Never fear, help is on the way

I received an email today from a friend. This was all it said:

"I think I might be a Hillary supporter. Please help."

He, of course, knew of my support for Obama, and wanted a deeper discussion. I pushed him for more information, and he replied that he was worried about Obama's experience, or rather, his perceived lack thereof.

Here's my response, in a slightly edited form (typos are okay for friends, but I like the Internet to think I'm smarter than that):


Okay, so. You say that we need an experienced politician to get us out of the mess we're in, right? I respect that, and I agree. We need someone who can work within the system to create real change.

Well, you know as well as I do what the system is. The system is set up such that a president needs compromise. He or she needs unity. We need a leader who can listen to the opposition and work with them, especially if low Congressional approval ratings mean the Republicans gain control of Congress again.

In that way, Obama will definitely be better at working within the system. Clinton inspires polarity, you don't need me to tell you that. She was even disrespectful toward some Republicans came to support her in Iowa, saying "they've seen the light." People who are willing to vote for you to be the highest elected official in the land deserve a little more respect than a comment about how they have previously been in the dark. This is what Obama said instead: "...you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come."

Do you see that difference? In Obama's mind, people are coming together to stand up for a greater cause. Clinton has instead divided the world into a dark side and a light side, and told people on which side she has placed them.

Let's talk about policy, too. How about health care? Everyone wants better health care, right? Well, we look at what Obama accomplished during the 1990s: granting access to health care for 150,000 Illinois constituents. He wanted to make it universal, but it was unrealistic in Illinois. In the end he was willing to compromise to improve the health care system for thousands and thousands of people. Now let's look at what Clinton accomplished when it came to health care in the 1990s.

::cricket::

The fact of 1994's health care debacle was not why I don't support Senator Clinton. I believe that we can all learn from our mistakes and make better decisions and choices for next time. But look at where Clinton's money comes from. She's got a lot of health insurance lobbyists giving her a lot of money. And they're going to want favors. Yeah, maybe she'll stand up to them once she's in office, but look at who's not taking money from lobbyists at all.

And when we talk experience, let's remember who has more years in elected office than any other major candidate: Obama. Sure, he didn't live in the White House, but Clinton's only been in elected office office since 2000. Edwards has six years in the Senate under his belt, but he has spent the last four years campaigning in Iowa.

And before the years in the US Senate, before the years in the Illinois State Senate, Obama was out on the streets, working with poor folks on the South Side of Chicago. He graduated from Harvard, able to take a job anywhere he pleased, this black editor of the Harvard Law Review, but instead chose to go and organize where he felt he was needed most. He helped out people whose jobs had been transferred overseas.

As Kristof pointed out the other day, Clinton wrote her thesis on community organizing. Obama lived it.

Clinton was working as a corporate attorney in Arkansas. Obama was working as a civil rights attorney in Chicago.

And now let's travel in the way-back machine, way back to Obama's childhood. He was raised by his single mother, lived in Indonesia for four years, and lived with his grandparents for several more. His mom was on food stamps at one point. He knows, first hand, the problems that face middle America.

Clinton? Was hanging out in Illinois, then Yale, then in Arkansas, then in the White House. Working for Nixon and Goldwater, then for corporations, then for her husband.

I respect Clinton. I think she would make a decent president, certainly better than what we've got. But what we need right now is a great president, someone who has the ability to face tough times head-on. And I only see that in one candidate.

In closing, I say this. Lincoln. Lincoln was 50 when he was running for president that first term, and he had only had a few terms of relatively undistinguished experience in the Illinois Congressional delegation. He wasn't a newcomer in politics, by any means, but neither is Obama. And Lincoln faced hard times, harder than we've ever seen.

Obama probably won't be another Lincoln. But boy, if we can get a leader who is even a little bit close to the greatness of that man... we'd be in good shape.

Peaceful skies,
Sojourner

There it is. More on Lincoln/Obama similarities for the day after tomorrow. As for tomorrow... it will be a surprise!