Tonight was amazing. After an intense hour and a half yoga practice where I've begun to see change in my body and ability to engage in poses I've never been able to do before, I came home, turned on the coverage of the Iowa caucuses, cooked dinner (scallops and veggies with black bean and garlic sauce), took a hot shower, and was inspired nearly to tears by Obama.
I was reminded by his speech tonight about Obama's ability to really light a fire and engage people in democracy. In 2004, there were 2 speeches that really affected me in 2 very different ways.
1. Obama - yes, I was watching CSPAN that hot August early evening in Davis, CA. I was moved to tears, because this amazing man's words had the ability to tap into a part of me that had been buried long ago by my cynical layers of armor. I'd given up long ago on the possibility of democracy in our messed up country, but still begrudgingly voted because I believe it's my obligation as a citizen - like taxes and jury duty. I suddenly felt myself believing again in the potential of this increasingly diverse country to engage the masses for real change.
2. Al Sharpton - dude... this man is a comedic genius!
If Gravel or Kucinich were viable candidates, I would be all about them. FYI, Gravel is from Western Mass, like me :-) Kucinich called on Iowa's Caucus folks to go with Obama if he was not viable. So, while I really think Kucinich and Gravel are the only 2 candidates with real systemic change plans, especially for health care, I will go with Obama.
I go with Obama, even though I don't really like his healthcare plan. I go with Obama, even though I don't agree with his stance on marriage equity. I go with Obama, even though he voted to build the waste of money border fence. Healthcare, immigration, education, international fair trade, peace, and women's rights are the 6 issues for me. Then why would I support a candidate that hasn't offered anything that would really change things on 2 of my issues? It comes down to this - democracy, with a small "d". I have never seen a candidate engage the people and excite people to get ACTIVE in the democratic process. My dad, after becoming a citizen in 1982 has voted: Reagan, Bush, Bush, Dole, Gore, Kerry. ODD! Yes, he's a typical indy voter that leans right. And this year, he is actively supporting OBAMA!? The Obama campaign, perhaps due to his history as a community organizer, has really engaged the youth vote. Anyone who can finally engage this sleeping giant (YOUTH!) has my vote! It will be interesting to see whether he'll be able to activate the other sleeping giant I care about - Asian Americans.
So, when it comes down to it. I care about change. And as I see it, there's 2 kinds of change that can happen. I think Gravel, Kucinich, Hillary, Edwards, and Obama could all bring policy change. The difference is that I think Obama has something that no one else has - the ability to bring policy change through cultural change - to me a more important type of change right now, which naturally leads to systemic change. If Obama becomes our President, he will bring change in how we as a nation engage in democracy. That's what I believe. So even if he hasn't casted Senate votes in the way I would like, I still feel that I could actively engage in democratic dialogue, under an Obama presidency, to work with my neighbors and fellow citizens to advocate for my vision in collectively pushing for change.
