Law Students

Political rant time

Two statements made during this campaign keep echoing in my head. Both, to my mind, explain the difference between Democrats and Republicans.

One is from just last night: Sarah Palin's little dig at Obama. "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

A mayor, even of a small town, has power. A mayor has money. A mayor has an office and a staff. A mayor calls the press and they listen.

A community organizer fights against a tide of money and power, trying to achieve goals that most people would consider hopeless, including the very people the organizer is trying to enlist. A community organizer needs to somehow convince people whose lives have always been hard, who are tired and disillusioned, that things can get better if they are willing to come together and work for change.

Which job sounds harder to you? And what does it say that a person who is supposed to be Vice President of our country mocks people who work against all odds, for very little money, to improve the lives of the powerless and disenfranchised? What does it say about the party that enthusiastically applauded that mockery?

The other is Michelle Obama's statement, "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country." Republicans jumped all over this statement. Seven months later, I still hear it mentioned daily. And yeah, I can see how if you come from power and privilege, if you've always felt that everyone you meet sees you as an equal and life is totally fair, if you secretly believe that racism is a myth and black people should get that chip off their shoulders, this might be a shocking statement. But I wasn't shocked. There's a difference between loving your country for all its good and bad qualities, and really being proud of the progress we have made over the years. Michelle Obama was talking about equality. She was talking about her amazement and gratitude that the "tolerance" that used to be a buzzword in the early 90s has given way to actual acceptance, as she has seen in her own life. The Republicans who attack her for not feeling that all along just don't get it.

I'm not totally partisan, and I don't always vote for Democratic candidates across the board, but I cannot bring myself to vote for people who use policy to reward the already powerful and refuse to accept any responsibility for helping people who need it.

Full post as published by Magic Cookie on September 04, 2008 (boomark / email).