I begin with a confession – I have had a difficult time making myself vote, for it was hard for me to like any of the candidates and their parties. It bothered me how very sound candidates like Richardson could make hardly a stir, and I wished candidates would tackle the hard issues harder, with less fear of the polls.
Yet I now support Obama – and I feel I must justify myself.
I support Obama, in the end, not only because I believe is he is the better bet, but because he is the superior dream. The worst case scenario for both candidates is roughly equal, although I think Clinton has more downside potential, due both to her own limitations and the inescapable baggage she hauls with her. And because of those limitations and that baggage, the upside potential of Clinton is hard to locate. But Obama is quite another case – as widely noted, he represents the imaginative possibility of significant positive change, not only to citizens of the US, but to diverse billions across the world. I think his election will make those billions, who also need better dreams, think anew about their beliefs concerning the US. Note how I said ‘imaginative possibility’ – and imagination is an important, even necessary factor at this time, for a hope you cannot imagine cannot move. In regards to Clinton, I strongly suspect it is far easier to imagine great disaster than great success from her. She probably deserves better, but that is how it is, and most of us really know it. But I can imagine greatness coming from Obama. It may be fantasy, but, since the downsides of both candidates are pretty equal, why not take a chance on fantasy? Especially when Obama’s election, without question, will signal the possibility of a new direction in politics. It’s been a long time since we and the world could imagine a new direction, not just the lesser of two evils.
No comments:
Post a Comment