As an Obama supporter, I would like to extend my apologies to all of the Clinton supporters who have been belittled or insulted on this blog by supporters of my candidate. This kind of vitriol has been flying from both sides and I sincerely hope that we can all take a deep breath and start thinking about what is really important in this election.
The truth is, this choice we are all making between Clinton and Obama is a pretty good problem to have if you’re a democrat who is fed up with the past seven years of our government. I believe we have two very strong candidates who care about average working people and who want to reverse the terrifying trends we’ve all been seeing in American politics.
I’ve researched the positions of both candidates on most issues and, in all honesty, the policy platforms of both are about 95% the same. So if you believe that the vision that Hillary Clinton has for our country reflects your values and priorities as a human being, as it does mine, then you should feel the same about Barack Obama and vice versa. Both of these people are deeply committed to ending our disastrous war in Iraq, to addressing the health care crisis that is crippling our country, to changing our frightening approach to international trade that undermines our sovereignty and pushes the whole world into a global race to the bottom, to protecting social security from right-wing attempts at privatization, to creating an immigration policy that is just and sensible and not based in fear, in limiting the overwhelming power of huge corporations and other special interests that dictate far too many aspects of our lives in America. I could go on but you get the point. This is why I am so alarmed when I hear repeated threats by supporters on both sides to vote for McCain if their candidate is not successful. Trust me, if you are interested in the kind of reform either Clinton or Obama represent, McCain is not your man. The difference between a McCain presidency and a Clinton or Obama presidency is almost unimaginable. Let’s all take a deep breath and put this vision we share for our country at the top of the priority list where it belongs. I prefer Obama, but I will pledge to enthusiastically support Clinton if she gets the nomination. I hope the rest of you on both sides will join me in preventing the self-destruction that has too often characterized the Democratic Party.
As I see it, considering that these two honorable democratic candidates have such similar visions for where to take our country, the choice between the two comes down to the process by which each will pursue the vision we have for America. Hillary Clinton has been surrounded by high-stakes, challenging presidential politics. She knows the ropes, has the connections, realizes how to flex some muscle to defeat our opponents and fight for changes. Barack Obama offers the possibility that we might not have to always flex our muscle and beat down our opponents to achieve what we want. I think he would approach problems from a position of finding common ground to build upon and including more people in the decision-making process so that more than just our allies have a stake in the success of our battles. There is an argument to be made for both approaches. Clinton’s aggressive and persuasive tactics could, if applied correctly, force a lot of change relatively quickly and be a major success or it could polarize the two sides and create gridlock. Obama’s approach could create a more productive atmosphere in our government and result in us seeing politicians put aside their point-scoring, win-at-all-costs, ego-driven methods and work together for the first time I could remember, or partisans could continue on as they always have and derail his efforts at reconciliation. I choose Obama’s approach because it appeals to the optimist in me and reaffirms my underlying feeling that people are basically good and will help each other if the circumstances don’t prevent it. I could be wrong or I could be right. I hope I’m right.
I don’t begrudge Hillary supporters their devotion to their candidate. She is worthy of some devotion given the positive changes she has fought for, as is Barack. They are both good people and devoted public servants. I just hope we can all think carefully about what is really important in this election and imagine the divergent roads that our country could travel depending on whether McCain or either of the Democrats is at the helm. No matter what happens in the rest of this primary season, let’s keep that in mind come November.
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