I am usually proud to be a Democrat, but I am not usually in very good company. The people are great, of course, but the numbers are usually pitifully small. I am from South Carolina, where saying my party is the minority is always an understatement. Does the name Strom Thurmond ring a bell? New Hampshire, when I arrived, was no better. The state has been controlled by the Republican party for the past 143 years. New Hampshire, the state we now call home, has never sent a woman to Washington, and Senator Bob Smith is literally to the right of Jesse Helms (and I wish I were exaggerating here.) It has been pretty lonely.
On Monday, however, I was in a crowd. I was one of the 200 Young Democrats from Dartmouth who boarded school buses and headed to Manchester to hear a speech by President Clinton. Two hundred students! Who undoubtedly "had lots of work," and "were really busy." When is the last time 200 of us gave up an entire afternoon for anything?
Perhaps we boarded the buses because this year we see such a clear choice between a man in touch with our generation and a man in touch with our grandparents' one.
Perhaps it is because one of the candidates wants to cut our student loans, abolish the Department of Education, and throw away Americorps. And the other candidate wants to make it so every single young person in the nation is able to attend at least two years of college.
Perhaps we came because we care about the environment. We do not want the rivers in which we swim during our Sophomore summer and the mountains where we begin our Dartmouth experience polluted by one of the Presidential candidates who is willing to sacrifice nature for a quick-fix tax cut for the wealthy.
Lastly, perhaps we came because we care about the future. Perhaps we realize one candidate would balloon the deficit leaving us a legacy of debt, high interest rates, and irresponsible management. And, the other candidate has cut the budget deficit 60 percent in 4 years.
There were no clouds in the sky, literally or figuratively. The afternoon started with a speech by Arnie Arnesen, an outspoken, straight-talking, working-person's liberal who is running for Congress. She remarked that two years after the Republican Revolution, the most conservative state in the country is doing a "U-Turn." It seems that way. Democrats are very close or ahead in both Congressional races, and last time I checked in our district, President Bill Clinton was 18 points ahead. It's unheard of!
As if I were not already proud, President Clinton's speech was extraordinary. I have heard a lot of political speeches, but never one so anti-political. His words were not about winning an election, or defeating an enemy. I don't think he ever mentioned Dole by name, and he certainly did not belittle his opponent, in stark opposition to Dole's continually caustic remarks on the campaign trail and in Sunday's debate.
Clinton instead embodied messages of hope and community. He seemed to say, "all right, I am in charge, but I cannot change America alone, so will you help me? Will you become a tutor so we can reach universal literacy among 8 year-olds? Will you hire someone from welfare to work? Will you be my partner in changing America?"
He spoke of partnership and activism. He did not speak of a world where government takes care of our problems by itself, but where government is in a partnership with the people, helping them to realize their independent dreams and aspirations, making endeavors more possible. He spoke of our possibility as a people, saying our best days as a nation are still before us. It was the speech of a wise leader, not of a "sound bite" candidate.
The Democratic crowds this year are thick. The candidates are passionate, battle-ready, and articulate. And, the messages are different. From where I stand, the company is amazing!
