Up until this morning, I have been uncommitted in the primary, leaning Hillary, second choice Obama. I have found myself defending Hillary's policies and her overall approach to politics in several venues and on many occasions. This was based primarily on a careful, point-by-point comparison of her policy positions with those of Obama: basically, her policy statements appear [to me] to be much stronger, much better thought out, and much better integrated to form a unified program. I still think that that is true.
However, this morning I smelled something new in the air. It's a kind of Proustian experience, it's a smell that I haven't experienced since I was in high school in the 1960's when JFK was in the White House. I think it is a fragrance that emanates from a combination of sources: the South Carolina primaries, Caroline Kennedy's Op-Ed, comments of acquaintances from overseas. It's the smell of momentum, of hope, of unity, and--dare I say it--of America under President Barack Obama.
This was a very powerful experience for me, and it definitely cleared my head. I'll expand this a bit below.
First and foremost, we cannot allow the Republicans to win this election. Not only the presidential election, but we absolutely must increase the Democratic majority in Congress. I've always believed that, but I think that this new scent may give us a way to do it.
I believe that it is now time for solidarity. It is time for the Democratic Party to unite under the Obama banner. None of the other candidates in either party have anything like Obama's unifying quality, and so if we are to achieve solidarity, it will be with Barack Obama. Unifying behind such a force is the only way we can create a sweep that will significantly improve our standing the Congress. If we continue to pick away at each other, it will weaken our momentum. If this happens, we might still win the presidency, but not improve our situation in Congress, producing more gridlock. This would be disgusting.
It is time to leave divisiveness behind, and that means Hillary [and Bill] Clinton and John Edwards. Not because they are bad or wrong, but because solidarity requires facing the world from a single front.
If we do this, and if Obama becomes president, then I for one will work to make sure that the details are not forgotten, that the Bush administration's crimes and incompetence are not ignored. Maybe Edwards and one or both Clintons will have a role to play in an Obama administration, I don't know. I hope that they do.
However, all of those considerations are simply not significant enough to change my vote away from Obama at this point. The benefits of solidarity, unity, hope absolutely trump the details of policies and of punishing the criminals who have damaged our nation. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that any policy or prosecution that endangered our solidarity would probably not be worth pursuing. It pains me to say that, but I think it's true.
Well, this is only one of what I hope becomes a slew of "conversion diaries" as the party begins to hear the coffee and smell the music (so to speak) of a victorious Obama campaign.
Cheers,
Greg Shenaut