After the last presidential election, i promised myself i'd do something toward making sure we didn't end up with another excessively fear-oriented president in 2009, even if it meant working for a Democrat. I have no elan for any political party, and certainly never expected to see an electable candidate that i actually felt any genuine support for. I thought i would give a little money, maybe put in a few hours in the general election, and that would be that. When i first noticed Obama at all, i wrote him off as just another politician. After all, he is one - i mean, he's certainly genuine in many ways, but he's also calculating and strategic, and doesn't just let his gut reactions pop out of his mouth (i miss Mike Gravel!). And his policy proposals are for the most part solidly in the old mainstream.

But after some people i respect got excited...

I took a closer look. Lawrence Lessig's video endorsement really hit me - all of his points, but especially when it raised in me the hope that an Obama presidency could lead to a reframing of the post-9/11 world. Frankly, tears came to my eyes as i imagined that tragic event not leaving us in a permanent attitude of war, but instead opening us to see the U.S.'s role in the world more clearly - what it has been, and more importantly what it could be.

In Obama's interview at Google, he shares specific policies for more transparency and citizen involvement. But more importantly, at about 38:30 in the video Google CEO Eric Schmidt asks him about race. Obama's response is to affirm it as a major issue for America in the 20th century, and suggest that the 21st century extension of it is "the other" - in general, the willingness and ability reach across the usual divisions, to acknowledge the humanity of everyone and find a way forward that works for all. And he clearly lives this out politically, in his willingness to work with opponents. The classic example is the unanimous vote in the Illinois senate to place cameras in police interrogation rooms - he won over police groups and Republican and Democratic politicians who initially opposed it. In the video he even uses Sri Lanka as an example, explaining that the long-running Tamil-Sinhalese civil war does not relate to race. (Lanka is close to my heart - for 10 years i was married to a Sri Lankan woman, and lived in the country for three years.)

Anyone who knows me knows this is a giant issue for me. The way he talks about the other is not primarily about race, or Democrats and Republicans, but as a general human theme, the millenia-old cultural habit of making people we have some disagreement with into irredeemable "bad guys" (see Assumptions of Power-with Culture). Othering, and its inverse inclusion, are a major theme in the Process Arts in general, and any particular process that holds my interest. As i've gotten older and taken science fiction more seriously, i've ended up exploring the theme of other sentients in the genre. Could we really have a president who takes the issue of inclusion seriously?

It hasn't been too hard to keep my feet on the ground. I don't expect a lot from him directly, and i won't hesitate to criticize him (FISA? the death penalty!?). But i can genuinely get excited about working to elect him, because i believe he really could play a role in shifts that matter to me, that i believe are crucial to our survival and thriving as a species.

So, during the primaries i gave money a couple of times (never done that before), and called twenty people in Ohio (never done any work for a campaign before). I even switched registration from Green to Democrat so that i could vote for him in the primary (don't worry, i'll switch back :-). And now i've connected with a very cool local organizer (hi Rosie!) and will be supporting her and the local effort as i can.

Stay tuned for more on my experiences in the campaign, and thoughts on an Obama presidency and how it might relate to power-with cultural/political shifts.