I couldn't get excited about the caucus last night. Am I one of the few here who felt that way? Why am I having such a hard time getting behind Obama, Edwards or Clinton? Because, evidently the constitution of the United States, and the upholding of said document means more to me than any of the three top candidates.
I do not understand the major disconnect with Barack Obama. Here we have a man who has championed civil rights for much of his adult life; a very admirable cause to pursue. According to his website, he has helped register more than 150,000 African Americans to vote. As a civil rights lawyer, he has litigated employment and housing discrimination, as well as voting rights cases. But here is where the disconnect comes into play for me. I have an impossible time understanding how a man who has worked hard to empower so many people to vote can be so ready to just want to sweep the crimes of the Bush administration under the rug, pretend they didn't occur, and basically tell Americans that, from now on, we will have a more honest and open government.
It just doesn't work for me. Why? Because what good does it do to help people empower themselves, and to ensure that their rights are allowed to be used, if you don't work just as hard to pursue accountability in our governance? The right to vote, and the ability to do so mean absolutely nothing, if we refuse to acknowledge and address abuse of power and the undermining of constitutional law. People in positions of power MUST be held to the highest standards of accountability. The thousands of threads that make up the fabric of our society depend on it. That fabric becomes frayed, torn and begins to unravel, if abusive and corrupt leadership become ignored and left unchecked. The standard for accountability becomes lowered, as a result, and new and dangerous precedents are set into place. And that is where we are today. It is hard for me to understand why this does not concern Senator Obama. As someone who has done so much on civil rights issues, it would seem to me that a clarion call for action to focus attention on the corruption of the Bush administration would be a logical extension of his concern for every American's rights to actually have meaning.
To be fair, John Edwards has created the same problem for me. I watched a part of a question and answer session between Edwards and a group of voters at one of his rallies. The subject of impeachment came up, and a questioner asked Edwards what his stance on the issue of impeachment was. Edwards' reply, in so many words? He said that he acknowledged the administration was involved in criminal behavior, but that he was not for impeachment. Instead, he wanted to focus on getting himself nominated. (not exactly the kind of response I was hoping to hear from someone who wants me to put my faith in them as my leader) link
http://www.youtube.com/v/nATKGBpgR2o&rel=1 Not only did that response leave me cold, but when I think of Edwards, I can't ignore his co-sponsorship of the IWR. That type of irresponsibility cannot be apologized away.
I believe now, after last night's caucus results, that one of these two men will become the nominee for president, and I'm saddened that their ambition has overshadowed their duty as patriots. I'm much too old to be taken in by anyone's charisma or campaign rhetoric. I will come in from the cold and vote for our nominee, but I will get no warm fuzzy feeling by my vote. I will never feel good about politics again, until justice toward this administration has been served. Only then can we truly move forward.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
