While I was crossing the street, I realized the Democratic Presidential Debate was on the t.v. at the downtown Hilton Checkers. Obama! Hillary! Some announcer people whose names I don’t know!
They said the same old stuff and I am sure you’ll find hundreds of places to go that will give you better coverage than I can. What caught my attention was how hard it was to hear the debate because everyone was drinking and yapping!
I wanted to jump on top of the bar and declare, “Why are you ungrateful drunks not paying attention to a debate between the two leading Democratic candidates for the U.S. Presidency?! Is there too much freedom in this world?? Do you think democracies grow on trees??
“And you! Giggly guy with the mustache! You’re the loudest! Do you even know what these people stand for? Are you planning to vote for Mitt Romney? That was a trick question! He dropped out of the race!
“Shut up. Put your drinks down. Pay attention to the most exciting election in decades!” Instead, I ordered a Bloody Mary and cupped my ears.
Once the debate was over, I circled and dove on a man who had been watching nearby. He seemed outgoing and friendly, a fatal error when Big Al is around.
Mr. Kendall James, a lawyer in downtown Los Angeles, lives in Culver City. He perked up when I mentioned the apathy I saw in the bar. He thought it was “sad in this day and age” during “the most important election in [his] lifetime” that people didn’t feel the need to pay attention, let alone hang on every word.
Kendall noted that we are at an “historic crossroads” in our country and the disinterest is “reflective of a society that is disengaged in a scary way.” Fortunately, he noted, student interest is high and “it is good to see new people become involved in the political process.” After all, “it is their future.”
One of my favorite points that Mr. James made was when he reminded me of a movie Chris Rock made a few years ago, Head of State. That the movie was even made shows how far away we all thought we were from seeing a black man elected president.
Now, we are not only pleasantly surprised to see a black man marching proudly past his fallen white competitors, but there is a woman right next to him! No matter what anybody thinks of Barack Obama or Hillary Cinton, everyone should be pleasantly surprised to see that we’ve come farther as a society than we previously thought.
My next idea was to learn why people weren’t paying attention to the debate. Giggly Mustache Man seemed too drunk when I overheard him declaring “Amber’s got heart, man! She’s got HEART!”
So, instead, I tapped a couple of women who had positioned themselves in front of one of the televisions showing the debate, but they talked all the way through it. Once the blush from having been caught faded, the two women admitted they were already certain whom they would vote for.
How could they be so certain, you may wonder. They work for Sidley Austin (the law firm for which Barack and Michelle worked when they met)! What are the chances?
Both of these women have heard nothing but positive stories from all the people who worked with the Obama back in the day. They are both known in the firm for standing up for what they believed and for not being afraid to tell the truth. Barack is known for being “his own person.”
One of the women declared, “I’m done with the Bushes and the Clintons. I don’t want another one in there. I don’t have anything against Hillary, it’s just that I don’t 100% trust her.” Strong nod from the other woman.
Their feeling is that the drive for Mrs. Clinton contains a bit of power hunger. However, Mr. Obama seems to be driven by a deep caring for people. Is that who they really are or is that how the press (and Obama’s campaign manager) want us to see them?
All I know is that the apathy in the crowd of professionals at the hotel bar was notable. Maybe it all comes down to what Kendall James said, “People need inspiration and hope. Somebody’s gotta sing a different tune.”
First Photo by twinkletoez via Flickr; the rest by Big Al, the gal
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Emberly Modine // Feb 23, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Obama’s HOPE campaign seriously bothers me, and when I watch the debates I am much more swayed by Hilary’s delivery and her clear outlining of future plans.
BUT, when I look up voting records (as I suggest you all MUST), Obama has done more in his short stint that Hillary Clinton has.
So, watching debates which are scripted do give you an idea of the intelligence of whichever candidate; looking up the resume of a career politician is a bit more telling.
2 Jeff Barrick // Feb 23, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Hilary Clinton is our best HOPE of a 16 year Democratic run at the Presidency. Eight for the Lady, then eight more for Obama. It’ll be the eight years we couldn’t get from Al Gore after Bill was the Pres. But if Obama wins, we’ll maybe get four years, then the Republicans will figure some shit out to pull away his Thunder. Ohh how I hope we can unite this party and then ignite the country, we need a long run of change, not an exciting four years and then BUST. Help the right person get into office, with the right Vice Pres, Obama will have his day in the sun, in 2016, he’ll only be 48 or so, still under 50 and we’ll get eight more glorious years of progressive and enlightened leadership, something the rest of the world can be proud of, and Americans as well.
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