Why I Baracked the Vote

This is really, really, long - but it's all I'm gonna say about it.

Living here in Germany as I do, I get my absentee ballot about 2 months before the primary. When it arrived in my Breifkasten in early December, the election wasn't yet in fever pitch, and I hadn't fully tuned into the noise. I was sort of leaning towards Hillary after seeing a 5 minute segment on 'Hillaryland' on Good Morning America some months prior, and my 29 year old sister, who lives in the Berkley-Oakland area, had mentioned something about Barack Obama but he seemed too...too, I don't know, too someone I would have voted for too in my twenties when I was also living in the east bay.

So I did what any sensible person interested in the issues does, I bought each of their books. The bottom line for me is to get a sense of who each person is. In my experience, a book is the most direct way to get into someone's head and heart. Or so I thought.

I started with 'Living History', Hillary Clinton's autobiography. I'm a pretty voracious reader and can also force myself through some dreck, but I couldn't finish this. It was a shameless, utterly - sorry to say - calculated piece of marketing garbage. It should have been titled 'I like Yellow Daisies and Little Old Ladies' and the cover image should have been her giving the reader the finger. It was such an insult. Basically she was not going to reveal ANY of who she was, but rather put together something that would offend no one, risk nothing, push all the right buttons in whatever constituency she was targeting, and add some money to her campaign war chest. Fine then, next.

I started 'Audacity of Hope'after Christmas(before the Iowa caucuses).Pretty much from the moment I started it I was enthralled. The book is a collection of essays on Republicans and Democrats, Values, Our Constitution, Politics, Oppportunity, Faith, Race, The World Beyond Our Borders and Family. Page after page was filled with insightful, thoughtful and incredibly articulate observations on all of these themes. Even if he were not running for President, the book was well worth the read. Halfway into the book it was difficult not to get completely excited about this
person. What shone through clearly in chapter after chapter was someone who is incredibly intelligent,is honest about navigating life's gray areas and compromises, someone who deeply loves America and it's promise, has a great compassion for humanity,is self-reflective and generally just 'gets it'.

I often feel that I never got to live through the days 'When America was Great' which, to my mind, is mostly the FDR/WWII years. On top of that, living abroad almost exclusively through the Bush presidency has made it very, very difficult to feel proud of being an American and good about America in general. This came into sharp focus during the world cup when I witnessed some American college kids, being truly ugly Americans during the USA vs. Ghana match (screaming obscenities and dissing the Ghanians who also came to watch the game by loudly announcing-as we were losing- that at least we were a 'World Power'). When I later ran into some German friends who teased me because the US lost (Ihr konnt nach Hause fahren! Ihr konnt nach Hause fahren! - You can go home!) I was irrationally upset and started crying. I was shocked by how much I overreacted. Upon later reflection I knew what it was: we sucked, we just sucked, as a country, as a people, and there was no denying it. I couldn't wave a flag and feel good about what that flag represented. Everything good America was supposed to symbolize, freedom, hope, multicultarlism, openness, opportunity, self-determination, fairness, no longer seemed true.

When I got back to Germany after being home at length after my surgery last year, I commented to Armin that I had never seen America so polarized. There were bitter arguments between family and friends, despair and cynicism all around. I wondered if it had always been that way, or did I just notice it because I've been gone for so long?

Whichever it was it left me depressed and troubled.After reading his book, I see an Obama presidency as a chance to heal the deep divisions in America - which are real, dangerous and sad. I also see his election as a chance to return to all the good things about America that even I didn't know I held so dear. By the time the Iowa caucuses rolled around and I watched his victory speech, I felt as Larry David did when he said, "I had never felt so proud to be an American in my life then at that moment." Really and truly.

This is a moment in our history when we need Leadership - not solid  management - but Leadership, the two are radically different. Leadership gets people to self-organize and do whatever needs to be done. Management tells everyone what to do, bosses,prods and forces people to get things done. That's fine, but it's not what we need right now. In his book Obama has pointed out in clear and concise prose all of the challenges laying at our door : globalization, AIDS, the divide between rich and poor, terrorism, global warming (well, nobody's perfect). The core of his platform is about 'what we are going to do' not what 'he is going to do'.

The 'lack of experience' arguments don't bother me, Abraham Lincoln had less experience when he took office (he was only a congressman for 2 years) and he went on to save the union. As Barack often points out there are no shortage of ideas and intelligent people in America. What is missing is the will, the motivation and the inspiration to come together and get things done. I think this is what ultimately appeals to me about his message, it is a rallying cry for us to work together, it invites us to move away from being consumers and return to being citizens. It's fine for a candidate to talk about all of the things he or she will get done, but I'd rather be invited or inspired to become part of the force to bring about (sorry) change, and to be one of the many to contribute and help to get things done. I suppose that's why the FDR years inspire me so much, back then everyone, EVERYONE came together to just KICK ASS and do the impossible, and that's what I want to do too. 

So I say: Barack on.

Comments

[Mag]

Hey dude,

Love your spirit and intelligence. Personally am clueless about politics, but if I had a vote, you would sway me in Obama's direction.

xox

[Gary Eisenberg]

Eleanor, I find myself in agreement with you, although I have some reservations about Obama - I hope I'm wrong. My experience (via observation) has been that it seems to be extremely difficult (if not impossible) for folks to roll in scheisse without eventually getting a little bit on them. Hillary is covered with the stuff. It's all about corporate sell-out, I'm sorry to say. Obama is relatively new on the scene. I am hoping that he doesn't morph into another craven/Machiavellian greedy narcissist - there are few on the Hill (read dungheap)that have escaped it. OF cousre there has been one GLOWING exception - and if HE were running for Prez, I'd start working on his campaign pro bono - immediately. I'm talking, of course, about John Conyers. Conyers is a Statesman. Hillary is a sales rep. Not that what she is selling is all that bad, but she could change lines in a minute, and we could find ourselves eating Carl's Junior and Mickey D's9 pabulum all over again. So let us vote for Obama and hope for the best. And hope is everything, Eleanor, as Jesse Jackson has so eloquently said.

Carry on! Your friend in Lost Angeles,

Gary

P.S. I remember my embarassment during travels to Deutschland during the Reagan 80's - we stated with friends in Bavaria (they couldn't tease us too much during those dark days, since the chair [uh, I meant to say THRONE] was still warm from the miserable backside of Franz Josef Straus.) But my German friends in Hamburg -they would laugh everytime Ronald "Bonzo" Reagan's face would appear on the Idiots' Lantern over there. Truth be told, Eleanor, stupidity and folly can be found anywhere and everywhere. History has demonstrated this. I'll leave you with a paraphrase from F. Nietszche - If one want's to grasp the concept of infinity, one need only ponder the phenomenon of human stupidity...

[Maxine Reagh]

Wow! What a well expressed piece. I agree with you. There is something so hopeful about Obama that can't be denied.I read his autobiography a few years ago and was impressed with his integrity and smarts.As you know, I was leaning toward Clinton several weeks ago, but I continue to be impressed with Obama and am convinced that he can win and can be a leader who will not only unite our country but lead us through the huge challenges we have and help our country gain respect in the world. I am voting for Obama. He inspires me.

[Jeff Y]

Nice post Elle. I liked Obama, now I like him more. I've been a bad citizen of late with all my recent professional and familial obligations (i.e., not keeping up on the primaries beyond soundbites), so it's good to get this insight from someone I trust.