The Smallness of our Politics

Today, Barack Obama announced that he is forming an exploratory committee to test the possibility of a presidential run. Assuming he decides to enter the race, he will be one in a crowded field, with John Edwards, Joe Biden, Tom Vilsack, and Christopher Dodd already announced, Hillary Clinton and Wes Clark about to, and Al Gore. While I won't bore you with discussion over his entire release, (http://www.barackobama.com/video/from_barack_transcript/ if you want to read it) one thing he mentioned struck me:

"Challenging as they are, it's not the magnitude of our problems that concerns me the most. It's the smallness of our politics."

We've seen the pettiness of the Republican Party manifest itself over the past six years, and we've seen some Democrats recently fall prey to this too, with James Carville practically demonizing Howard Dean and trying to stage a coup at the DNC. While certainly worlds better than God's Own Party, the Democrats cannot claim to be above partisan bickering.

But, you might ask, (curious little brat that you are) why is it this way? Why has Washington broken into two openly hostile camps? The easy answer, and one of the right ones, is that Tom DeLay is slimier than the cockroaches he used to exterminate, and the extreme right, driven by their fanatical bigotry and frightening determination, believes itself ordained by God to warp and twist this country into a horrid specter of what it stands for. Of course that's just continuing the partisan hackery, and despite how truly enjoyable it is, this country deserves better.

The better answer, then, is isolation. Rule by 51% leaves half of this country silenced (we won't even get into rule by 35%, like my home state of Texas) and only serves to continue to distance the American people from their government. With that distance, politicians become insular, focusing only on keeping that 51% and their jobs. What excites me about Obama is that he is different.

He is a Democrat who reaches out to evangelical Christians, holding an earnest conversation with them while standing by his positions and beliefs. He fights for progress without becoming a marginalized talking head, and he actually garners popular support, instead of being the lesser of two evils. (John "Not Satan but Beezelbub" Kerry)

But this post actually isn't about Barak Obama. This post is about how to end the "smallness of our politics," and Barack Obama is just a catalyst that can be used to start that. If you, dear Reader, support Obama, go out and get involved. Volunteer. Contribute. Phone Bank. If you detest the man, now-less-dear Reader, get involved. Volunteer. Contribute. Phone Bank. Politics does not shape people, it is shaped by people. A genuine grassroots movement cannot divide the American people, as they contributed to it as one. Recognize that, while different, we share many goals: a just society, equality, security, and a nation whose actions we can actually be proud of.

The true beauty of progressivism is not that once people get involved with politics as a positive tool instead of a domineering master, they see the possibility of government to do good, to be just. Progressivism is not an ideology to force a country into lockstep. It is not God's Own Party marching to marginalize everyone they don't see at church on Sunday. Progressivism is a movement of the masses seeking to better all our lives by bettering our government and our nation.

Barack Obama, whether you love him or hate him, can spearhead a new movement in politics. He, with our help, can make politics "big" again. So right now, it's not about my guy winning. It is becoming, and with all of us working for it, will surely become, about anyone who has a hope of winninghaving to be my guy, because standing beside me are a million others, all of whom are taking our country, and our government back. It's not We, the Party, in America, it's We, the People.

So in the words of Richard "Kinky" Friedman,

May the God of your choice bless you.
Benediktion