Throughout my adult life (my first presidential vote was for Jimmy Carter in 1980), with the possible exception of Bill Clinton, the Democratic Party has always carefully and thoughtfully picked their presidential nominees based, on some level, on who said all the right things and who “deserved” a shot at the white house: “This guy Kerry/Dukakis/Gore/whoever has paid his dues and is a good liberal…”
One of the biggest differences between the parties is that democrats think, republicans act. Thinking is good when it comes to making policy and solving problems - the world is a complicated place, and if the last eight years have taught us anything, I hope that it’s that a little more thoughtful consideration, a little more listening, and a little less unilateral bravado would have served our interests better than the fake cowboy foolishness we now have for leadership.
But sometimes I think that too much thinking is not the best way to pick a candidate. Too often we have intellectualized the choice of who should lead, too often we have paid too much attention to who looks good on paper, and not enough attention to who would inspire, who would lead, who would win.
I understand the ideals of the party elite - in “doing the right thing”, we send a message that our ideals matter. Which of course they do. I’ve always considered myself an idealistic person, and proudly so. But sometimes ideals and politics don’t mix well: Idealism is all about the concept that there are things so important they sould never be compromised. Politics, on the other hand is pretty much the opposite: You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. You let me win some, I let you win some. Of course it’s an imperfect system, and nobody gets everything they want, but when lots of humans want to live on the same rock, it’s the best system anyone has found.
But the democrats have always been fixated on making a bold statement, while paying little attention to which nominee has the best chance of appealing to the broadest base of voters. The republicans, meanwhile, quickly figured out who could win elections. They nominated candidates who fought hard, they yelled louder, and they kicked our asses again and again. And in the process they made America the laughing stock of the world with their short-sighted views and divisive policies.
America is sick. Eight years ago we were - to some degree at least - the champions of freedom. We stood up for the right things in the global community. Now our ideals are a joke, we’re lost in a stupid and pointless war, the rest of the world rightly views us with derision and mistrust. Clearly, republican leadership and conservative ideals are not working. And clearly, for whatever reason, the right doesn’t have a credible candidate in 2008 that the wacko base easily rallies around.
So we, as democrats, absolutely must (for a change) nominate someone who will 1) bring the country together, and 2) win. Yes, Hillary is smart. She’s a good person, she has good ideas on most issues, and I agree with her platform almost all of the time. And of course, the media sometimes gives Obama an easier ride, and of course, women in general and Hillary in particular have faced huge and vastly unfair disadvantages because of their gender.
But we simply cannot give the right wing ammunition. After eight years of unparalleled acrimony and divisiveness, this country is at a pivotal point in our history. Are we as a party and we as a people going to choose to bring people together, or are we going to nominate someone who will, in spite of how smart and deserving they might be (and regardless of the outcome in November), drive people even farther apart from one another?
The job of political parties is not to make grand statements about what’s right and wrong and the way the world should be. The job of parties is to win elections. I think the choice for democrats this year is simple. Are we going to nominate someone who brings people together and win in November, or are we going to fall into our usual “deserving” trap and nominate someone who is likely to lead to 4/8 more years of disillusionment and embarrassment? And even if she wins, the right will be so filled with vitriol that our country will again be paralyzed with hatred and division. You think the right acted like rabid dogs around Bill? That was a picnic in the park compared to the way they will go after Hillary. None of that is what America needs.
The Virginia primary is this coming Tuesday. If you are registered to vote in Virginia, or have a chance to elsewhere, please vote for Barack Obama.
Photo from February 2007, Richmond, Virginia.
