One of the Million

Today I donated $25 to the Obama campaign to help them meet their goal of 1 million donors by March 4. I’ve been lukewarm on Obama for most of this interminable election season, but recently my opinion has changed.

At first, I wanted to like him more. I wanted to be swept up in the frenzy. I wanted an RFK for my generation. I wanted to feel like people say they felt back in the late 60s when there were candidates with progressive agendas who spoke on behalf of real people. However rosy the glasses through which folks are looking backward, it still sounds far superior to any experience I’ve had as a voter, other than my own campaign for Rochester’s city council.

I cast my first presidential vote for Bill Clinton. I voted for him twice. I now think he was one of the worst presidents in recent memory. No, not for Monica, but for his ability to cover a conservative corporate agenda in the veneer of progressive Democratic respectability. From NAFTA and the WTO to welfare “reform” and the deregulation of the media, Clinton did an impressive amount of harm to regular folks.

Then, of course, there’s Bush. ‘Nuff said.

So this year, it has to be about putting a Democrat in office, if for no other reason than those Supreme Court justices who aren’t getting any younger. But there are other reasons, too. Getting rid of Bush and the Republican regime also means getting rid of all the cronies and sycophants and plotters who come with the package. That’s got to be a good thing.

Obama and Clinton aren’t that different on policy issues. They’re both much less progressive than I’d like. They speak a lot less truth to power. They’re still beholden to corporate interests, despite what Obama may say about not taking money from lobbyists.

But there’s one key aspect of Obama and his campaign that has finally convinced me to jump aboard the bandwagon:

Barack Obama inspires people.

I’ve never seen anything like it in my political lifetime. He brings people together from across the political spectrum. He makes people believe in their power to change our country. He gives them hope. Isn’t it time we had somebody like that? I think it is.

Obama is not a perfect candidate. Not even close. But he’s asking Americans to believe in our power — and duty — to rise above our past. Americans are responding. So is the rest of the world. I’m excited about the idea of waking up next January during the administration of President Barack Hussein Obama. The sound of it alone gives me hope.

So I’m recommending that progressive line up behind this campaign, and then work like hell to make it mean something when he wins.

If you want to get involved, the easiest place to start is BarackObama.com.