I am enthusiastically supporting Senator Barack Obama in the upcoming Indiana primary. And at noon today, I'll be speaking at an Obama rally on the town square in--no kidding--Noblesville, a town not noted for its robust Democratic turnouts.

Anyway, I thought I'd post the remarks I'll be making, fwiw...

It has never been more important to choose the best, most qualified person to be President of the United States. We’ve seen what happens when we elect an intellectually limited, morally smug fraternity boy whose only claim to the office was his relationship to a previous President. George W.Bush has created the worst national crisis of my lifetime—and I’m old. This rally isn’t long enough to list all of the offenses of Bush’s administration, or all the problems he will hand off to the next President.

At home, the economy is in the tank, thanks to reckless fiscal policies and the war in Iraq. Our roads and bridges are crumbling. The gap between rich and poor is larger than it has been since the 1920s, thanks to policies that favor big businesses over small ones, and favor the interests of political contributors and cronies over the interests of the country. My great-grandchildren will still be paying off the massive debts incurred by this reckless borrow and spend administration.

Abroad, America’s reputation in the world is at an all-time low. Bush invaded a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, a country that was no threat to us, and by doing so, he further destabilized the most dangerous and unstable region in the world. He has undermined international efforts to protect the environment and combat climate change. His unilateral foreign policy can be summed up in one arrogant statement: If you aren’t with us, you’re against us.

Worst of all, this administration has abandoned the rule of law. It has operated in secrecy. It has tortured people. It has spied on Americans without probable cause. It has denied detainees habeas corpus and even the most minimal due process. It has repeatedly lied to us. It has routinely trashed the Constitution and spit on the Bill of Rights.

We desperately need a President who will exercise moral leadership, a President who is not tied to the failed politics of the past, a President with both intellect and integrity. That President is Barack Obama. I voted early, and for the first time in over thirty years, I didn’t cast my vote for the lesser of two evils! I voted for a candidate I really believe in, a candidate who can begin to repair the incalculable damage of the Bush years.

I’ve been called a traitor to my demographic, but this old white feminist has been the “first woman who” more times than I can count and I’ve always believed that REAL feminism is the opposite of tokenism and identity politics. Women won’t achieve true political equality until gender becomes irrelevant, until women are elected or rejected based only on our qualifications. I cast my vote for Barack Obama for one reason: because he is the best candidate running. He is more likely to win in November, and more likely to be the kind of President Americans need and deserve.

We need a President who has lived in the real world, not just visited it on Air Force One. We need a President who understands and honors the constitution, and whose entire career has displayed his belief in the rule of law and the essential goodness of the American public.

We need a leader who has demonstrated good judgment and character when it has counted. We sometimes forget that when Barack Obama first spoke out against the war, it was a terribly unpopular position to take. That’s what moral courage is: standing up for what is right, rather than taking politically calculated positions.

Most of all, we need a President who hasn’t been part of the problem, a President who can inspire us to rededicate ourselves to time-honored American ideals, and who can give real meaning to the American motto, e pluribus unum—out of many, one. For the first time in the ten years I’ve taught, I’m seeing young people really engaged with the political process, thanks to Barack Obama and his message of hope and inclusion.

At this point, Barack Obama is the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. But a drawn-out primary is making it difficult to concentrate on the job at hand—defeating John McCain, the man who has endorsed virtually all of George Bush’s failed policies. This is an election about the future—about the kind of world we want to leave to our children and grandchildren. John McCain and Hillary Clinton talk a lot about experience, but their experience is all with the politics of the past. Both of them are products of a failed, corrupt Washington culture that America can no longer afford. It is past time to say no to the Washington politics of gamesmanship and gotcha. The politics of whose “turn” it is. The politics of flag pins and culture wars and racial division. We deserve better. Our children and grandchildren deserve better.

This year, right here in Indiana, we can be the voters who decide this national primary. Yes, we can be the state that clinches the Democratic nomination for Barack Obama. Yes, we can reverse the incompetence and corruption of the past seven years. Yes, we can refuse to vote on the basis of identity or entitlement. Yes, we can cast our votes for a truly exceptional candidate—the kind of candidate who only appears once in a generation. Yes, we can elect a President who will help restore our faith in the promise of America. YES WE CAN.

Thank you.

Sheila Suess Kennedy's blog | login or register to post comments