I wrote a letter to a high school classmate of mine, a man I haven't spoken to in almost ten years, who, as it turns out, did not want to ridicule and just wanted to pick my brain. Extremly glad he asked because it helped me to organize my thoughts...
His email:
Hey, just noticed your profile pic and that you had joined an obama volunteer group... it seems Obama and Biden have become a little discombobulated (I have no idea if that's a real word, but it works perfectly) in the last week or so, and the McCain camp seem to be keeping them on the defensive. What do you think Obama should do to get his balance back? What would you tell him if you were his advisor?
Just curious.
John
My response:
First and foremost, I'm not a political advisor and would never have any desire to become one. I'm a photographer, a writer and a temp worker at a University. It's just me and I work extremely hard in my day to day life to do what I love, stay afloat, stay healthy & be a good person. You probably do t0o. From my perspective, Obama and Biden have NOT become discombobulated (it is a real word.) They are just fighting back against the accusations/inconsistent proclamations/holier-than-thou archaic rhetoric and lies from the McCain/Palin show-pony camp. They remain consistent, representing the same positions, values and beliefs they have supported from the beginning. Maybe Obama and Biden are defensive, but when most of the current media coverage is about Palin, her life as a hockey mom, her ridiculous clichés about lipstick wearing pitbulls, and her pregnant teenage daughter, then they have every right to passionately defend their policies and choices. Because THAT is what politics should be about and THAT is what serious media should cover. I watch reality television for ridiculously ludicrous entertainment; I don't need nor do I want that in my leaders.
For the first time in AT LEAST the past eight years, I see a potential leader for our country who represents strength, intelligence and character. You, by claiming to suck start a shotgun if Barack Hussein Obama is elected, obviously don't. You wanna know how I see it? If McCain/Palin is elected, I absolutely fear the path this country and our citizens could go down. So what? So, we go to war with Iran/Russia/etc as more civilians and soldiers die in Iraq? The economy continues to spiral out of control, gas prices continue to rise and we head into a deep depression? We become more and more polarized as citizens become more and more angry about the direction this nation is headed (I, as a Minneapolis/St. Paul resident, have seen this in the flesh as I worked my way through the crowded streets, packed concert venues and impassioned parades during the RNC, all while sick with a massive cold and dealing with the fact that my car was stolen from in front of my house)? I'm not saying Obama is perfect, that he will immediately fix this country that DOES need repair, but he has ideas, ideas that I believe in. Realistic ideas about the current state of our nation and EVERY person, in and outside of the United States. I for one would like to walk through foreign lands, with an exchange rate that isn't absolutely absurd, and hold my head high and proud (because I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard a foreigner say "if only we could vote in your election, Obama would be a guarantee"); go to the doctor when I sprain my ankle or go to the dentist when I have a toothache and not pay through the roof for JUST catastrophic even though I work up towards 60 hours a week (much of that work is my photography...more of that is my temp work...and I don't even mind when my tax money goes towards helping citizens when they need it...especially when taxes are fair and even and based on income); attend the weddings of my best friends who are gay, want to celebrate their love, and need legal support for their partners; protect my own body and have a choice should I ever need it; not see my (maybe) future children get drafted into another pointless war; etc. etc. etc. McCain represents more of the same, which is not working for this country, and Palin represents nothing except an "abstinence only" sex education program, which obviously worked extremely well for her family. I'm not scared of a black man with the middle name Hussein running our country; I would be HONORED to have him lead us.
Are you really just curious? If you sent me an email to start a friendly debate, fine and great. I can stand behind that. Before this, there was basically one topic that I felt comfortable talking about it with people I barely knew, and that topic was music, live and recorded. But in the past few years, because I have never felt stronger about a candidate, I HAVE gained the confidence to verbally and loudly show my support for Obama. It's difficult but I am slowly and surely gaining the self-confidence required to stand up and be proud of the person I am and strive to become, own my opinions and my beliefs about humanity, my future, the nation's future, the world's future. If you meant to somehow ridicule me, then this exchange is absolutely futile because we are both obviously passionate about our beliefs, and I am a strong person too.
In short, as a citizen of this country and a person that greatly looks up to Obama, I would tell him to forge on and continue to remain strong and consistent, because there is a million person army of everyday citizens who believe in the future of this country and thoroughly support him as our next president.
Peace,
Alexa
1 comment:
thanks for that, jonsie. the last two weeks have been politically frustrating. it seems our country is more easily seduced by hockey moms than i thought. i'm encouraged by the hope that we all still have.
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