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I am a 43-year-old white female. Neither of my parents went to college; my dad was a career enlisted man in the Air Force, now retired. I was born in and grew up in the south, and most of my family still lives there. They have varying levels of education among them; some of us went on to college, some didn't. Some are poor, some are middle class.
I went to public schools, attended a state university (Texas A&M, gig 'em!), and put myself through grad school (at another state school). I've lived on both coasts--now in Los Angeles--and make an OK income.
I was a hardcore Edwards supporter, and am now happy to support Obama. I've been watching the very heated debate here the last couple of weeks about the voters in appalachia, and the discord over being rightly offended by the ignorance and small-mindedness while at the same time recognizing the importance of not disrespecting people who, for the most part, are working their asses off and struggling just to get by. It's a complicated situation, and both sides are right to a certain extent.
I am not an elitist (though I do enjoy the occasional latte). And I WANT those blue-collar, lower income voters to vote with me in November. For Obama. For a black man. For someone who apparently scares the bejeesus out of a measurable subset of them. I have a hard time respecting a lot of these people, and not because I'm an elitist or a snob--I have a hard time respecting them because I have an intolerance for intolerance. I abhor ignorance, especially of the willful variety. These people are, as is perhaps too kindly said of them, products of their environment, of their generation.
Okay, I understand that. That describes many members of my extended family. So many of these people are tired and (yes) bitter, and for good reason. But it's not for the reason they've been told--they've been fooled into turning on their fellow man instead of the powers that be, been told subtly but unmistakably that the black man who lives on the other side of town (or the brown man or that woman who doesn't know her place) will take his job, or has already taken his job. That he's a threat to their way of life, that he's inferior, or doesn't love America, or he's uppity. I understand why they're tired and angry, but I want them to understand the broader circumstances that are keeping them pinned down. I also don't intend to let them get away with using that struggle as an excuse to hold on to old, ugly prejudices; to wallow in small-mindedness, and to keep their perspectives narrow and exclusionary. That is a compromise we should never, ever make.
But I still want them to vote with me, with us. Because IF we can get them to vote with us, then there's a good chance they'll be carried along on this wave that has the potential to expand the soul of our nation. I want them to vote with us even if they're pissed as all hell to do so. I want them to evolve. I want to find some way to get them to understand that IF they vote with us, and we can sweep this current regime out of power, then we can offer them the very opportunities they need to learn and grow, to be safe and fed and healthy. Many of them, especially in appalachia, are not going to want to do this. That's where (and why) we have to temper our rightful disdain for ignorance and bigotry by reaching out to them, and attempt to educate and encourage and broaden collective perspectives.
I will not, under ANY circumstances, compromise what is right to get their vote; none of us should. I will also not say "to hell with you, stay home." I want every last one of their pissed off, begrudging votes. I want them to go with us, if they have to go kicking and screaming. Howling with anger and outrage. I think that's healthy. I think that's the first step in getting them to see that it's okay to vote for a black man (or a woman or a gay man or whatever is so far outside their experience that they're utterly terrified of it), that it's okay to vote for somebody who doesn't fetishize the flag and turn love of country into something obscene and jingoistic. If they're muttering with resentment all the way to the polls, that's fine with me. I'll give them a big hug and a huge smile and thank them profusely for their vote. Because if they get angry, I know we have their attention. And if we have their attention, then there's the opportunity to learn and grow. I know that fear and ignorance go hand-in-hand, and education and economic opportunity are the only way to cure that double curse. And we will ALL be better for it if we all vote together this year.
It won't be easy to do this. It may be almost impossible to do this. But I want them to know that as much as I may disagree with their worldview, I want their vote. I want them to choose the candidate who will do far more to improve their lives than the nimrods in the GOP. And not because we compromise to make them feel less threatened, but because we find a way to show them there's no reason to feel threatened. Can Obama make this happen? I don't know. I hope so, but it's really not about what Obama can do. It's about what we, the boots on the ground, can do. I'm ready to do this, and we have to do this.
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