A good friend in Seattle who knows more about Texas politics than most people in Texas (God Bless his patience) told me to balance out all my griping with something positive. It is excellent advice, so I would like to take a moment to talk about some of the Obama supporters I adore.
There is Tyrone, who was a precinct captain for Obama but never failed to send me emails reminding me of any important upcoming events...even though I supported Clinton. He could have played the game of "I am only going to send reminders to people who support Obama". But he didn't. It told me he felt my voice was important, even if it was different from his. I voted for him at the convention and encouraged my fellow Clinton supporters to, as well. He has my utmost respect and admiration and is one of the sweetest people I know.
Then there is Thomas...the Obama supporter I sat next to at the Texas Democratic Convention. When I sat down, our first interaction went like this:
Thomas:
You're an upgrade.
Me:
Huh?
Thomas:
The guy sitting here before you was smelly. And he had a beard.
I was in a bad mood, grumbling about Obama and the stuff I had seen and heard of in Texas at the caucuses. It wasn't pretty. But he sat quietly and patiently listened to me rant against his candidate and fellow supporters. And THEN I saw his Obama '08 shirt.
After a little while he stood up. He was 6' 5". I realized I'd been bitchin' to someone who could squash me like a bug. Instead he smiled and said something.
It sounded like:
Will you wash my back?
Me:
Will I wash your back???
Thomas:
(Laughing) No, I don't even ask my wife to do that. Will you WATCH MY BAG?
When I wasn't paying attention for a moment, he could have shut up and let a vote for a Clinton supporter pass. Instead, he would say:
Dawn, you want to vote on this.
He is a great guy, and I am glad I met him.
I also met many nice women who supported Obama in the ladies room.
And finally, there is the smart lawyer with the 1000-watt smile I have the love / "hate" relationship with. (I think he feels the same way about me.) We always give each other a hug, and a kiss on the cheek...but, ironically, we rarely discuss politics. I told him I didn't believe Hillary meant anything sinister by her assassination comment after I read his article about it, but that I'd found her comment incredibly thoughtless and DUMB. (It is important to admit when your candidate is wrong. We are, after all, voters...not mindless groupies).
I like to think he dealt fairly with me...and that the things we worked on together that weren't done quite right were beyond his control. Though I would be terribly disappointed to find out differently, I still believe he is a good man.
