Hope by CeeJay

“TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.”

Howard Zinn

“In the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.”

"I imagine they (American people) are waiting for a politics with the maturity to balance idealism and realism, to distinguish between what can and cannot be compromised, to admit the possibility that the other side might sometimes have a point."

Barack Obama

Having watched both the Republican and Democratic debates on CNN, I couldn’t help but contrast the style as well as the policies of the leading candidates. John McCain and Mitt Romney couldn’t let go of their egos long enough to stop sniping at each other during the debate even though they must have known that this was a complete turn off to voters. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had learned their lesson from the last debate and refused to step into the traps set by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to take them off message and into the desert of attack and counter attack.

The message that Obama and Clinton had for voters was not crafted by the two alone, but by the whole field of Democratic candidates in this presidential primary election. While the front running Republicans have pandered to, worried about, and fought for the support of the “social conservatives” and fretted over how to keep them coupled with their big business interests, Democratic candidates like Kucinich and Edwards have been challenging their party to listen to the people. I have to admit, neither Obama nor Clinton were my first choice in this election. When it comes to the issues, I agree most often with the positions of Dennis Kucinich. When it came to believing in someone to get something done in Washington, I was a supporter of Richardson, mostly because of his varied and extensive experience. I was especially reluctant to support Clinton even though we have a lot in common. We are, of course, the same sex. We are also the same age, and both of us grew up in the Midwest, Republican and Methodist. The experience of the sixties obviously had a profound effect on our our political opinions. I honestly wanted to be able to support Hillary, but because of the baggage she carries from her husband’s administration and her ties to lobbyists and Washington insiders, I just couldn’t. Barack Obama was exciting to me from the beginning, but I thought he was too inexperienced and doubted that he could muster the support that he needed to get elected and make real changes in Washington. Visions of the idealistic but politically naive Jimmy Carter came to mind. As much as I love Jimmy Carter, he just wasn’t ready to be president when he was cast into the White House and the den of Washington wolves.

The debate last night increased my respect for both Democratic candidates. I saw Obama address the issues with some concrete details, and Clinton kept her husband out of the spotlight long enough for her to be heard on her own. Both candidates proved that they could put aside their egos and actually address the problems their supporters are counting on them to solve. There are times in our nation’s history when the people have taken back their power from entrenched politicians. I have renewed hope that this is such a time. The debate last night was a victory for the people. The Democratic candidates seem to get it now. We are tired of the slogans and attack ads. We want real plans for fixing health care, getting out of Iraq, rebuilding our economy to open opportunity for everyone, and solving the energy crisis. We know that Americans don’t agree on a lot of issues, but we need leaders who can bring us together around our common values to solve the problems that confront this nation.

Even the Republican primary has given me some hope. I sometimes find myself agreeing with Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul, and even when I don’t agree, I have to respect them. That their point of view is being heard at all is refreshing. Now if we could just get Mitt and John to quit squabbling, the Republicans might be able to hear the voice of the people in their party too.