Progressive World Review

The expectation was for Hillary Clinton to call for, in no uncertain terms, her supporters to pledge their support for Barack Obama and in an impassioned speech before the Democratic National Convention; Clinton delivered, in no uncertain terms.  Wasting no time, within the first few minutes, Clinton made it clear why she was there, “Barack Obama is my candidate, and he must be our president.”

Hillary Clinton talked at length about what was at stake, the souring economy, endless war and a government that served the privileged few over the needs of the many, and, speaking directly to those diehards reluctant to switch allegiances to Obama, she reminded everyone what it really is all about,

Tonight, I ask you to remember what a presidential election is really about. When the polls have closed and the ads are finally off the air, it comes down to you, the American people, and your lives, and your children’s (sic) futures.

[...]

I will always remember the single mom who had adopted two kids with autism. She didn’t have any health insurance, and she discovered she had cancer. But she greeted me with her bald head, painted with my name on it, and asked me to fight for health care for her and her children.

I will always remember the young man in a Marine Corps T-shirt who waited months for medical care. And he said to me, “Take care of my buddies. A lot of them are still over there. And then will you please take care of me?”

And I will always remember the young boy who told me his mom worked for the minimum wage, that her employer had cut her hours. He said he just didn’t know what his family was going to do.

[...]

I want you — I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me, or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him?

Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids?

Were you in it for that young boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage?

Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?

We need leaders once again who can tap into that special blend of American confidence and optimism that has enabled generations before us to meet our toughest challenges, leaders who can help us show ourselves and the world that with our ingenuity, creativity, and innovative spirit, there are no limits to what is possible in America. (emphasis added)

These are words that all Americans should heed, Clinton and Obama supporters alike.  There’s an all too common trait in this country to put unreal expectations on our elected leaders, especially the president.  And when those expectations go unmet we take the cynical attitude that “they’re all the same” and “nothing ever changes.”  This is largely due to a political structure, fed by corporate America, that’s highly resistant to change.  The political orthodoxy that calls for moderation and bipartisanship is ultimately to guarantee that the powers that be remain the powers that be.  So, any real change will not come about through a single election of one person, but rather from a concerted effort to make all public offices accountable to the people they’re meant to serve.

After sewing up the nomination Obama made a predictable, though apparently unexpected, turn to the right which had many of his followers disillusioned to the point of reconsidering their willingness to vote for him.  I too was surprised by some of his actions, especially his about face on FISA.  The point being, not only should this have been expected from someone who considers themselves a centrist to begin with, but also, by putting all your hopes on one person without taking on the system as a whole, you’re bound to be disappointed in the results.

The same applies to Clinton supporters.  It’s certainly understandable that, for instance, women who had hoped to shatter the one last great glass ceiling would be reluctant to give up the dream but, even as important as breaking this barrier would be, women’s rights and opportunities will not be fully realized through this one election.  More importantly, now that it’s clear that we won’t have a woman as our next president, what’s next, what’s plan B?

Personally, neither Obama nor Clinton was my first choice.  I respect both as individuals but I always felt that both were far too dependent on the existing political machine to be real agents of change.  But either one would be a much better choice for America than John McCain.  Many would call this choosing between the lesser of two evils but neither Obama nor Clinton are evil, just ill equipped to take on a power structure that has in fact put them both in the positions they currently hold.  McCain on the other hand has absolutely no desire bring about any change at all.  McCain will happily pursue the same radical policies of George Bush, his imperial presidency, the endless war brought about through the insatiable desire for world hegemony, and the unrestricted capitalism that is destroying the middle class.  And it’s for this reason that party unity among the Democrats is so important, far more important than which of these candidates gets the nod because neither of these people will be capable of returning America to Americans by themselves.  It’s going to take all of us to do that, working at all levels of government.

So to the Clinton supporters, the PUMAs, I understand your pain, my candidate didn’t get the nomination either but the stakes are far too high to bicker over who ultimately sits in the oval office.  Your substantial efforts would be far more effective in grass roots organizing than they will be in a fruitless effort to nominate Clinton, an effort that may very well turn back the clock for all women if McCain gets elected.

–Paul Wilden

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