Hana Greenberg
To the Convention!
Despite being young and politically active, I was not particularly excited about the Presidential election thus far. Largely because it seemed that neither political party was talking about the issues that mattered most to me or policies that would have the largest impact on middle- and aspiring middle-class Americans. Issues such as equal pay for equal work, guaranteeing that all who work will not live in poverty, and assuring access to high quality education (from prekindergarten to high school and beyond) took a back seat for the Democrats to discussion of minute differences between the candidates on the war. For the Republicans, the issues seemed ignored altogether. But yesterday, my skepticism was wiped away.
Most of the news media will focus on Senator Kennedy and Michelle Obama's speeches. It goes without debate that they were both extremely moving. Personally, I was teary eyed during both and no doubt both are worthy of analysis. But one need not look past the front page of The New York Times or watch CNN for more than five minutes to hear about those. Instead, it was the events that may not garner press coverage that reaffirmed my faith that the Democratic Party is still focused on issues of importance to the middle and aspiring middle classes.
Sitting in the convention hall I was relieved to finally hear my issues, ordinary Americans issues, take a center stage. It was RepresentativeJose Serrano of the Bronx who pulled me back in, telling the Pepsi Center packed to capacity that the time has come for a “President that understands we must strengthen our economy from the bottom up.” Speaker after speaker stressed the need for policies to strengthen the middle class.
The presence of both Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers and Reg Weaver of the National Education Association showed that education was still high on the Democratic agenda. Union leaders represented a commitment to creating high paying jobs for Americans. I’m happy to say after day one of the Democratic National Convention, ordinary Americans never left the minds of the party. I’m excited to see how the week progresses.
Hana Greenberg: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 1:09 PM, Aug 26, 2008 in Election 2008
Permalink | Email to Friend | Comments (4)
Comments
Great observations. I hope you can always see the problems of the middle class. Lots of times its just talk, talk, talk getting ready for another year of none action.
NewHampshire Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Posted by: sumit | August 28, 2008 02:11 AM
Great observations. I hope you can always see the problems of the middle class. Lots of times its just talk, talk, talk getting ready for another year of none action.
NewHampshire Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Posted by: sumit | August 28, 2008 02:13 AM
Being a staunch supporter of both the Democrats and Barack Obama, I too am very excited about the progression of the party. The presence of not only Ms. Weingarten and Reg Weaver, but also the son of the late Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, several former Iraq war veterans and former President Jimmy Carter really showed a powerful and unified Democratic front. For the first time during my life I’ve heard the words “judgment” and “responsibility” associated with the office of President and Vice President. Hearing solutions to the housing crisis and making college more affordable finally seem plausible.
Yet, a part of me also remains vigilant and energized knowing that on August 30th, this convention and all of its pomp and pageantry will be over. Then it will be up to all American people to push on with this feeling of hope and try and get into battleground states and make a difference. Though the Democratic National Convention is a great show, it is only a beginning. The challenge will be to hold on to that energy and take it all the way to November 4th.
Posted by: Jigar Gandhi | August 28, 2008 01:39 PM
I have actually been excited about this presidential election from the very beginning. Usually when I look forward to a particular election, it’s only because I’m looking to a potential reprieve from the horrors of a current administration, but with this election, I am excited by the possibilities of electing a candidate to office who seems to understand what is wrong and is dedicated to fixing it. He talked at the Convention about healthcare, quality education, and the economy, describing in vivid detail how the lack of access to or the languishing state of these has taken a remarkably negative toll on the lives of everyday hardworking individuals in this country: inability to afford decent medical care, job losses, paycuts, loss of homes, bankruptcies of small businesses, decreased opportunity for a child to have a successful future, etc., and then proceeded to share the specific steps that he would take as President to rectify each problem. I believe that he has an interest in fighting for the rights of the everyday person and legitimate plans that will move progress in the right direction.
I do think discussion on the war is important, too, however. Unnecessary wars like this one have caused the deaths of millions of innocent people – mostly the poor who join the army in disproportionately greater numbers since to them it often seems that joining the army is the only path out of poverty – and these wars cost billions of dollars that could and should be been spent in this country. This conflict in Iraq needs to end as soon as possible as one candidate intends, rather than keeping it going for “a hundred years” as the other would like.
Posted by: oshaw | August 30, 2008 06:47 PM