Saturday, January 26, 2008

Barack Obama - answering the call

I was not particularly surprised to see the NY Times' editorial board endorse Senators McCain and Clinton respectively. They are insiders, have been around for a long time and are clearly committed to seeing change in the country.

The question is: who has done the most in their decades of public service? I am thankful to Senator McCain for his military service - I am a former army wife, and know firsthand of the passion, honor and integrity required to serve. I have long admired the Clinton's - Bill Clinton is one of my favorite presidents in recent history. I was so hoping that Senator Clinton - when she was First Lady - would be able to get some kind of healthcare reform. We all know that her efforts were stymied by the powerful lobbyists et al at America's insurance companies. According to some sources, Senator Clinton has received some $800,000 from health insurance companies - I have concerns about this on many levels. Senator Clinton states categorically that she will not be beholden to "special interest groups" if elected President, and yet, while she has returned campaign donations from some questionable/nebulous sources, she has not returned those from healthcare lobbyists.

It is clear that America is ready for a change - will Obama continue his swell? I hope so. I believe that he is the one candidate we can believe in, and not because of the color of his skin. Yes, he is a political neophyte, as have been others before him. He is not a career politician. It is obvious that Senators Clinton and McCain are career politicians who speak of their efforts to assist minorities - I am not doubting that this is true to some extent. The question is to what extent specifically have they made efforts to not only assist and reach out to minorities, but do they have minorities in high positions in their respective campaigns?
What I do know is that President Clinton had less minorities in his cabinet than President Bush. This should be considered as the American people go to their various voting booths. Is Bill Clinton an elitist who has friends from ethnic groups, but does not have them serve in cabinet positions. Senator Clinton's staffers on her campaign are mostly women - I think that is wonderful - I am a woman and a former political appointee.

I hope that the American public will make informed decisions based on the record of those whom they elect in the primary elections - actions clearly speak louder than words.

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