Running Towards Hope
Although politics runs in my family –my grandfather was a Minnesota legislator, my dad a Kennedy advisor, and my brother is a Maryland state senator–I haven’t done much more over the years than smooth on bumper stickers expressing support or disdain, depending.
This campaign has changed all that.
I have become energized. It is a vitality born of hope. And fear.
If the Republicans win, our civil rights will continue to be trampled, our presence in Iraq will calcify, access to health care will be further blocked, and the already threadbare safety net for millions of Americans will be completely shredded. I find the underlying disregard of these policies both shocking and disgusting.
Their political rallies, too, have degenerated into scenes reminiscent of that mob confrontation in To Kill A Mockingbird.
Unlike Atticus Finch — who imposed order on the threatening crowd with his decency–the Republican candidates have fanned the flames of aggression. I don’t think I will ever forget McCain’s weird smirking silence at the hate-speech coming from his admirers. By not immediately telling his minions to knock it off, he bears some of the responsibility for the virulently anti-Obama shouts of “Traitor!” “Terrorist!” and “Kill him!” that continue to hang in the air like toxic clouds. No matter how many belated (and subdued) exhortations to employ better manners will be delivered in days to come, this past week has revealed stunning equivocation in the ethics department.
Although I like the sentiment espoused by my car (”Had Enough? Vote Democrat”), I’m glad I have gone beyond bumper sticker involvement this time around. Over the past months I’ve registered voters, canvassed neighborhoods, and entered data in support of the Democratic ticket. I’ve given out buttons (I believe donning campaign gear solidifies voter follow-through on election day) and I’ve even forced myself to participate in phone banking (which left me so breathlessly nervous I’m pretty sure more than one person on the other end of the line mistook me for an obscene caller).
But it was worth it.
Because I really believe Barack Obama will lead us into a decent, saner, more humane future. And the alternative is truly frightening. This November I’m going to be voting my hopes… and my fears. The stakes couldn’t be higher.