Open Letter to Super Delegates
by Tammy J Fischer Labey
February 17th, 2008
Hey! I wanted to see a woman in the White House more than anyone! For years I pulled for Hillary!
When most of the country was condemning her choice to stay married to Bill, for example, (from the
righteous outrage, oddly, of conservatives to the social outcry, more oddly, of liberals) I not only
understood her decision, I supported her RIGHT to conduct her personal affairs in her own best
interest based on her belief system. She walked the road less travelled seeking her own counsel and
I greatly admire people w/the fortitude, the conviction, the focus required to do, as they say, whatever
it takes—at least to the point where personal values are not being compromised.
But then sadly, Hillary helped get us into this messy war w/Iraq by voting YES to give W congressional
support to preemptively strike up a war w/another country for the first time in American history. I for
one inferred from this fateful expression of “support” her willingness to sacrifice not just herself —but
her country—for the sake of her career.
When Hillary announced her presidential candidacy I waited on pins and needles to see how she
would “handle” the war vote. I don’t know what I expected, really, since nothing she could say would
undo the damage or bring back the kids who died for want of our ability as a nation to be heard. I
guess I was just hoping she would say it was a mistake or something. But of course she couldn’t admit
to a mistake in judgment even as she was asking for a vote of confidence in her abilities as a leader.
And she certainly wouldn’t win votes by explaining it was politically expedient: The reason people
have a “throw the [incumbents] out” mentality these days is because congress has been grossly
negligent in providing the checks and balances so painstakingly setup by our constitution. Instead,
the majority of…representatives continue to turn a deaf ear to the people they represent in rolling
over for the Bush administration for whatever reason—fear, money, political favors, it doesn’t matter;
we can no longer afford to care.
But while the reality was that I knew better, I didn’t feel there was any choice other than to accept
what’s done is done; and lower the bar we did. With the Clinton machine in full force Hillary asserted
she was in the race to win; she had earned her stripes and now it was her turn. The rest of us might
as well line up, because the office of the presidency was hers for the taking after enduring seven
years of the Bush administration. Trying not to think about how her campaign approach reminded me
of the Bush cronies steamrolling their way thru the 2000 Florida recount into the White House, I took
my place in support of the first female to make a viable run for president of the United States. And
when Hillary walked the thin line as best anyone could given the circumstances saying she wouldn't
vote YES in support of invading Iraq if she knew then what she knows now, I prayed right along w/her
campaign that this tact would appease enough people to move on. After all, hindsight is 20/20 and
she made her decision based on the info available at the time.
Except my heart continued to complain: I'm sorry, but we need a leader w/better judgment than
that!!!
We need someone w/the foresight to make it his/her job to get all the facts. You and/or I could have
made a better character assessment of W before handing over war powers! We need a leader w/the
natural, innate ability to inspire and lift people up out of the black hole of greed threatening to swallow
this country whole. Our next leader needs to be gifted in his/her ability to connect w/people and "talk
a good talk" because we are going to need to start talking now if we hope to earn back respect in the
eyes of the world. The guy or gal following the Bush administration needs to…well, raise the bar; turn
his/her back on politics as usual, rise above the willingness to compromise integrity by way of building
favors, and come to power on the people’s terms.
And Look! There he is!! Why do you think all the other candidates including Hillary are making this
election about Change? They are all following Barack's lead!!! That makes him a natural; when a
natural comes along, all other bets are off.
Hillary is an extremely hard working ambitious smart woman who maybe even deserves to be
president from a personal perspective. But then again, so do a number of other women I know and
as it turns out Hillary is just simply not presidential material. As a woman of the baby boomer
generation, I wanted to vote for Hillary; out of loyalty. My heart is not immune to her profound
disappointment; I’ve experienced my own share of setbacks and deep disillusionment, as have most
people. But this is Hillary’s personal tragedy, and, fortuitously, not our country’s loss.
So, if you will, allow me to plagiarize [?] HRC couldn't be more on target when she observed that
speeches are not the same as solutions. Yet she failed to demonstrate how they fit together. The
purpose of a speech is to articulate the vision, express the desire for unity, and mobilize the masses
to work in harmony for shared objectives. Speeches are a means to achieving synergy—arguably the
most formidable source of power on earth. A born leader understands this intuitively. Of course it can
be…studied, even emulated, to a degree, but it loses…fluidity in the process and really cannot be
effectively implemented by anyone other than a natural—which is why the rest of us defer to such a
person, when we meet one, almost instinctively out of survival as a people; personal agendas
notwithstanding. Solutions are then developed to execute the vision.
Most people I’ve talked to understand we need both a vision and a plan of action. A leader
represents the will of the people; that is his/her purpose in a democracy. In representing the will of the
people a leader needs to assimilate the overwhelming sentiment being projected onto him/her and
embody that spirit for purposes of expressing the shared intention to do something. None of these
concepts are easily put into, well, just words, mind you—anymore than the outcome can be
architected in the school of Karl Rove, much less orchestrated by political consultants or carefully
crafted campaign strategies. But people sure seem to know a leader when they see one.
