I just got off the phone with someone from Barack Obama's presidential campaign. They were looking for donations, volunteers, or at very least, a signup for their mailing list. I refused to give them any of these things.
A few days ago, my brother tried mightily to get me to admit that Obama would win the presidency in 2008. I refused.
Why am I so obstinate?
First of all, the filing deadlines for running for President of the United States, which vary by state, are generally between September 2007 and January 2008. In other words, we still have at least another 7 months to see who comes forward to run. I'm not picking a candidate until I know who the candidates are. Reasonable?
Second of all, most of the candidates who have already declared are serving in elected positions right now. Rather than criss-crossing the country trying to appeal to black voters or the religious right, they should be doing their jobs. We're in a critical political period, and we need all hands on deck.
Third of all, pointless news about the presidential candidates is already obliterating coverage of far more important stories, and that's wrong. We get precious little reporting on real news as it is.
However, since it seems that the candidates are bent on this whole "early lead" concept, (how quickly they forget Howard Dean), I ask just one thing. If you're going to stump, at least pledge to do something instead of speechifying.
You can't prove that you care about civil rights by waxing poetic on historical moments of the past. You prove it by telling people how you intend to reduce the unemployment rate among African Americans, or what you plan to do about the still-worrisome Patriot Act.
You don't convince people that you give a damn about blue-collar workers by endlessly pointing out your parent's blue-collar roots. You do it by listing the steps you'll take to keep jobs right here in the US and to create new ones. You do it by pledging to re-negotiate our free trade agreements as fair trade agreements, thus stemming the flow of jobs overseas (and stemming the tide of illegal immigrants over our borders).
Lastly, you can't ride Al Gore's coattails on the environment by using phrases like, "Someday, our cars will run on hydrogen." You convince people that you're serious by promising to help fund the California hydrogen corridor initiative, making California's fuel standards apply nationwide and promoting cool roofs.
I have no patience for speechifying. I don't care how pretty your words are or how many emotional buttons you can push. Until you're willing to tell me something concrete that you intend to do, leave me alone.