty and, gosh darnit, the wholesomeness that this family exudes.
I actually think my parents would vote for Barack Obama over any of the Republican nominees, because I believe they are hoping for the same thing I am hoping for. I like to think that they, like me, are desperate to again feel the pride in our president that Americans felt in President Kennedy. My mom was a young mother at the same time another young mother, then Jacqueline Kennedy, lost her husband. When my mother recounts to me her memories of the Kennedy era, she always mentions how the young Caroline and John Jr. were so brave.
Caroline Kennedy's endorsement is so eloquent. I don't think she realizes how much it will mean to so many people.
