the urgency of now

From guest blogger Kevin Roos, since I've been too busy to tell you how to vote in the primary, I'm going to let him do it for you. This is from the e-mail he sent to me:


subj: the urgency of now

My friends (to steal a line from John McCain),

I'm sending this to anyone who I think might care. This fall, we'll all be trying to convince our friends, relatives, and acquaintances that another 4 years of a Republican in the White House would be disastrous for our country, and for the world. What has yet to be determined is whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will be the motivating force behind this effort.

Some of you may be supporting Obama, some of you may not be or may still be undecided, but I wanted to make sure all of you realize what is at stake in this election. There is a contrast to be made, in my opinion a very clear contrast, one which should not be brushed aside.

This fall, will we be supporting the candidate who had the judgment and principles to give the following speech prior to the invasion of Iraq (a MUST read if you haven't read it before)?

Or, will we be supporting the candidate who not only voted to give George Bush authorization to wage that war, but was stubbornly among the last of the Democrats to admit the war was a mistake?

This fall, will we be supporting the candidate who in 2006 (according to the National Journal's ranking's) voted more liberal than 87% of Senators on economic policy issues, and voted more liberal than 85% of Senators on foreign policy issues? (Obama)
Or, will we be supporting the candidate who in 2006 voted more liberal than 63% of Senators on economic policy issues, and voted more liberal than 62% of Senators on foreign policy issues? (Clinton)
Speaking as a progressive who was paying attention to both of their votes at the time, Obama always impressed me with his progressive votes, while Clinton not infrequently made me extremely angry.

Will we be supporting the candidate whose reputation has suffered the full extent of years of onslaught by right-wing talk radio, or will we be supporting someone fresh and new whose image can (and has been) shaped in a more positive fashion? You would be amazed how many people simply would never vote for Hillary and hate her with a passion, or how many Republicans have very positive views of Obama. And I've talked to LOTS of people over the last couple of months.

Will we be supporting a candidate whose exceptional oratory skills inspire a whole new generation of people to cast aside their cynicism for the political process, and work for the changes that are so desperately needed? Someone like JFK or Robert Kennedy, someone who exudes an aura of integrity and passion for righteous causes that is totally contagious? I have met so many people who have never been involved in politics before, and are working on Obama's campaign. People who are my age and have never voted before, but now they are working full time or part time for a political campaign. It really is a beautiful thing, and a candidate who can inspire that is extremely rare.

Will we be supporting a candidate who served on the board of Wal-Mart (which is not to disparage the other good things she has done especially child advocacy) and raked in the dough working for a corporate law firm on intellectual property and patent issues?
Or, will we be supporting a candidate who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School, could have done almost anything he wanted to and made tons of money, but instead went to Chicago to organize a voter registration drive, and work as a lawyer representing community organizers, discrimination claims, and voting rights cases?

So, to me, the choice is clear. If you're on board as far as supporting Obama at this point, here's the real reason I'm writing this. The next week will be the absolutely most critical time for Obama's campaign. This next week will mean as much as all the time prior, and all the time afterwards, because next Tuesday half of the entire country's delegates will be voted on. That means that if you've ever thought of contributing to something bigger than yourself, ever wanted to be part of what I really think could be a realignment of our nation's politics towards a progressive agenda, NOW is the time.

No matter where you live, you can find a way to help. Go to www.barackobama.com, click on your state, and click "find events". Even if it's just a couple hours this weekend, it's extremely important. I'll be at the Chicago headquarters a large portion of the weekend, and I'll be doing something on Tuesday either in Evanston or in Chicago, and I'd like as many people to join me as possible. But for those of you not in the Chicago area, there will be something in your area, I promise. And at the very least, make sure you discuss this with all friends of yours who will be voting.

Please, forward this to anyone you think might benefit from reading this. As Barack would say, "Yes. We. Can."

-Kevin