Just as instinctively, a leader then reciprocates; he/she listens to our needs and ideas, assesses our
level of commitment and appoints highly capable hard working people of outstanding character to
strategize solutions. He/she calls upon his/her good judgment to make the final determinations as to
how our energy, resources, and attentions will be focused and finally completes the circle by calling
upon his/her supporters [we the people] to implement selected solutions.
While I’m out on a plagiaristic limb here, “no man is an island” but we are all pieces of a puzzle. Some
people are better at putting puzzles together than others. They see in their mind’s eye what the
puzzle should represent when it is complete and then determine how the pieces fit together. The
mystique surrounding the Obama campaign is simply a reflection of the synergy being generated as
hope starved people begin to feel empowered and are lifted from the depths of despair. (Read that
sentence again if you didn’t feel chills tingling down your spine the first time.)
You may remember Obama started out just a few short months ago looking rather diminutive standing
next to Hillary in the initial debates. You’d never know it looking at him today, growing larger than life
right before our very eyes as he works the crowds breathing life into his campaign. Unless he started
taking growth hormones and/or Hillary shrunk, that’s an aura you see dominating the platform around
Obama these days; synergizing the people’s will into action, mobilizing the masses.
Someone should tell the Clinton campaign you can’t “firewall” such momentum. But then again, why
would you want to try? The only reason I can think of has everything to do w/the desire for a personal
win at all costs and nothing to do w/working to represent the will of the people. In fact, people
motivated by the greater good do not aspire to building walls—certainly not the kind designed to stop
a movement born of hope and striving for unity.
There is something else. One gets the sense Barack Obama is running for president—not to satisfy a
personal need—but to respond to a social call; for someone of his qualifications to step up. And get
this: If the need were to fade, because say another more qualified candidate were to surface, it might
be expected he would be the first to step aside. In other words, he is where he is because it’s right
where the people want him to be.
As Barack’s well grounded wife, Michelle, has said in print her husband is "no deity." He is a human
being w/an oratory gift for articulating the will of the people. Obama simply acts as a lightening rod
drawing energy from the mass crowds, assimilating our needs, our desires, our yearning: to be heard.
Sometimes he even uses our very same words and forgets to give credit where credit is due.
We forgive him because we know he is human like us—and because we want him to continue
speaking for us.
We are rising up en masse passionately working to be heard because we have found a candidate in
Barack Obama—ready, willing, and able to represent our will as good people w/good intentions. God
forbid we work this hard as “leaders of the free world” in our democratic society only to find a few
hundred “super delegates” took it upon themselves to override the will of the people so clearly
expressed.
Make no mistake: You will not be forgiven.
by Tammy J Fischer Labey
February 17th, 2008
Hey! I wanted to see a woman in the White House more than anyone! For years I pulled for Hillary!
When most of the country was condemning her choice to stay married to Bill, for example, (from the
righteous outrage, oddly, of conservatives to the social outcry, more oddly, of liberals) I not only
understood her decision, I supported her RIGHT to conduct her personal affairs in her own best
interest based on her belief system. She walked the road less travelled seeking her own counsel and
I greatly admire people w/the fortitude, the conviction, the focus required to do, as they say, whatever
it takes—at least to the point where personal values are not being compromised.
But then sadly, Hillary helped get us into this messy war w/Iraq by voting YES to give W congressional
support to preemptively strike up a war w/another country for the first time in American history. I for
one inferred from this fateful expression of “support” her willingness to sacrifice not just herself —but
her country—for the sake of her career.
When Hillary announced her presidential candidacy I waited on pins and needles to see how she
would “handle” the war vote. I don’t know what I expected, really, since nothing she could say would
undo the damage or bring back the kids who died for want of our ability as a nation to be heard. I
guess I was just hoping she would say it was a mistake or something. But of course she couldn’t admit
to a mistake in judgment even as she was asking for a vote of confidence in her abilities as a leader.
And she certainly wouldn’t win votes by explaining it was politically expedient: The reason people
have a “throw the [incumbents] out” mentality these days is because congress has been grossly
negligent in providing the checks and balances so painstakingly setup by our constitution. Instead,
the majority of…representatives continue to turn a deaf ear to the people they represent in rolling
over for the Bush administration for whatever reason—fear, money, political favors, it doesn’t matter;
we can no longer afford to care.
But while the reality was that I knew better, I didn’t feel there was any choice other than to accept
what’s done is done; and lower the bar we did. With the Clinton machine in full force Hillary asserted
she was in the race to win; she had earned her stripes and now it was her turn. The rest of us might
as well line up, because the office of the presidency was hers for the taking after enduring seven
years of the Bush administration. Trying not to think about how her campaign approach reminded me
of the Bush cronies steamrolling their way thru the 2000 Florida recount into the White House, I took
my place in support of the first female to make a viable run for president of the United States. And
when Hillary walked the thin line as best anyone could given the circumstances saying she wouldn't
vote YES in support of invading Iraq if she knew then what she knows now, I prayed right along w/her
campaign that this tact would appease enough people to move on. After all, hindsight is 20/20 and
she made her decision based on the info available at the time.
Except my heart continued to complain: I'm sorry, but we need a leader w/better judgment than
that!!!
