Trust Me... Him... Us... Yourself

Why have the democrats turned into a bunch of nervous nellies? We have EVERY reason to believe that we will be victorious in November and yet the hand wringing, second guessing, fear of failure set is still dominating the dialogue.

Time and again the press pushes a button and we are spun out by the spin .The latest of these ridiculous suggestions is that McCain might have the last laugh with his ludicrous choice of running mate. Could Sara Palin possibly be a good idea? Maybe Democrats should worry about her appeal? Will this move demonstrate some mystifying tactical genius?

No. She is exactly as she appears to be, she is a terrible choice. There is not a Hillary voter alive who would cast her lot with this creature. They were pissed off and they said so but I know a lot of these folks and they are smart, scary smart and they are not to be trifled with. Mr. Obama was wise to give them credit and to give Mrs. Clinton her due at the convention in Denver. Another thing the press attempted to create drama around. Will Hillary do the right thing? Will the Democrats remain divided? Should Obama give the Clintons so much time? Will the heavens open up and rain toga wearing frogs upon our heads?

No. Hillary not only did the right thing, she was spectacular and she proved that Obama was right to give her a starring role. The Hillary voters have great hearts as well as keen minds and as they demonstrate in Denver they are dedicated Democrats who understand what is at stake in this election. . They are not about to sit down for a bowl of moose stew with some creationist anti-choice, anti-environment Republican nutter, just because she is a woman. The mere thought of it is laughable.

Why are we are unable to trust our own instincts? We chose a great candidate and he has made great choices. It is time to breathe deep and believe in this campaign and the folks who are leading it. They are doing a terrific job. They are playing to win and so far it appears they are doing just that. At the very least they have managed to unnerve the Republicans and positively derail John McCain. The man appears to have booked full passage on the snowmobile to Cukooville.

Since the beginning of this process the media have been convinced and have tried to convince us that America is a land of bigots who could not possibly elect a person of color to the highest office in the land. They have waxed on about "fear of the other". They have peered at every statistic trying to find evidence that. White males will never vote for a oh hold on ... it's Latino women who will never vote for a ...oops no wait Asian twins will never vote for a ahem ... well surely some group is out there who will never vote for a .... BLACK man and by God the press is going to find them out. Should we fear that America will turn out to be an unthinking secretly racist land of limitation?

No. Americans will elect Barack Obama to the presidency. They will do this because he is the best candidate for the job. They will do this because they want America to be the best country it can be. They will do it because this is America and in spite of or maybe because of the last eight years we will rise to the occasion. We have made our share of mistakes, but, we have always struggled to right our wrongs. I trust us ..you ...him .. me.

In Denver I had the privilege of standing, (and standing and standing) with a remarkable array of citizens. The group assembled in the mile high city could not have been more diverse, but it was also staunchly united. There were seminars and speeches and rallies and outreach about a variety of causes and interests. The Democratic Party is a big tent to be certain, but gathered beneath it, we stood as one.

Bill Clinton was terrific. John Kerry inspired. Hillary's appearance with her delegation to nominate Barack was one of the most breathtaking political moments in memory. Beau Biden brought us to tears and Michelle Obama redefined the word radiant. The week built to a perfect crescendo which prompted the handwringers to wonder if Obama would be up to the challenge. Would he be dwarfed by the stadium? Would he fail to live up to expectations? Would he appear to be a mere rock star unequipped to lead us in these tenuous times?

No. He delivered a speech that was as brilliant as it was impassioned at once clear eyed and heart-wrenching. He proved once again that knows how to lead and has assembled an expert political team. They are as good as I have ever seen. It doesn't get better. He proved once again that we can trust his instincts and his talent.

I am not saying that this will be easy, but we can and we will prevail. We have seen more than our share of disappointment in the last decade and as a party we have had our failures, but we cannot allow ourselves to be defined by doubt. The Rovians are ruthless but they are not all powerful and they seem unable to grasp the issues of the day. We have tactics of our own and do not need to adopt a single page from their playbook. We are on the right side of history and we will take our place in it.

