Grandmothers Against the War: Getting off Our Fannies and Standing up for Peace
(Citadel Press, May 2008)
All right, so he's not perfect. He diverges from the scenario we've written for him. He flips on public financing. He is not opposing the FISA bill. That's a hard one to swallow, but I'm willing to wait to hear his rationale.
What do people want? Do they want a Bush replica, or do they want someone, however flawed, who will restore our image in the world and help America cross the racial divide?
Is there anything more important than accomplishing those two goals? And, remember, the man is very intelligent. Don't we long for that again, at long last? I'm not saying McCain is dumb, just that he's a little intellectually challenged.
Must Liberals, or Progressives, or whatever we peace and justice people call ourselves, demand absolute commitment to our stands on every issue? Please, people, let's not gum up the works by kvetching all over the Internet about his occasional deficiencies, his reversions to politics over ideals.
THINK!
You don't really want John McCain for the next President, do you? My god, even merely typing those words gives me the willies.
Yes, we can let him know how we feel about those issues on which he differs with us. We can ask him to reconsider. And, when he's President, we can complain more forcefully. But, please, not now. I know, we're all people of the highest moral integrity, but can't we hold off being so uncompromisingly principled until we get him elected?
I am part of the demographic that is supposedly not in his camp -- I'm a 76-year-old white grandmother.
I supported John Edwards until Barack made his stunning speech in Iowa, when he won my heart. I suffered through the long months of the Obama/Clinton horror show. It was a bad trip for all us old broads -- the stress level so high that it affected our health. But, then, finally, relief! Our hero made it despite all the roadblocks the Clintons threw in his path.
And, now, the blood pressure is starting to rise again as I see his natural constituency begin picking at him and deconstructing him. I have stopped watching CNN and MSNBC as those puny pundits begin carping about his every move. Pretty soon, I'll stop reading the progressive blogs and Internet publications.
Just wake me up when it's over. You people had better not rain on his parade or I can promise that you'll be sor-ry!
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Joan Wile, a singer and ASCAP award-winning songwriter, founded Grandmothers Against the War and the Granny Peace Brigade. Her book is available on amazon.com and in book stores. Hear her song, "Grandmama for Obama" on YouTube --
