In a few weeks I’ll be flying into Denver for a couple of days to catch the beginning of the National Democratic Convention. I won’t be around to hear Obama’s nomination speech, but I’ve become keenly interested in this year’s election for a variety of wild and crazy reasons.
It’s critically important that you make an educated vote this year, not only for your next President, but for your Senate and House representatives.
And remember, just because Obama’s mama was a single mother, doesn’t automatically qualify him as the guy who’s going to make our issues count in the White House. McCain’s five years in prison camp doesn’t mean he’s qualified to lead. ‘Old’ people shouldn’t vote for McCain cause he’s old. ‘Young’ people shouldn’t vote for Obama just because he’s young. Should we vote for McCain because he’s white? Or Obama because he’s black? or white? or white and black? or or … ugh.
There’s an interesting article in the Huffington Post (Obama’s Mama: Part of the Problem by Paul West) that sums up what’s wrong with the way we vote as a country. I’m going to pull a block quote from it, and I do hope you read the whole thing:
Obama can’t help it that his mother died of cancer in 1995. But he has used her image in campaign commercials to make the point that he was raised by a (white) single parent.
That life story is still unfamiliar to many voters, including seniors he needs to reach.
Bill Clinton used his nominating convention to dispel a widespread misimpression that he came from a wealthy family. Obama has a similar opening this month in Denver to make voters–including skeptics from his mother’s generation–more comfortable with the idea of him as president.
“The convention’s a major opportunity,” says Lake. “Obama has an incredibly compelling story to tell women in terms of his background, his own economic struggle, his single mom, going to school, relating to their concerns.”
The convention’s a major opportunity to present each candidate as whatever the voter wants him to be: poor, humble, strong, experienced, inspired, sympathetic, whatever. But we’re all buying into the major marketing machines that elections have become, and we’re voting with a knee-jerk reaction to what the candidate makes us feel, not what the candidate thinks he can do.
Use your heads this year, ladies and gentlemen. Pay attention to what all your candidates are saying. Make some changes in the status quo up here on Capitol Hill. It’s time.