I’m not there, but I’ve been watching when I can wrangle the remote from my daughter. My daughter is interested in watching Senator Obama also – but we’ve trained her early on to fall asleep when CSPAN is on (it was the only television program boring enough for her not to be interested in). I catch glimpses of BlogHer and QueenOfSpain on Twitter as well to get some ‘from the floor’ coverage.
As I type, I’m listening to Obama’s speech tonight – and I’m blown away. No mud-slinging, just his plan for the future. Tax cuts for the working class. A decade away from cutting Middle East oil dependency. Better wages for teachers. Health insurance that is cheaper and doesn’t discriminate against people that need it the most. Get our troops – our family members – out of the war overseas. These are the things that *I* want, things my family need, but things that all mothers need for their families.
These past eight years I’ve been so absolutely amazed that my family has survived. The first time President (W) Bush was elected, I swore up and down to my husband we were moving to Canada. The second time he was elected, I sat on the couch with my then-toddler daughter and cried. Every time I see him on television babbling on about the ‘axis of evil’ I really just want to up and smack him. How about sending KIDS from our country overseas to fight in ill-equipped tanks and getting blown up? THAT is evil. How does tax breaks to big companies make sense while small businesses (like the one my husband and I own) get smacked with increasing taxes and health insurance that costs $1,200 a month? How is it that I only get to leave my house once a week because gas prices are so high that I can’t afford more trips to the park with my kids?
Senator McCain, well, even separated from President Bush is no prize. Yes, I think he is very personable, very well spoken, and very charismatic. But that does not make his policies decent. How can he relate to 99% of the country (you know…the working class folks) when you don’t even know how many homes you and your wife own? A good number of the people he wants votes from don’t even own a home. On my resume, jobs I’ve held decades ago don’t really count against my present-day abilities, but he throws his service to this country around like the rest of us don’t love the States we live in.
It’s been said that Obama’s lack of experience will hurt him in this election. I say the hell with that. His lack of experience in the old-fashioned, out-dated, bloated, and broken high-level government is a bonus in my book. We need change, we need a new vision, we need someone that lives like us, was raised like us, and that cares about the future like us. I have never cared in the past about the elections except to go and vote, and get pissed about the results. This time, I donated money (several times) to the Obama campaign, I wear my Obama tee shirts with pride (and have ones for my children also), and I actively talk with people about the election. I am not Republican, I am not Democrat. I vote for people and policies, not parties.
I will watch the Republican National Convention as well, I don’t think it right not to hear both sides. But I can tell you, what I have seen and heard of McCain to date makes my heart sad. It makes me sad to think that his ideas and history actually appeal to people. I am related to a good number of McCain supporters. I’m disgusted to say that they are voting for McCain either because of race, or because they fear change more than they fear relief, or because they vote Republican. I cannot change my family, but with my one vote, maybe I can change the country.
[tags]Obama, Democratic National Convention, DNC, McCain[/tags]
