For the South Seattle Beacon
BY SABLE VERITY
The long road to the White House is about to be finished
Ladies and gentlemen, we are less than one day away from one of, if not the, most defining presidential elections in the history of our country and by relation – or superiority complex – the entire world.
It has been a long, often painful and exasperating 20 months. I know, I’ve followed this election every step of the way, and every step of the way I have supported Barack Obama.
Wait! Before you roll your eyes and set down the paper, let me finish. This is important.
I’ve been accused of having an allegiance purely because Obama is black, but the fact of the matter is that I support him, in part, because he is purposeful, inspiring, compassionate and steady in seemingly impossible circumstances. If he can accomplish this in less than two years, I really want to see what he can do in four, better yet, eight.
That he is an African American is notable for many reasons to be sure, but to allow that as the sole purpose for casting one’s vote is just dumb. However, let’s face it, people vote for dumb reasons all the time.
Think of it. We have the current president because Americans were more focused on who they could have a beer with, instead of who was the best person to lead and represent the country.
If you want to vote for the guy you can have a beer with, or whom you like, or think is funny or attractive, popular or powerful, hey, it’s a free country. Sometimes we go with the guy that makes us feel better, even when they’re just telling us what we want to hear.
Like Dino Rossi, the master of political opportunity. The presidential election may be at the center of everyone’s radar, but lest we forget, we’ve got elections that matter right here in our home state.
Many people look back four years ago and wonder how, in Washington state of all places, when push came to shove, did Dino Rossi get a foot in the governor’s mansion – did all those people really vote for him? What were they thinking?
Well, I’ll tell you, I voted for Dino Rossi in 2004.
Normally I wouldn’t out myself so publicly with such disappointing information, but I’m throwing myself on the fire to prove a larger point.
Four years ago, Chris Gregoire ran afoul in the African American community and other communities of color. I’m not talking about the discrimination in her college sorority (though it didn’t help), I’m talking about the all out, unashamed shunning that came from her, to us and our communities. Time and time again, opportunity after opportunity, Gregoire failed. It didn’t take long for word to spread and she soon developed a reputation for “not caring” about communities of color in a time when challenges like the achievement gap, racial profiling, gang violence and the economy were hot button issues.
I just didn’t feel Gregoire. Hard as she tried, she just wasn’t warm and fuzzy. She has an unapologetic edge that can come across as aloof and elitist. Moreover, her constant absence made me, and thousands like me, feel that she and the Democratic Party were taking the minority vote for granted.
Dino Rossi swept in and did what all candidates should do; he worked hard for our votes, and he got them. Some of the most prominent members of the black community voted for Dino Rossi and they encouraged everyone to do the same. I sat in many a forum and heard him speak. He was knowledgeable on the issues that mattered to me. He seemed to care. He was really nice. Couple that with the desire to teach Gregoire and the Dems a lesson and, well, you know what happened.
Dumb, right? To think; my vote could have caused our state to fall into Rossi’s hands… the horror. Nightmares, waking in cold sweats… the unbearable shame.
All right, it hasn’t been that dramatic. My point is this; when Hillary fanatics say they’re voting McCain because they’re “mad” at Obama, I believe it. When I hear people say that they just don’t know if they like Chris Gregoire and therefore don’t believe they can vote for her, I don’t doubt them. In the end, they’re all dumb reasons to cast, or not cast a vote.
Aside from the fact that voting along party lines down the ballot is crucial, let’s vote for smart reasons, such as healthcare. If you believe that affordable healthcare is a right of everyone in Washington – as I do – you should support Gregoire, who vows to meet this goal by 2012 and already boasts impressive gains, particularly with children, our most precious and vulnerable commodity.
We should all vote because of policy decisions such as healthcare, and on policy, Rossi is all wrong, all the time.
I don’t want leaders who are concerned about being liked by everyone; high approval ratings for a job well done don’t have much to do with who can shoot the breeze over a pint of amber.
So Chris isn’t warm and fuzzy, so she has a bit of a biting edge to her, so she made serious missteps in her first bid; as Governor, while not perfect, Washington State is heading in the right direction.
Yes, I, and many others, erred four years ago, with near tragic results. But don’t worry; I’ve learned a valuable lesson: I don’t like beer.
Sable Verity’s column appears every other week in the South Seattle Beacon. .