I end with this story: Leaving the Mile High Stadium I got separated from my friends and ended up exiting out the back of the field. I walked for miles searching initially for transportation and eventually for signs of life. I found myself alone along a stretch of houses that appeared abandoned; their windows dark behind plywood and far too quiet, the only ambient sound that of my own footsteps. I was beginning to do a little hand wringing of my own, when a young Latino man stepped out of the shadows and lit a cigarette. He studied me for a moment this weird white lady sporting a plethora of Obama pins and paraphernalia " Dude", he said," you can't be here" . I took a deep breath, a wisp of his smoke curling into my lungs. "Well, I am here and have no idea how I got here or where here is" "You better stay with me until we can get you outta here". He said, eyes rolling but, resigned to this fate. He escorted me in silence, texting for help, trying to find a cab or car or whatever. Clearly he wished to unburden himself of my dubious company. Finally a ride was arranged with a West African fellow named Issa who agreed to take me back to the City.

As I turned to get in the car the young man was expressionless as he lit another cigarette. "Thank you," I said and smiled. He shrugged goodbye and turned away blowing a long plume of Marlboro then pivoted toward me, suddenly calling out "Hey dude ... this Obama guy, you know they say, you know that he's black and you know, that he can't they will never and we won't and so what do you think? Can he you know, could he? Any chance he will he win? "

I looked into his eyes and they were young and pleading behind a glaze of indifferent manhood.

Hope was alive in this jaded kid on this on this darkest of streets. I did not hesitate and fixed his gaze.

"Yes. Trust me."

Comments

[greejambri]

I'm not worried about how the country will vote, my concern is about how the votes will (or will NOT) be counted. The Dems won in 2000 and 2004, too, from my perspective. I hope the Obama campaign has a strong plan in place to ensure the integrity of the vote on November 4.

[Valkyrie]

The only way the Republicans can win . . . THE ONLY WAY . . . is to steal the election. There is nothing else to think about. Just prepare for it be stolen and say Gotcha! when we see it happening.

[elroybug]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for writing this blog.

I am so sick and tired of dems attacking Barack because he has not responded immediately or in excatly the way that they think he should have ( as if they are experts at poilitcal campaigning). I have read some pretty cynical posts. He has run an unbelievably disciplined and effective campaign against the Clintons and against McCain. He has more than done his part. He is NOT the saviour of your world. People need to get off of their non-stop "posting and self-righteous" behinds and go outside of their doors and literally register some people to vote!

[Phaedrusnyc]

Beth, those of us who see the very real possibility of a McCain victory in November are not simply being "nervous nellies." We are standing against complacency. We were SO SURE that we would win last time, remember? How could Bush POSSIBLY be re-elected after that disastrous first term?
And yet he was.
The absolute DUMBEST thing we can do right now is calling it a victory before it actually is one. There is a LOT of work to do between now and November, not least of which is making sure that every vote is counted. Something that has not happened in the last two "elections," and something that is being prevented yet again, as we natter on about out own presumed inevitability. Read Greg Palast's reports and call me a "nervous nelly." I dare you.

[BassMent]

Simply outstanding, Beth.

Yes, I have fallen victim to these feelings of impending doom myself. I have allowed myself to believe the poll numbers that I know in my rational mind have been inappropriately weighted to make this look like a close race. I have engaged in pointless hand-wringing.

But what you say is true. McCain-Palin is a crap ticket, it's wrong for America and people know it now and will know it even more clearly in the wake of the debates. Senator Clinton will come out roaring and call out Palin for the false feminist she is (man, if I were Hillary I would be SOOO PISSED OFF by the Palin choice).

But we all have to work as well. Even though I live in Rhode Island (which I predict will go 70% Obama), I am still making myself available to the local Obama office. I may not be able to go door-to-door (unless I drive up to New Hampshire!), but I can get on the phones and make some calls. And even though I am perpetually broke, I can find a few bucks to chip in to the Obama campaign.

If everyone who believes in the change we need in this country does these few simple things, we will win.

Keep your eyes on the prize... and on the voting process on 11/04!!

[Gma11]

Beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.

[Djackson56]

Seriously Beth...this is one of the nicest things I've ever read. And, at the risk of sounding corny, the last part brought me to tears. Thanks much for helping to feel better and to "wring hands" less....at least for today.

[Djackson56]

It's hard not to hand-wring, until the results are actually in, given the last eight years of trauma, misery, deceit, and horror.

[Higbyguy]

Thank you, Beth, for injecting a little more hope into this hopeful campaign. I know it's been difficult over the last few years for Democrats to win elections when the Republicans have rigged the election machinery for themselves. Someone once said that Republicans are very good at getting elected but very bad at governing once they're in office. How true.

