Life's Lessons and Politics

I'm going to the opening of Hillary Clinton's Central Florida office this evening. When I wrote earlier that I was now supporting Hillary, I talked about acknowledging my own baggage and identifying more with her than I had been willing to admit.

As I read about the negative reaction of some younger women to Hillary and feminism, I wonder if their response derives, in part, from the fact that they haven't lived long enough to accumulate much baggage themselves. Life is messy. Compromise, injudicious decisions, real mistakes are the stuff of life. But try telling that to a twenty-something year old. I know I wouldn't have listened when I was that age. 

Wewahootee Road

Wewahootee Road

Spirits of Native American warriors run on the hidden trail.

I was out chasing Democrats who Vote By Mail.

Dark was falling; the road ahead unclear.

The sign on the side of the road said I had a lot to fear.

“You’re on your own beyond this boundary.”

That was the warning from Orange County.

I steered slowly around potholes bigger than my Civic.

To some less committed, I might look heroic.

If I go missing, my F.O., Bryan, knows the plan. 

Point the searchers to the last turf I cut on VAN.

Re-entering paved roadway and seeing homes clustered,

I searched for my targets, trying not to feel flustered.

Voter Guides, cards for Charlie and George at the ready,

Checking my map, I kept my hands on the wheel steady.

Reading house numbers in the dark strains my sight,

But I struggle on with the help of an occasional light.

One strong supporter brightens my night.

She’s fired up and ready to join our fight.

Heading for home, I hear ghost warriors chanting of the beauty

That once graced the hidden trail named Wewahootee.

Inside Baseball

As I watched MSNBC with friends last week, I was struck by how removed the discussion was from the daily lives and concerns of most of the Democratic voters we will need to engage to win in November 2016. It was definitely Inside Baseball - so caught up in the minutia of the subject that most people will be perplexed. 

This is not a general slam against baseball, which has been an important part of my life and relationships. I have learned crucial life lessons from the game, which I will keep in mind for the trials and tribulations of the 2016 campaigns.

Be Resilient: Even the best players strike out or are thrown out more often than they get on base.

Be Patient: The best hitters don't swing at every pitch.

Have Fun: The best players always keep the joy in the game.

Warding Off the Evil Eye

Last evening I attended the annual fundraising dinner of the Women's Division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. I was the interim executive director of JFGO for 13 months in 2008-09. 

One of the speakers told us of a program for at-risk teenagers in Israel. We each received a hamsah made by the girls. A hamsah (Hebrew) is a palm-shaped amulet popular in the Middle East and North Africa as a defense against the evil eye. A few minutes later I learned that Donald Trump had won the Republican primary in New Hampshire. I will be keeping my hamsah with me at all times!

David Brooks Writes a Love Letter to Barack Obama

David Brooks, Republican, self-declared conservative, tells why he will miss Barack Obama in today's column in the New York Times. You are not alone, David. 

I'm With Hillary

It would probably take years of Freudian analysis to unravel why I have waited this long to declare my support for Hillary Rodham Clinton for President in 2016. Maybe I don't want to acknowledge how much alike we are so I don't have to own up to the baggage in my life. She certainly has more baggage, but she has been in the spotlight so much more. 

Whatever my hang-ups, I will vote for her in the Florida Presidential Primary next month, and I will work hard in support of her election. The way I see it, our basic values overlap almost perfectly. Has she made choices that I would not have made? Maybe I have played it too safe. 

Is she a pragmatist? That is essential for getting things done in today's world. She has learned a lot since her healthcare reform fiasco when Bill was President. 

One thing is certain: she can take a lot of punishment and come up ready for the next fight.