It’s Not Over Til It’s Over

I’ve watched with amusement as folks drooled and fawned over Obama and then went into cardiac arrest over New Hampshire. Nevada came and went and now South Carolina is being touted as “make or break” for Barack. People are whispering about the “Bradley Effect” and making dire predictions about the fate of the African-American who would be president.

Come, now, people. Let’s not get our undies in a bundle. It’s a long time until this is decided, we've only had a few primaries and Barack’s rolling in dough. He’s also got one of the best political operatives in the country running his show – Daley’s guy, David Axelrod, who has virtually guaranteed that Daley will be mayor until the day he dies or retires. He’s survived some of the roughest politics in the country during his days in the Illinois senate. He’s bright and tough and resilient.

Obama’s got my vote. He’s got my vote because I’ve spent a substantial amount of time listening to him and researching him. He’s got my vote because friends who know him personally say he’s totally righteous. He’s got my vote because I think he understands that we don’t just need policy changes in this country – we need fundamental change in the way this country operates – politically, socially, and economically. He’s got my vote because he understands that he can’t do it by himself. I’ve heard him say time and again that change must come, not from the top down, but from the bottom up. That appeals to that part of me that's still Mennonite. Even though operating from the bottom up is a messy, emotional, divisive, time-consuming way to run a church or a country, it’s the only way if we are serious about change. And, if Obama truly believes what I hear him saying, policy change will come as a result of the basic, fundamental change we all make together. He’s got my vote because I believe he’s honest and forthright and says what needs to be said. He's got my vote because he's promised to listen before he leaps. He's got my vote because he has a larger world view. He's got my vote because I believe his election would be a tremendous asset in restoring America's good name, a name and stature which has been so terribly damaged. And, he's got my vote because my husband, a very wise man, says, "Can you imagine what electing a brother would say to the rest of the world?"

Obama’s got my vote because I’ve worked for women like Hillary, with the tight smile that never quite makes it to her eyes, women who are mean-spirited and evil-tempered, women who are your worst enemy one day and want to be your best friend the next, women whose vainglory and vacillation can cause motion sickness. And she reminds me of all of them. I might have held my nose and voted for her, had she become the Democratic candidate, but after Bad Bill’s performance the last week or so, there’s no way in hell I can do it. I admit it, I loved Bill and looked the other way when his libido went haywire; I laughed when folks called him the “first black president;” I believed in the vast right wing conspiracy. No more. I might be inclined to be a little more forgiving, but I’m reading Carl Bernstein’s book, “A Woman in Charge,” and not only has it given me some interesting ideas about the Clintons’ relationship, it is scaring me silly. I’m not going to review it here – read it for yourself. Then, think about how the Clintons have acted the last couple of weeks, recall the insinuations and the snide remarks, consider the sly injection of race into this contest. Then tell me you won’t be scrambling to get on the Progressives for McCain bandwagon – I’m kidding, I'm kidding! I’ll stay home before I vote for McCain. And, I’ll stay home before I vote for Hillary.