[Mb-civic] to inspire

[Sierra Pecheur]

WHY IT ALL MATTERS 
by Eric C. Bauman, Chair LA County Democratic Party 
There's no doubt we are now in the heat of the campaign season.  You can tell because the right-wing are gnashing their teeth, accusing us of being job-killing, God-less socialists, proclaiming loudly that we are a threat to the very survival of our nation and, of course, accusing our nominee of being a gutless flip-flopper. 
We've seen all this before. It's the same playbook they use every four years. They are the righteous, pious, upstanding defenders of individual rights, who have apparently received special dispensation from above for all their sins. We are the spawn of the devil, supported only by the evil trial lawyers, unions and special interests. 
I must admit, it gets awfully tiring, even a bit depressing at times. It takes a great deal of energy to keep going, to face yet another hostile reporter, skeptical voter or disinterested audience. 
But every now and then something happens that reminds me why it all matters. 
Last week I was speaking to group in South Los Angeles. I had gone there to talk about my boss Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi's Low Income Communities Initiative. The group included teenagers, seniors and folks in the middle. They were friendly enough, though not terribly interested in what I was talking about. 
I began to suspect that what they really wanted to talk about was politics, because every time I slipped in a shot a George W. Bush or Arnold Schwarzenegger the audience seemed to wake up. 
Never one to miss an opportunity, I asked them if they preferred to talk about the upcoming elections. the response was overwhelming. I said I'd oblige them on two conditions: first, that they promise not to tell Garamendi that I had switched topics and second, that they let me finish my presentation. Nearly every head in the audience nodded in agreement. 
>From that point on, the audience began to engage. As I talked about promoting insurance industry investment in the underserved communities, they asked about economic empowerment and the unavailability of housing.. When I spoke about the risks of driving without auto insurance and told them about our Low Cost Auto Insurance program, someone told his story about having his car impounded and driver's license suspended. I thought I had somehow hit a home run. 
When I had exhausted my official presentation, I told them I was ready to engage them in a discussion about the November elections. I began with my usual stump speech about regaining the America we were promised and deserved. I talked about John Kerry, his record and what I believed a Kerry White House would mean. I talked about Barbara Boxer and the Republican agenda, and of course, I talked about how George W. Bush and his cronies have turned America's values upside down. Finally, I talked about what we needed to do to win the election. 
It was a bit mechanical for me. I was really tired and wasn't feeling particularly impassioned or poetic; to be honest, I was just going through the motions. It was a competent presentation, but I doubt I really inspired anyone. No doubt the crowd sensed my lack of enthusiasm. 
Nevertheless, when I finished talking and asked if there were any questions, hands flew into the air. The questions ranged from the war to healthcare to jobs, nothing particularly unusual and nothing I couldn't handle. 
Then something happened. A woman stood, introduced herself and told me she was in her eighties, a widow, living with her unemployed grandson, on $635 a month from Social Security. She seemed at the same time proud and sad. 
She became very sad and told me that she had high blood pressure and diabetes and that her vision was failing. She said the clinic she had been going to for eight years closed in 2003 and she explained that, even with Medicare and Medi-Cal, her medications cost her over $100 per month. 
Then she began talking about her grandson. She said he was 28, a high school drop out, unemployed and spent a year in prison for possession of crack cocaine. She said she took him in because he no place to go and no future. 
The woman concluded by saying she had been a Democrat all of her life and that she loved Bill Clinton, but she wasn't sure she would vote this year. She told me she had lost all hope. 
The room fell silent. I stood there for a moment not knowing what to say or do. Should I hug her or try and convince her that if she voted all would be better? Before I had the chance to respond, she said one last thing, she explained to me that she was not worried about herself; she said she had lived her life, but her greatest fear was that once she was gone her grandson's life would be over. She ended by asking how anyone could have hope in today's America. 
For a moment I struggled, trying to come up with the right words to say, the right spin. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. This woman and her grandson were exactly why it all matters. 
I looked at her, hesitated for another moment and said thank you. She looked at me bewildered and asked what I meant by that. I explained to her that I had been struggling that night to keep my energy level up, to be positive and encouraging. That in the back of my mind I was asking myself what I was doing there and whether it even mattered. 
Then I looked at her and with tears in my eyes said "You are the reason I am here. You are the reason that I do this night after night. You are the reason John Kerry is running for president. In fact, you are the reason the Democratic Party exists, to ensure that everyone has a chance to live a better life and have a future." 
Regaining my composure, I looked around the room and said, "The most unusual thing has happened to me tonight. Instead of my inspiring you, you have inspired me. Instead of my giving you energy and passion, you have given me energy and passion. You have reminded me of why I must fight the fight every day, why it's so important, why it's so real. And just when it seemed like I had forgotten, you have once again taught me why it all matters, and I thank you." 
I concluded by saying that no single vote, no single election could solve every problem, but that by standing up and using our power at the ballot box we could radically change the direction of our country and reorient it towards promoting hope and opportunity for every one of us, especially those most in need and without a voice. 
I am sharing this story in hopes that it will inspire you as it did me. That it will remind you of why you give of your time, energy and resources. And that it will remind you how much is at stake this year and why it all matters. 



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