True no more

Last spring I was a Hillary supporter, not anti Obama, but I supported Hillary. In between the PA primary and the last primary we were invited to a party. During the cocktail hour I commented to someone I was meeting for the first time that if Obama were to be elected I could not wait to see the reactions of the true believers when he made his first compromise.

I predicted wrenching of clothing and wailing Why oh Why and a stream of bitter and heartbroken tears. I think the object of my martini humor turned out to be one the Obama true believers, though she did get over my insult and we had quite a nice conversation about the world we live in.

Well it turns out my prediction has come true and I am having fun watching it. I have long past the stage of true believer when it comes to politics and the fine art of government.

I began my interest in politics in the womb or not long after my release from it. I remember getting the other 4th grade boys, in 1968, to chant "Humphrey, Humphrey he's our man Nixon belongs in a garbage can" with me on election day. I was 9.

In 1972 I met my dear friend State Rep. Bob Freeman volunteering for George McGovern. In 1975/76 I began to convince some politically active adults to support Jimmy Carter. In 1980 the first year I could vote for President I was turning 21 and helping to run the Carter campaign and out of the house giving speeches almost every night during the primary and knocking on doors for Bob & Jeanette Reibman on weekends.

Throughout the 80's I had my heart broken by Mondale and Dukakis and various state and local campaigns. In 1992 I supported Clinton when few around here knew who he was. In 94 I ran a campaign for a very smart but train wreck of a candidate in the primary for state house, lost a race for State Committee and in the fall helped direct Bob's campaign for Senate - we lost by 141 votes to a far inferior person. After all that time I never stopped being a true believer, that is until the last vote was counted that year. It all came to an end. I moved on. I have never lost my interest in politics but never again would I let it consume me.

Recently, I reconnected with a long time pal from that era. We caught up and both came to the conclusion that we would never be true believers again. We both supported the now Sec. of State in the primary, but it took us a few moments after Hillary's concession speech to move over to Obama campaign. We both have become much stronger Obama supporters since the election because we have seen him run his government and make his appointments in a way that is best for the whole nation, not just his base of true believers. We started laughing that the more the president makes decisions that anger his Volvo driving early supporters the stronger our support has gotten. Why?

Because he is making the hard yet smart choices and he is governing with his head as well as his heart and many of those choices are enraging the true believers.

Now, you may ask why am I so opposed to true believers after having been one for such a long time?

Politics and government is best served by adults who are able to think clearly and do the right thing. True believers are blinded from the hard facts of reality by their own self righteousness.

It took Bob's defeat and something our congressman's wife said the day after election day to open my eyes to the bright light of realism and end my status as a true believer. If you run into me and you ask nice I may tell you what Kathy said to me that sunny November day 15 years ago.