But I agree wholeheartedly with you that this year is different. I'm not a Pollyanna but I see all the enthusiasm on the side of Progressives who are ready to take their country back. How many seats would McCain have filled at Mile High Stadium?

A lot of the hand wringing is sincere but a lot of the worrying has a purpose: to get Obama supporters to the polls. That's fine. Let's do everything we can to get Obama elected even if it means scaring the Bejesus out of people.

But let's also leave a little room for hope. Beth Broderick style.

[MadFae]

I see this as well, but it's fairly obvious that Dems were traumatized by their failure to put Kerry in the White House even after the disastrous first four years of a Bush presidency. I remember feeling stunned. Overwhelmed. Betrayed. I was shocked to find that such a large number of our citizens still wanted Bush to lead us. I felt like I was on another planet. So now that confidence is gone. I find myself saying "of course we'll win" and then the inevitable­..."but...­." and "what if...." creep into my mind. In some ways I think this is a good thing. We will not underestimate our opponent. If the GOP finds our hand-wringing laughable, we'll see who is laughing on inauguration day.

[Luigi53102]

Well said, Beth. You must have made your point well given the big bunch of hand-wringers you've inspired to comment. We need to stop over-analyzing all of this crap, and, as you point out, keep working to elect our candidate(s).

[burndtdan]

"Why have the democrats turned into a bunch of nervous nellies? We have EVERY reason to believe that we will be victorious in November and yet the hand wringing, second guessing, fear of failure set is still dominating the dialogue."

First, I'd say... who are you talking to? The people I talk to are elated right now. Maybe you're just talking to nervous people.

But second, I'd say that we should never think we've won until the final vote is cast. Complacency is just about the only thing that can lose this for us.

[D2D2]

Like many, I want to trust my instinct. But, unfortunately, the profit-driven, so called mainstream media keeps playing with my head. The way that they do so often leaves me spun and confused. Fact-based, well-sourced journalism does not leave me feeling uninformed or uncertain about my ability to analyze. But twenty-four hour punditry and opinion making does; in fact, it often works counter to my instincts because the apparent objective of such reporting is to keep me watching, not to inform me.

Instincts tell me that the media will not hold Republicans accountable on the issues nor inquire about why we should elect another Republican president and continue in the same direction as the current administration. Instead I predict non-stop coverage of intentional distractions intended to distract from the issues; superficial details designed to feed news cycles. Those who desire true reporting will have to work for it.

Finally, my instinct tells me that the current practices of the mainstream media will continue. Just as in 2000 and 2004, the media will actively lower expectations for Senator McCain and Governor Palin, which diminishes the performances of Senators Obama and Biden, no matter how impressive. My instinct tells me that efforts to maintain viewership and increase profits will taint race coverage. These manufactured perceptions will likely distort and effect reality.

Perhaps my instinct isn’t the problem after all… Many of us recognize this game. What we do about it matters most.

[BlackbirdHighway]

Well yeah, Gore should have won, and Kerry should have won.

Gore got more votes than Bush, and almost certainly even won Florida, yet it was Bush who was sworn into office. Kerry absolutely had more votes in Ohio. and there is enormous evidence that the election there was completely fraudulent. Once again, it was Bush who got a second term.

Meanwhile, very little has been done to address the election fraud problems, and the government agency that is supposed to be in charge of ensuring fair elections, the Justice Dept., has been highly politicized. Anyone suspected of being a democrat or a liberal were pushed out, along with many longtime career professionals, and only very loyal Bushies were hired to replace them.

Can you blame Dems for being nervous?

[Irksome]

"Meanwhile, very little has been done to address the election fraud problems..."

Very little? Try NOTHING. I'm on the verge of an anxiety attack every time I think about it.
I live in one of the voting districts in Florida where the votes didn't get counted AT ALL in 2000.... it's a ethnically mixed, predominantly low-income district that was full of Gore signs in people's yards.
Hmmm.... I wonder why those votes didn't get counted?

I'm sure there would be more Obama signs this year, if there weren't so many vacant houses...

[BCubedReg]

"Why are we are unable to trust our own instincts?" Because the American People never fail to disappoint.

The reason why Obama has inspired so many is because he has sparked hope and the beliefe that we can end downward spiral in this country.

You will see when the people go to the voting boot, American people NEVER FAIL TO DISAPPOINT.