My Parents Voting for John McCain?
June 27, 2008 by tha-kid
I was talking to my mother yesterday because Senator John McCain had recently made a visit to my hometown of Fresno, California. She said that actually she was unaware that he was even in town until after it happened, but she wished she knew. She will be voting for John McCain. What!? She will be voting for John McCain! My mother has been a Democrat since she knew what the word meant. She has NEVER ever even considered voting for a Republican. So what could get her to vote for one now?
Let me tell you, it is not because John McCain has used his charm and political leadership to win over her vote. For my father, who has likely been voting Republican for years, it wasn’t anything new. What was new on that front is that he might NOT vote for McCain but a third party. For my mother it was Hillary Clinton. During the days that at times Sen. Obama called the divisive days of the 90’s, my mother stood tall in her support of President Bill Clinton. She loved his leadership, and felt he was being wronged. In 2008, when Hillary launched her campaign, my mother was right on board. She even refused to give my younger brother a ride to the polls because he might have voted for Obama. As the campaign went on, and the attacks got greater, my mother got more mad. When it seemed to come to an end, lets just say she was pissed off. Those wounds haven’t healed, and in my mothers words, “They won’t, unless he picks her.” Picks her? Yes, my mother won’t vote for Sen. Obama unless he selects her to be his running mate as Vice President.
I don’t think that my mother is unique. I think that she represents the voice of millions of women and other voters who gave their time, tears, and painfully helped wage a historic campaign for the White House on behalf of Mrs. Clinton. To many of them, she should be awarded with the Vice Presidential nomination, and I am proud to announce I agree.
Senator Clinton has spent her life fighting for people in poverty, people who look like me. She has spent a career advocating for just what America needs at this time, and that is healthcare for all Americans, that is affordable and works. Her experience on the details of this issue that cripples many family budgets, is bringing down budgets of states and local governments nationwide, and is the largest expense of businesses that drive them to other countries, is what he needs. Her willingness to fight for things that are important regardless of what the storyline might be tomorrow is what he needs. Her ability to seek compromise, but only good compromise, and have friendly relationships with countless numbers of people on the other side of the aisle is what he needs.
So when it comes to who should be selected to the job of inquiring daily as to the health of the President, and preside over the proceedings of the Senate, I nominate Hillary Clinton.
Tha-Kid JK
tha-kid@revkitchen.com
I know beggars can’t choosers, but does Obama really want a supporter who tried to impede the democratic process during the primaries? Okay that might be stretching it a bit, but seriously, I don’t see where this anger is coming from. Clinton was at least at negative towards Obama as he was towards her, and how she is supporting him and speaking on his behalf. If Clinton had gotten the nomination, no doubt I would have been mad, and I certainly would have looked into third parties, but in the end both Obama and Clinton are certainly better than McCain. It sounds like your mother’s vote is going to be based on a personal grudge. There are enough reasons that his current supporters don’t want Obama to pick Clinton for VP that he can’t go around appeasing her and some of her supporters who are holding a grudge. Clinton is speaking enthusiastically on Obama’s behalf, and that should be enough. Besides, shouldn’t the election be more about a candidates beliefs than their personality (I’m being idealistic, I know)? Clearly, Obama and Clinton are much closer ideologically than McCain and Clinton.
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Obama has been working hard in the ghetto and on the behalf of poor people everywhere for many years too. Obvisouly you need people at the top looking out for the people on the bottom. But I don’t think Hillary would be a good addition to the ticket.
1. The Republicans are sure to throw more of Bill’s dirt around (Vanity Fair anyone?)
2. Hillary’s face is sure to appear in GOP attack ads, when she questions his ability as commander in chief to be lower than the war loving John McCain.
3. Will Bill be able to keep his mouth shut and not second guess every time Obama make suffers a political loss or makes a mistake?
4. Will Hillary be able to run a successful campaign in 2016? Hopefully she won’t make the same mistakes she made in ‘08 like hiring Mark Penn and spending large amounts of money on non-essential services and events prior to voting.
He defiantly needs to bring someone from the Hillary camp in (Al Gore?). And Hillary needs to be given a role of importance, maybe in the cabinet and put Hillary over Health & Human Services.
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Mike thanks for your comments. I will say this my mother or the Clinton campaign at no point in this election sought to impede the process. I know at least for my mothers stand point her anger comes from a year of what she saw as biased reporting from a media that just couldn’t get their arm around the Obama mania and report it fairly. It comes from a deep understanding the things that Sen. Clinton has had to undergo to become the force in politics that she is today.
Let me also just explain that the resistance in the Obama camp to an Obama-Clinton ticket is small and unconvincing. It is from a small group of his supporters who think that he needs to take the spoils of war. That will lead to a sound defeat in November. Obama didn’t win the nomination outright. He didn’t even win a majority of the votes/delegates in the primary. Currently the split is more 49-48. His decision as to who will be Vice President is surly a possible profile in courage. Now we just have to see if he’ll take it.
I once again thank you for your comments anytime.
Tha-Kid JK
tha-kid@revkitchen.com
http://www.revkitchen.com
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Mike, Hillary Clinton did not “impede” the democratic process. She knew what was best for America, which was her being President. Hillary may not want Obama being president, as Dick Morris pointed out on Friday. I may not even support the assemblyman from Chicago (Obama) either, and look for alternatives like Bob Barr or yes, even John McCain.
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Josh;
Thanks for your comment to my blog. I will say that I believe that as an individual Sen. Clinton will be more effective in the Senate then as Vice President. The level of things she can do will be more in the Congress than as Vice President. However I have been active in the party for a long time. I have practiced party politics for sometime and know the party. I believe that in this election year the Democratic Party can’t lose unless we defeat ourselves. The fastest and sure fire way to heal our broken party is to nominate her as Vice President.
1) With or without her on the ticket the GOP will continue to use her primary charges against him. By not having her on the ticket could lead some of her supporters to believe she still feels that way and isn’t in the campaign totally.
2) If she is selected to run with him it will be important for the campaign to define how they will use Bill and control his access. This was likely the failure of the Clinton campaign. They wanted him to be seen as a regular spouse and the world just didn’t see it that way.
3) If Hillary ran in 2016 (which I doubt she will since she will be 68) I am sure her campaign will be more polished, however people have overblown their mistakes in this election. It is sad that we forget the way elections use to be ran and just live in the now. Compared to past election campaigns she ran a great one, mobilized more voters than any other candidate for President.
4) I can’t see Hillary as a Cabinet Secretary in an Obama Administration. As Vice President she could be more of a partner however as a Secretary it would force her to be more submissive then I think is in her nature, or the role the millions of women want to she her serve.
5)It is time to acknowledge that Al Gore is not from the Clinton circle.
I thank you again for your comments and hope to engage each other in future conversations.
Tha-Kid JK
tha-kid@revkitchen
http://www.revkitchen.com
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