We need someone w/the foresight to make it his/her job to get all the facts. You and/or I could have
made a better character assessment of W before handing over war powers! We need a leader w/the
natural, innate ability to inspire and lift people up out of the black hole of greed threatening to swallow
this country whole. Our next leader needs to be gifted in his/her ability to connect w/people and "talk
a good talk" because we are going to need to start talking now if we hope to earn back respect in the
eyes of the world. The guy or gal following the Bush administration needs to…well, raise the bar; turn
his/her back on politics as usual, rise above the willingness to compromise integrity by way of building
favors, and come to power on the people’s terms.
And Look! There he is!! Why do you think all the other candidates including Hillary are making this
election about Change? They are all following Barack's lead!!! That makes him a natural; when a
natural comes along, all other bets are off.
Hillary is an extremely hard working ambitious smart woman who maybe even deserves to be
president from a personal perspective. But then again, so do a number of other women I know and
as it turns out Hillary is just simply not presidential material. As a woman of the baby boomer
generation, I wanted to vote for Hillary; out of loyalty. My heart is not immune to her profound
disappointment; I’ve experienced my own share of setbacks and deep disillusionment, as have most
people. But this is Hillary’s personal tragedy, and, fortuitously, not our country’s loss.
So, if you will, allow me to plagiarize [?] HRC couldn't be more on target when she observed that
speeches are not the same as solutions. Yet she failed to demonstrate how they fit together. The
purpose of a speech is to articulate the vision, express the desire for unity, and mobilize the masses
to work in harmony for shared objectives. Speeches are a means to achieving synergy—arguably the
most formidable source of power on earth. A born leader understands this intuitively. Of course it can
be…studied, even emulated, to a degree, but it loses…fluidity in the process and really cannot be
effectively implemented by anyone other than a natural—which is why the rest of us defer to such a
person, when we meet one, almost instinctively out of survival as a people; personal agendas
notwithstanding. Solutions are then developed to execute the vision.
Most people I’ve talked to understand we need both a vision and a plan of action. A leader
represents the will of the people; that is his/her purpose in a democracy. In representing the will of the
people a leader needs to assimilate the overwhelming sentiment being projected onto him/her and
embody that spirit for purposes of expressing the shared intention to do something. None of these
concepts are easily put into, well, just words, mind you—anymore than the outcome can be
architected in the school of Karl Rove, much less orchestrated by political consultants or carefully
crafted campaign strategies. But people sure seem to know a leader when they see one.
Just as instinctively, a leader then reciprocates; he/she listens to our needs and ideas, assesses our
level of commitment and appoints highly capable hard working people of outstanding character to
strategize solutions. He/she calls upon his/her good judgment to make the final determinations as to
how our energy, resources, and attentions will be focused and finally completes the circle by calling
upon his/her supporters [we the people] to implement selected solutions.
While I’m out on a plagiaristic limb here, “no man is an island” but we are all pieces of a puzzle. Some
people are better at putting puzzles together than others. They see in their mind’s eye what the
puzzle should represent when it is complete and then determine how the pieces fit together. The
mystique surrounding the Obama campaign is simply a reflection of the synergy being generated as
hope starved people begin to feel empowered and are lifted from the depths of despair. (Read that
sentence again if you didn’t feel chills tingling down your spine the first time.)
You may remember Obama started out just a few short months ago looking rather diminutive standing
next to Hillary in the initial debates. You’d never know it looking at him today, growing larger than life
right before our very eyes as he works the crowds breathing life into his campaign. Unless he started
taking growth hormones and/or Hillary shrunk, that’s an aura you see dominating the platform around
Obama these days; synergizing the people’s will into action, mobilizing the masses.
Someone should tell the Clinton campaign you can’t “firewall” such momentum. But then again, why
would you want to try? The only reason I can think of has everything to do w/the desire for a personal
win at all costs and nothing to do w/working to represent the will of the people. In fact, people
motivated by the greater good do not aspire to building walls—certainly not the kind designed to stop
a movement born of hope and striving for unity.
There is something else. One gets the sense Barack Obama is running for president—not to satisfy a
personal need—but to respond to a social call; for someone of his qualifications to step up. And get
this: If the need were to fade, because say another more qualified candidate were to surface, it might
be expected he would be the first to step aside. In other words, he is where he is because it’s right
where the people want him to be.
As Barack’s well grounded wife, Michelle, has said in print her husband is "no deity." He is a human
being w/an oratory gift for articulating the will of the people. Obama simply acts as a lightening rod
drawing energy from the mass crowds, assimilating our needs, our desires, our yearning: to be heard.
Sometimes he even uses our very same words and forgets to give credit where credit is due.
We forgive him because we know he is human like us—and because we want him to continue
speaking for us.
We are rising up en masse passionately working to be heard because we have found a candidate in
Barack Obama—ready, willing, and able to represent our will as good people w/good intentions. God
forbid we work this hard as “leaders of the free world” in our democratic society only to find a few
hundred “super delegates” took it upon themselves to override the will of the people so clearly
expressed.
Make no mistake: You will not be forgiven.
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