Indiana Votes
"But once the election is over, once the rallies are done, the cameras are gone - we have a lot of work to do. And we have to pick a president who is ready, on day one, to begin that work. And to present the kind of solutions and answers that America is looking for." ~Hillary Clinton, in April "Solutions" speech at IU.
I’m really excited that Indiana’s Democratic primary has gotten so much attention. I live in a Democratic township: but it’s an island of blue in a sea of red. In other words, it’s really unusual that Indiana, which typically votes Republican in national elections, is (sort of) important in the Democratic primary. It’s not (all that) numerically important. But so many people have started paying attention to politics here: including my 18-year-old brother! He was a Republican, but now he’s out canvassing for Obama. At the moment, Indiana is “too close to call.” It’s currently 52% Clinton, 48% Obama. 75% of the votes have been counted.
On the day that I am watching the results of Indiana’s primary stream onto the television screen, I am thinking back to Clinton’s recent visit on campus. Hours before the speech she’ll give to her supporters, I’m thinking about the live speech I heard her deliver a few weeks ago. I had a telephone conversation with a student working on the Clinton campaign, who said there were 6000 people there. I think that estimate *must* be too high. Maybe 3500 people?
(Obama didn’t make a speech here, though he did stop in for the popular “Little 5” weekend about a month ago. He had a few drinks at the coolest pub in town after attending the-nationally televised-bicycle race. I’ve written a previous entry on Obama, so I won’t say any more about him here. Other than to say: the undergrads are staunchly rallying around Obama. The Obama vans are a force of nature on campus. It’s so good to see the undergrads flocking out to register to vote. I’m really pumped about that!) I voted early one week ago, at the end of finals week, just before heading home to Kentucky.
Two Fridays ago, I opened the paper to learn that Hillary Clinton was coming to B-town that afternoon. How exciting! I hadn’t decided who to vote for, because honestly, I would be happy to see either Obama or Clinton in the White House. The only problem: I was supposed to be organizing a meeting for the English department during Clinton’s speech! So, I met the pizza delivery man, lined up 10 boxes of pizza along the window, signed on the dotted line, and snuck off to Assembly Hall (the basketball stadium). I snagged 3 slices of pizza on my way out the door. :D I couldn’t stay for the entire lecture, but I got to hear about 30 minutes. I left just as she finished speaking, and handed the microphone to two students, who were going to tell their stories. I really hated leaving at that moment: I felt sooo insensitive to the students, whom I would have LOVED to hear. (Clinton was pretty late, and I had promised to help make 100 hamburger patties for the department’s end-of-the-semester BBQ. There are some things I’ll skip out on, but that is unfortunately not one of them.) While waiting for Senator Clinton to arrive, I made good use of my time by listening to the rhetoric, imbedded in the music.
--“I was born in a small town”
--“Stand My Ground”
--“We’ve been together since way back when
After all these years
You’re still the one”
To sum up in three words, here’s how Senator Clinton came across to me: Smart, Strong, and Sensible.
Her speech on “Solutions”
Her talk was about finding “solutions” to America’s problems, working to find answers for the American people, and generating change. Her keywords: solutions, American dream, American character, work, fight, play offense, stand up for, provide a direction for change, open inquiry, the future, prosperity and peace.
Talking points for which Clinton received a standing ovation:
--Will subsidize the manufacture of hybrid cars
--End Bush’s war on science
--Will not export jobs out of Indiana
--Health care which includes prevention measures and mental health care
Clinton was introduced by Baron Hill, who referenced the Democrats’ forty years spent in the wilderness. In her speech, Clinton piggybacked on this reference, to allude to Moses’s leadership in the Bible: “Moses provided direction, and explained how to move forward. . . . Moses had to direct a revolt of the freed slaves, who wished to form a ‘back to Egypt’ committee.” Her point was that “Change is scary. It even requires us to do something different” (emphasis in original). I found it interesting that Clinton was able to transition smoothly from discussing religion to discussing morality: the morality of universal healthcare, and the moral authority of America, which has been lost under Bush’s administration. She was especially strong, throughout her speech, in critiquing the state of the nation, which has been “poorly led for the last seven years.” She portrayed herself as “A President who summons the American character up again.” She also emphasized that “I’m not about speeches” and that “rhetoric isn’t gonna effect change.”
--Sidenote: The religious authorities across the country were in favor of Obama several weeks ago, when I watched a CNN interview, with an audience full of representatives from a wide range of religious denominations. They were SOOO clearly in favor of Obama (applause, etc. for him was intense, while I didn’t hear any applause for her). However, I was impressed with Clinton’s answers. Especially her response to what I consider an inane question: “Tell us about a moment in your life when you felt the presence of God.” She refused to single out a particular moment-which was *awesome.* Then she proceeded to point out that religious experience is interactive, not solipsistic (though she didn’t use that word). It’s not only about her, but her interactions with other people. Then she gave an example of that.
Ok, must watch a movie with my dad. He’s getting impatient with me. Rightfully so: I’ve gotten a little carried away with myself, here. :D
PS-I didn’t get to watch that movie, or post this entry, because our internet was down last night. Yep. Everyone with our phone service in our area code, had no internet for 12 hours. No. Comment. That is all.