GET YOUR HAPPY ON! - a meliorist worldview

Obama and the Dems need to find new and better ways to include women in this upcoming election. With the loss of Hillary Clinton as a potential Vice-Presidential candidate, Obama risks losing the votes of women over the age of 30, a huge voting bloc. Obama needs to actively include strong women in visible, important roles at every level of his campaign — and not just as token nods to female voters but as real participants.

It has been my privilege to vote in almost every local, state, and national election since I came of legal voting age. Almost every vote I have cast has been for an Independent candidate, usually the Green Party candidate when possible. No political party encapsulates the political agenda that I believe is necessary for the survival of our species and the health of our nation’s economy better than the Green Party’s platform.

One of the Green Party’s foundational principles is the Equality of All Men and Women. Defying logic, men have historically and strategically marginalized women, instead of employing all the resources of an extremely capable half of the population. In past years, I have volunteered for the Green Party and voiced the Green cause (at the consternation of friends and family).

This year is different, because I have been caught up in the wave to elect Barrack Obama. I still believe in the Green Party’s message, but I also was not a supporter of any previous Democratic candidate.

I feel that Obama is a completely different breed of politician. Many Republicans might criticize my support of a man about whom the public knows so little — as though we have to be spoon fed all of our opinions by news broadcasts. The Internet makes it easy to find out all about both Barrack Obama and John McCain, and I think I know enough.

Obama was a community activist and former constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago Law School. As a U.S. Senator, Obama had a liberal voting record, which speaks to the 21st Century vision this country needs. By contrast, McCain is a dyed-in-the-wool war hawk, who has sold Native American land rights to Arizona mining companies. Obama has not been long in the public eye, but McCain has a long track record of betraying the very principles for which he claims to stand.

As I see it, Obama is the right man for the job, but his endgame strategy needs some attention. If I were an Obama advisor, I would recommend saturating every open position in his campaign with women, Latino-Americans, and Asian-Americans — especially now that McCain is likely to choose a female running mate, in an effort to garner the support of Hillary Clinton’s crowd. Obama might want to reconsider Clinton as a running mate.

By the way, the Green Party has nominated women as both Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates.

Get ready for a bumpy ride, my friends. I wish all of you a safe voyage in these interesting times.

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