In one month the United States goes to the polls to elect it's next president. This will be the 5th time I've voted for president. I grew up around politics and my father was actively involved in Mo Udall's presidential campaign in 1976 when I was 5. I don't remember too much about the campaign although my parents did split up a year later. I wonder if there was any connection? I don't dare ask. Something are better left unknown.Anyway, I wanted to vote ever since I could remember. My dad worked for Jimmy Carter doing the media advancing for his international trips and was always going overseas during his term as president. He went to Poland, Egypt, Brazil, Nigeria and others I can't remember. I missed him a lot but got lots of cool presents and peripheral knowledge of all of these places, none of which I've been able to visit yet but I will. I went with my dad to the DNC convention in New York in 1980 and San Francisco in 1984. I was excited about the possibility of a Mondale/Ferraro presidency but being so young I didn't feel too much connection to them. Clinton was the first president I voted for and never thought of not supporting the Democratic candidate in 2000 and 2004. Gore wasn't the most charismatic guy on the planet but he sure as hell was better as well all know now, than the disaster that we have had be our president for the last 4 years. In my community, supporting democrats isn't a given, during the 2000 race Allison asked me on stage at a Bratmobile show who I was voting for (I still haven't let her off the hook!) because she was supporting Nader. Erin wisely declined to respond, but I immediately said "Gore." My dad told me later I should have said "anyone but Bush", but I wasn't hip to that yet. I had a flight home from DC to Oakland on eve that year and Nader was sitting next to me on the plane. I ran to the back and called Dad to tell him and he said "did you punch him in the face?" I did not, but I think about it often.
I don't blame Nader for Gore losing the election, progressives should want to do more than settle for "anyone but Bush" but there is something inside me that has always felt more pragmatic about radical change, that it takes time, but in many cases the stakes are too high to not make compromising decisions. We've spent over $800 billion on the Iraq war and the deaths and casualties are difficult to estimate. Almost 5,000 U.S. troops and over 100,000 Iraqi's killed. A complete and utter disastrous tragedy that I think most of us believe would not be our reality if Gore had been elected outright in 2000. But it didn't move this country to vote Kerry in in 2004 and here we sit today. And I finally feel hopeful.
Not overly confident of course, but hopeful. The possibility exists that not only could we have a better candidate than the republican option, but we might have someone who could put this country on a path towards true change. A path of fairness, where education, nutrition, reproductive freedom, economic opportunities for all and peace are priorities. I am driven to tears sometimes thinking that I might witness in my lifetime the first African American president of the United States. It's so important. We are ready and we need to make a radical statement to the world that this is what we want. In 4 weeks we'll know if we have the power.
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