Should I Cry? Or Should I Fight? - Democratic Underground

Nutmegger

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Sun Jan-20-08 04:35 AM
Original message

Should I Cry? Or Should I Fight?

Edited on Sun Jan-20-08 04:38 AM by Nutmegger

I choose to fight.

I can never admit defeat, because if I were to admit defeat I loose that spark of excitement within me that gets me to open up my checkbook, and gets me to travel to places like New Hampshire to volunteer for the Edwards campaign, and gets me interested in this primary season, the first primary season that I’m actually paying attention to what’s going on. It’s to admit that the candidate whom I deeply respect, admire and yearn to see head the highest office in this nation and lead this nation away from this horrid Bush Inc fade away into nothingness.

I can’t let that happen.

It’s hard not to break down, to shed tears of disappointment over these first primary defeats. I know it’s only three states, but still hard to watch. I was out and about all day yesterday and haven’t heard any political news until I turned on NPR in the car for All Things Considered. As I was driving, I kept imagining Andrea Seabrook saying “John Edwards has won the Nevada caucuses and has pulled an upset victory” but instead the real news poured in. When I reached my destination, I just sat there starring into the dashboard for ten minutes.

During my childhood, my family and I lived very modestly. Expensive Christmases were few and far between. No fancy gadgets. No this, or that. A few times a year we would eat out, and when we did that was a blast for me and I always made sure to be on my best behavior so as not to ruin the chance to go out again. Little did I know that our infrequent eat-outs had little to do with behavior and everything to do with money, and I would later learn that even the few times we went out my parents would sacrifice a little something from themselves. On a few occasions, being the curious kid that I was, I overheard my parents talking about money issues. I can recall vividly a conversation about not being able to pay the heat bill. Even cutting back on shopping and driving the car less, the heat bill was just too much. When you hear that sort of thing as a kid, it sticks with you. I remember I dug up a few measly dollars I had and put it in an envelope to give to my parents.

Later that year my father got laid-off, and with little savings that put a lot of strain on my mother while my father looked for work. It was a rough time for all of us, but we did get through it.

I certainly didn’t grow up poor, but did experience a few rough times. I can’t even being to image that somewhere in America there are people who don’t even know when they’re going to get their next meal, or kids going to sleep cold and hungry, or people who are living in a cold house because they can’t afford to heat their homes. God damn, this is the richest country in the world. With so much green and greed that passes the hands of these greedy bastards, the less fortunate are left in the dark. I walk into a grocery store and see that milk has gone up yet again, along with bread and eggs. Just when you thing the prices have stopped, it goes up again another nickel.

John Edwards based his platform on poverty. He didn’t have to do that; he could have gone with the other garden-variety topics that candidates choose to run on. He brought the issue front and center and he gives the people of the poor, the working poor and the middle class a much needed voice. He walked the picket lines and worked to rebuild New Orleans. He even announced his candidacy from the lower Ninth Ward (see “Tomorrow Begins Today” in my signature). As President, he would do everything in his power to make sure that those who have been ignored won’t be ignored any longer. I know it; I can feel it.

How can I give up on a candidate like that?

I can’t.

So I choose to fight.

I posted some pictures earlier. This one with his son Jack is my favorite out of the bunch.