Come Together!

Jdodsonvls attended a town meeting with Sen. Robert Wexler in Boca Raton, Florida. At the meeting was a group of mainly Hillary Clinton supporters, Jewish retirees and Hispanics, an older crowd. Wexler was an Obama supporter before the delegate count sealed the deal. When he voiced his support for Obama, at the meeting, there was polite applause, some cheers and some booing. When he was questioned as to why he went against the will of most of his constituents to support Obama, he replied that, although it's important to represent his constituents, he must include his own best judgment in making decisions. When he was asked why he supported Obama over Clinton, he said the following.

From Jdodsonvls's Diary at Daily Kos:

"I support Barack Obama because he showed better judgment on the Iraq War, because he has remained more forcefully against it. I support him because of his stand on ethics reform, and commitment to engaging our enemies. I support him because he speaks truth to power. He spoke in front of a largely Cuban-American organization in Miami. Everyone has told this organization the same thing for 40 years. 'We're going to continue the embargo against Cuba, no monetary remittances there, no anything.' Whether or not it works, that's all any politician dares to say. Obama suggested to them we engage with Raul Castro, and take steps towards ending the embargo. Obama told a crowd in Detroit that we should increase fuel efficiency standards, and he told members of Martin Luther King's church in Atlanta that we all share some of the blame for some of the race problems in America today."

I quote these words, not to divide, but as my small contribution to attempt to bring us together. Obama is the nominee. Clinton supporters are deeply disappointed, and some are bitter, because they feel that she was not treated fairly. I understand that. But let's keep our eyes on the prize, the presidency of the United States. Our very survival as a country that in any way resembles the ideals of our Founding Fathers is at stake here. We simply cannot have four years of another Republican in office. Only if you were pleased with the way our country has been governed for the last seven and a half years, can you think that the election is unimportant.

Neither Obama nor Clinton was my first choice, nor my second choice, nor probably even my third choice. But Obama is the nominee. Make no mistake. I do not see him as the Second Coming, someone who will be our savior. We will have to save ourselves, even if we elect a Democrat for president and larger Democratic majorities in the Senate and House. We will need to be vigilant and goad the Democrats to do the right thing, because coming to power has strange effects on people, and they may not follow through in the ways we would like.

If you want years more of war, torture, violations of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights by the president and members of his administration, 45 million people with no health insurance, disdain for combating climate change, then you can conclude that it's not important to elect a Democrat. If you're not concerned about who is appointed to the Supreme Court, then you can conclude that it's not important who wins the election.

Where I live, I've heard ignorant spouting off about both Clinton and Obama before last night. This is McCain territory in the coming election, but I also hear not a few say they do not like McCain, and that they will sit out the election. Since, if they did vote, they would likely vote for McCain, I say, "Good!" There is little in the way of excitement or enthusiasm about McCain. The votes will be against Obama.

As I watched Obama's speech last night, I saw a crowd electric with excitement, the likes of which I have not seen in recent years. I believe that we will see engagement in the political process by many first-time voters, who will show up at the polling places on election day. They will be there because they have hope. The purpose of this post is to bring hope, not that we will be in the Promised Land if Democrats are elected, but hope for a change in direction from the criminal, immoral, and destructive path we walk now. You'd have difficulty finding someone more jaded about politics in this country than I, but here I am speaking out for unity and engagement. Do with the words what you will.

UPDATE: The text of Obama's speech last night is here.