The Lion in Winter

photo by Nancy Lane

“For me this is season of hope, of new hope . . . This is the cause of my life, that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American will have decent health care, not as a privilege but as a right.

“We can meet these challenges with Barack Obama. Yes, we can and finally yes we will. This November, the torch with be passed again to a new generation of Americans.”

My daughter and I watched first Senator Ted Kennedy's inspiring speech, and then Michelle Obama's equally inspiring speech. I wept openly as I listened to Kennedy speak from the heart, focusing on those things I grew up believing in: from his late brother's Inaugural Address, when newly-elected John Fitzgerald Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," I have believed that we have a patriotic duty to heal the rifts brought on by fear.

Kennedy spoke to that fear, and to that call to action.

And then Michelle Obama got up there and talked about walking away from her great job in a big Chicago law firm to do just that - to work out in the community to heal the rifts brought on by fear. She talked openly about how we are all connected - something I believe as well. We are all connected, no matter our race, no matter our choice of faith or not, we are connected be we straight, gay, or bi-; we are connected whether we live in the United States, or in Iraq, or in Korea. And my daughter, a single mom with a 3-year-old, wept openly while Michelle Obama spoke from the heart.

She spoke to that fear, and to that call to action as well.

You may not love Obama. But if you line up the issues, and call yourself a Liberal, or a Progressive, or a Democrat, you cannot support John McCain. John McCain will not support a health care program for all Americans. John McCain will not find a way to end this mistake of a war in Iraq. John McCain will not help people get to work, nor will he search for alternative energy resources. John McCain will continue the politics of fear that the current administration has played for the last eight years. So, if you are a Liberal, a Progressive, a Democrat, and you may not love Obama, please dig deep before you cast your vote in November. It is a choice between the politics of fear, or the politics of hope, and while the candidate may not be perfect, he is a far cry better than what the Republicans offer.

The Impact of Senator Kennedy

The Washington Post calls Senator Edward Kennedy Congress's best dealmaker and boldest liberal. Kennedy's ability to cross the aisle and broker deals brought about the first Campaign Finance legistlation; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the State Children's Health Insurance Program and many health care initiatives. He backed Title IX, which brought about equal funding for men's and women's athletic programs in colleges. He has been a driving force behind minimum wage increases. And for every program he's pushed through, he's often had a Republican beside him.

As much as I dislike Senator John McCain, I agree with his assessment of Kennedy: "I have held that view because he remains the single most effective member of the Senate if you want to get results."

Will Kennedy continue in the Senate while he is treated for malignant glioma? Selfishly, I hope he does. We need his voice. He's the second longest-serving Senator in office right now, not up for election until 2010. He's a fighter. We need him. On the other hand, he's facing an agressive treatment with a poor prognosis. He deserves some peace.

Although I met him once, briefly, when he was a brand new Senator - I shook his hand - I feel that Senator Kennedy is part of my family. Like so many others, I feel heartbroken at his diagnosis. Keep him in your heart.