Folks have been asking me why I endorse Obama, so I wrote this...
Friends, Romans, countrypersons --
I think Barack Obama should be the next President of the United States because:
- He comes primarily from an activist background rather than a political background. No president in my lifetime has taught constitutional law, much less for over a decade; no president in my lifetime has served as a full-time civil rights attorney, much less for over a decade; no president in my lifetime has transitioned so seamlessly from the world of issue activism to the world of politics.
- He energizes a new bloc of voters. When Ronald Reagan won in 1980, carrying 49 states, it wasn't just a victory for Reagan--it was a victory for the four million evangelical voters who showed up in 1980, and have played a crucial role in Republican victories ever since. Now Barack Obama, to a degree far greater than that of Howard Dean four years ago, has energized young progressive voters to show up at the polls--voters from the post-second wave, post-desegregation era, voters who represent a generation that is as skeptical of government as it is radically inclusive of all persons, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. And just as the Reagan Revolution changed politics for the previous generation, the Obama Revolution can change politics for the next generation.
- He has the most humane approach to universal health care. Mandates are great in theory, but look at what's happening in Massachusetts--where people are paying punitive fines willingly because they can't afford health insurance. If universal health insurance ever loses some of its subsidy funding under a future president, then a universal health insurance mandate fine will amount to a tax on the poor.
- He has the most humane approach to Iraq. As someone who has written full-time for eight years, I know a little bit about deadlines. And I know that open-ended deadlines are the worst kinds of deadlines to have, because then nobody knows when the project will actually come to an end. If Obama says 16 months, come rain or shine, then the U.S. government and Iraqi government and the Iraqi people know when U.S. forces will be leaving, and appropriate measures can be taken to ensure that everybody who needs to be evacuated can be evacuated on schedule. If Hillary Clinton says maybe less than a year, maybe much longer, then how will charities know when to evacuate their workers? How will private contractors? How will the Iraqi government know when they will have to have their own forces ready to take over? If we are going to have an intentional withdrawal policy--and I think that point can be debated--then the only way to enact that policy is to establish a clear timetable for withdrawal.
- He has the most humane approach to immigration. One issue that has come up recently is his unpopular stance in support of immigrant driver's licenses. While the idea of giving driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants may sound radical at first, consider the alternative: If undocumented immigrants don't have driver's licenses, then they can't get auto insurance. If they can't get auto insurance, then all of the safety benefits that come with universal auto insurance are eliminated for millions of people, which doesn't do anyone any favors. If undocumented immigrants are here and driving (and they are on both counts), then licenses are a must.
I know that not everybody will agree with me on this endorsement, and I respect that. We're fortunate to have an exceptionally strong crop of candidates this year. But I don't believe in doing things quietly, so this is my characteristically public endorsement of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Here's hoping.
This is magnificent!
ReplyDeleteFolks have been asking me why I endorse Obama, so I wrote this...
Friends, Romans, countrypersons --
I think Barack Obama should be the next President of the United States because:
- He comes primarily from an activist background rather than a political background. No president in my lifetime has taught constitutional law, much less for over a decade; no president in my lifetime has served as a full-time civil rights attorney, much less for over a decade; no president in my lifetime has transitioned so seamlessly from the world of issue activism to the world of politics.
- He energizes a new bloc of voters. When Ronald Reagan won in 1980, carrying 49 states, it wasn't just a victory for Reagan--it was a victory for the four million evangelical voters who showed up in 1980, and have played a crucial role in Republican victories ever since. Now Barack Obama, to a degree far greater than that of Howard Dean four years ago, has energized young progressive voters to show up at the polls--voters from the post-second wave, post-desegregation era, voters who represent a generation that is as skeptical of government as it is radically inclusive of all persons, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. And just as the Reagan Revolution changed politics for the previous generation, the Obama Revolution can change politics for the next generation.
- He has the most humane approach to universal health care. Mandates are great in theory, but look at what's happening in Massachusetts--where people are paying punitive fines willingly because they can't afford health insurance. If universal health insurance ever loses some of its subsidy funding under a future president, then a universal health insurance mandate fine will amount to a tax on the poor.
- He has the most humane approach to Iraq. As someone who has written full-time for eight years, I know a little bit about deadlines. And I know that open-ended deadlines are the worst kinds of deadlines to have, because then nobody knows when the project will actually come to an end. If Obama says 16 months, come rain or shine, then the U.S. government and Iraqi government and the Iraqi people know when U.S. forces will be leaving, and appropriate measures can be taken to ensure that everybody who needs to be evacuated can be evacuated on schedule. If Hillary Clinton says maybe less than a year, maybe much longer, then how will charities know when to evacuate their workers? How will private contractors? How will the Iraqi government know when they will have to have their own forces ready to take over? If we are going to have an intentional withdrawal policy--and I think that point can be debated--then the only way to enact that policy is to establish a clear timetable for withdrawal.
- He has the most humane approach to immigration. One issue that has come up recently is his unpopular stance in support of immigrant driver's licenses. While the idea of giving driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants may sound radical at first, consider the alternative: If undocumented immigrants don't have driver's licenses, then they can't get auto insurance. If they can't get auto insurance, then all of the safety benefits that come with universal auto insurance are eliminated for millions of people, which doesn't do anyone any favors. If undocumented immigrants are here and driving (and they are on both counts), then licenses are a must.
I know that not everybody will agree with me on this endorsement, and I respect that. We're fortunate to have an exceptionally strong crop of candidates this year. But I don't believe in doing things quietly, so this is my characteristically public endorsement of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Here's hoping.
Here, here! :)
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