Last night I had the great honor of going to see former Georgia Senator Max Cleland when he spoke here in Ann Arbor at the union hall of Local 959 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. Along with Detroit Congressman John Dingell, who with 49 years of service, is the longest serving U.S. Congressman, Mr. Cleland spoke to the packed hall with honesty, great energy and a wonderful sense of humor.
Despite my leftist views (or perhaps because of them), I have not been a big fan of politics or even the Democrats. But this year it has been clear that as both a citizen and a father of two, I have a moral responsibility to work to insure that America is rid of the most shameful presidency that the U.S. has ever seen. For me, the most wonderful and surprising part of getting involved is feeling a part of a community of Americans who share my anger at this administration and who share the drive to see these horrible people banished from the White House.
From watching Congressman Dingell and Senator Cleland, for once I felt a sense of belonging to the Democratic Party. I felt that this party, flawed though it may be, can truly do good for this country. Despite my original lack of enthusiasm for Kerry (I was a Kucinich supporter and voted for Nader in 2000), the fact that men like Kerry, Dingell and Cleland are people of integrity, means that I owe it to myself and my children to support Kerry with every ounce of political strength I can muster.
The last time I felt motivation to work to elect a new president was in 1984, but the differences are huge between then and now. I remember working in Indiana to help defeat Reagan when he was running for a second term in 1984. Sadly, all along we knew it was a losing cause, but we did something because we felt that we had to, not because we felt we could win. What made me sad then was that not only did I feel Reagan was helping destroy this country, but that I was definitely in the minority. Americans for the most part truly seemed to like Reagan.
This time, we have a president without a moral compass, without any sense of decency. A man who only has compassion for his rich compares. Sadly, this election is not about right and wrong, it’s about good and evil. The war that needs to be fought is not in Iraq, it’s in Michigan. It’s time to take the gloves off, and with the words of Senator Cleland still ringing in my ears, I’ll do everything I can to take this country back for Sasha and for Jeremy.