I've never been shy about expressing my political ideology and personal values — especially during this election year. If you find yourself engaged in a conversation with me, you would swear that I had been raised in America's heartland. I identify myself as a simple girl who grew up in a humble Christian household, where family values and hard work were stressed. A strong supporter of American troops and military power, I feel grateful to be living in a country where freedom is not deemed a privilege but an inalienable right. I can identify a soybean crop at the drop of a hat (and tell you the optimal conditions needed for growth). Oh, yeah, and I'm finally getting a gun license this year.
By the way, I am also unabashedly liberal and a lifelong Democrat. In several weeks, I will be casting my vote for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and I will be working furiously to mobilize many others to do the same across this great nation.
Surprised? You shouldn't be. Over the next weeks, you will hear fluff terms such as "liberal elitism" and "latte liberal" coming from the conservative side as a means of convincing you that the Democrats, and specifically Barack Obama, are out of touch with American values and traditions. The right-wingers will try their hardest to tell you that liberals are destroying the family unit, trying to take away our guns, and, most importantly, that a Democratic vote is a vote against God.
Don't fall for it. I didn't.
You see, for me, the preservation of traditional American values depends on the availability of good, family-supporting jobs. It means access to health care for all individuals, not just those who are deemed "worthy." Furthermore, it means a guaranteed good education for every American child. It means that all parents deserve to spend more time with the kids, instead of working 80 hours a week just so that they can barely pay for the mortgage and ensure that there is food on the table each night. This is about retiring with dignity after a lifetime of hard work.
Given the Republican track record on these matters, I could never bring myself to vote for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Despite all evidence to the contrary, the conservative right will try to convince you that John McCain deeply and truly understands the issues plaguing working-class, blue-collar Americans.
Don't fall for it. I didn't. I couldn't.
Not when the McCain economic plan outlines an increase in governmental incentives for big businesses. Not when McCain has repeatedly voted against fair wage laws. Not when he openly supports the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Not when his health care proposal will increase insurance premiums for thousands of Americans. And not when he voted against expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
Family-supporting? I don't think so.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, has a solid record of supporting American families. I'm sure you've heard the story by now — faced with a number of job offers from top corporate law firms, he instead decided to work as a community organizer in the South Side neighborhood of Chicago, helping local residents find stable employment. What you may not be aware of is that he has continually voted in favor of prevailing wages and has supported the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Also, as a state senator, he increased health care coverage for thousands of children in Illinois.
Oh, and he firmly believes in the preservation of the Second Amendment. Yes, despite all the conservative hoopla, Barack Obama supports my desire to obtain a gun license.
You see, Sen. Obama and the Democrats believe that living in America is about being a part of a community. It is about helping each other in a time of need. It is about personal flourishing and the achievement of the American dream. It is about fair compensation for hard work. And it is about preserving the rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Government should ensure that the values of the American people are protected. Government should ensure that its people have access to good jobs, good health care and a good future. This is the Democratic platform. These are the Democratic values.
Unfortunately, some Republicans have dubbed this sort of thinking "an ideology of victimization." Conservatives would like to have us believe that any governmental help to American taxpayers means a gratuitous and irresponsible handout. What these same conservatives fail to notice is that the working people are not looking for an easy way out. Rather, what we want is to continue to live in a country that has been called "the land of opportunity" because the U.S. government has helped to provide that opportunity.
In an effort to fool the American public, conservatives are resorting to baseless name-calling by continually associating the Democratic Party with intellectualism and a sanctimonious attitude, which, as I mentioned above, all lead to the claim that Sen. Obama is purportedly out of touch with traditional American values.
Don't fall for it. I didn't. I couldn't. I wouldn't.
For me, out of touch means being unable to recall the number of houses one owns while foreclosure rates are skyrocketing. It means believing that earning below $5 million annually makes you middle class. It means labeling the nation's current economic problems as merely "psychological," even though thousands of Americans are losing their jobs.
I suppose that Republicans feel that they must paint the Democrats as some sort of harbingers of an anti-establishment hippie agenda. Since their candidate, John McCain, and his vice-presidential pick, Sarah Palin, refuse to push policies that actually will benefit American workers and their families, conservatives are forced to use an "us-versus-them" rhetoric in a fruitless attempt to gather votes.
Don't fall for it. I didn't. I couldn't. I wouldn't.
And you shouldn't either.
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Beata Bujalska is a graduate student studying philosophy. She is also co-head of Tufts Students for Barack Obama.
