Did you see last night’s Democratic National Convention coverage? The female Iraq war veteran who spoke about our abysmal treatment of vets in this country made me cry. Because she is right: whatever your opinion of the war (I think it’s a terrifying mistake that’s going to haunt our nation for a long time), of soldiers (I think most of them are too young and unprepared), of recruiting methods (let’s not even go there), these men deserve the best care after they put their bodies, minds, and spirits in the line of extreme violence. Use ‘em up, and throw ‘em out seems to be our administration’s policy.
What is really infuriating to me, though? The die-hard Hillary supporters (mostly women) who are so bitter they’re going to vote for McCain. This reminds me of when a child demands a toy/sweet/whatever, mom says after dinner/shopping/whatever, but because they’re not getting what they want right this second, they blow the whole thing by throwing a tantrum and never get the toy/sweet/whatever. I understand how deeply personal Hillary as a candidate was to a lot of people, to a lot of women, I think she would have been a great president. Those who are throwing a tantrum and voting for McCain, explaining their behavior by saying “Obama doesn’t have enough experience, he’s an elitist, he’s too much of a politician,” are making EXCUSES. What a farcical bunch of nonsense. Obama doesn’t have as much experience as Hillary, but Biden does, and so will his cabinet. The elitist remark is just laughable; do the people who pull this excuse out know ANYTHING about the way these two came up and currently live? Bunk. They’re both politicians, they both make too many promises they can’t possibly keep, they both have speech writers, image people, PR people, campaign managers. This is a contest; in order for someone to be elected, someone has to WIN. I understand Hillary represented something amazing and historical: the first woman president. I get that that was deeply personal and powerful to many people. However, I think that Barack represents essentially the same shift of a historical power balance that Hillary did. And let’s not play that game, of who has been more historically oppressed than who, women or black people; who “deserves” it more. Ranking oppressions is counterproductive and divisive. That’s why our administration loves to see all the minority/ women/ gay&lesbian/ mixed-race/ disability groups fighting over who deserves it more….everyone does, we should all fight for each other and against the real power. And whether Hillary in the White House or Barack, the real power will have shifted. Those who are going to throw a tantrum and vote for McCain were clearly “in it” just for Hillary. If they really cared about the state of this country and the “issues,” then they would rather move to Canada than face another four years of the same and worse. This administration has proven that unless you are like them, they don’t care about you; i.e. unless you are white, rich, and mostly male, you are undeserving of their time and effort.
I can’t wait to see/hear what Barack has to say tonight.
