We asked a number of the artists who illustrate for us to rend their take on a Obama campaign poster. Some of the artists included their comments on President Obama and the upcoming election. We thank all the artists that participated.
It pretty much goes without saying that most Brooklynites, Park Slopers in particular, are Democrats. It is assumed that if you ask anyone on the street, in shops, or at playgrounds in this small town in a big city, they will proudly, happily and unabashedly say “I’m a Democrat!” Why, I know a New Yorker who voted for a dead guy rather than vote Republican. I wanted to put this theory to the test and hit the streets, the shops, and the social media. My mission was to ask people here in Park Slope, are they voting for Barack Obama? And if yes, could they please tell me why? The answers, almost — almost (more on that later) were a resounding “YES!” and “More than happy to. Why, thanks for asking.”
I know, I know. This is stating the obvious, “Gee, a Brooklyninte voting Democrat?! Why, I never…” It is redundant — sorry. But I wanted to get quotes, actual cogent thoughts, as to why Barack Obama is, in fact, so awesome, just in case anyone is a “swinger” as my foreign friend puts it — she means “Swing Voter”, of course (sorry, this is not that kind of story.) So, a post or two on my social media page, a couple of electronic communications, and many, many face-to-face “why is this woman coming up to me and talking to me?” moments later, I give you the following:
Before I hit the bricks, I took a shortcut and turned to my husband, Peter, a trial lawyer, and asked him. “Seriously? You need a reason?” “YES! Pretend I’m six.” My six-year-old quickly chimed in, “Well my reason is I trust him.” Whoa, rewind. “What?” “I trust that he is spending our money on new schools, museums, and hospitals.” Dumfounded, I asked him where he got his information, and he told me that is just what presidents do, and that’s what his class talked about when the children wrote him letters in kindergarten this February (Obama not only wrote back, but also sent a bunch of great photos. Thank you public school and amazing kindergarten teacher!) Now, back to my husband who is an intelligent (and handsome) father of two, slightly over 39 years old: “In Barack Obama’s first four years in office, he has done more to make my life and the lives of my children better. [Not his wife’s????] Barack Obama established the credit card bill of rights that prevents credit card companies from imposing arbitrary rate increases on customers. I benefit from that. [Yay! I can buy more stuff and not feel guilty. Sorry, I digress.] He signed into law healthcare reform that, among other things, ensures that nobody in my family will be denied health care coverage based on a preexisting condition, and that my kids can stay on my health plan until they are 26 if their employer does not offer health insurance.”
President Obama is a compassionate, measured, articulate and educated leader. These qualities are what make him the best equipped to lead a country that is only becoming more diverse, in a world that is increasingly connected. His moderate stances on issues, sometimes leaving him in the position of pleasing no one, are the wisest in a time when pleasing a political party can mean reducing an issue to black and white. Things do not get simpler, only more complex, and someone with a flexible mind should be the one to guide.
That’s a lot of good stuff. In 20 years, when my son is 26 I hope we will be retired and living off my son and not needing to pay his insurance. Unless, of course, he indeed decides to become a lunar paleontologist, in which case he will still be in school and we will still be working to pay for his education (unless Obama becomes president!) I digress.
All kidding aside and editorial comments omitted, I continue with Kevin. Kevin not only owns and runs a hiking tour and gear rental shop called Gear to Go Outfitters, located on Garfield Place, he is also a former lawyer, and…wait for it…a veteran. And he’s super smart and articulate (ladies, as of press time he is single). I knew his reply would spell it out — he is smart, but he was also in the military, so he cuts through the crap. He had this to say: “ I think the theory that the Republicans would be better for small business died with Ronald Reagan. Trickle-down economics has been shown to be a failed policy that only benefits those at the top. I can’t stay in business if only the top 1% can afford to purchase my products and services. The more people who have disposable income, the better my business and the economy, overall, will do.” Yes, Kevin! Raise your hand if you have disposable income! Anyone? Anyone? No? Well, don’t worry; Kevin still sells things you need (portable wine flask, rain gear, head lamps and kids’ lunch box items), so shop local! He continued on, saying that “Obama also appeals to me as a veteran. Though he never served, he does seem to deliberate before using force which I much prefer to Bush’s ‘shoot first and justify later’ policy. There’s supposed to be a contract of sorts between those in the military and the civilian population of our country. As a member of the armed forces of the United States, I was prepared to lay down my life to defend my country, but it’s supposed to be for a damned good reason. Historically, those presidents who have served in the military (I don’t consider George W. Bush in that category) have been the least likely to use force and have done so only when it appeared absolutely necessary. I want a president who takes a minute to think whether it’s absolutely necessary to send us into battle. A president who seeks to exhaust all alternate solutions besides the use of force, and a president who then evaluates whether the ends the use of force seeks to obtain justify the potential sacrifice of our nation’s finest men and women. Obama has demonstrated these attributes.” Well said and well spoken. I owe this guy at least two beers.
Americans are notorious for seeking out quick fixes for change. Whether it be losing pounds fast with a diet pill or winning the lottery, our lack of ability to see the scope of the greater problem, and subsequent bitterness when we don’t see immediate results, has hindered our progress and turned us into skeptics and pessimists. President Obama is able to visualize a bright future that is fundamentally different from the past. This drastic shift in perspective is ultimately what our impatient nation needs, but we also need to trust and understand that this change will not happen overnight.
Amanda, who is a mother of two and runs Row New York, a non-profit empowering youth from under-resourced communities through the sport of rowing. She is a born and raised New Yorker with a Harvard advanced degree, a 30-something mother of two, and a long time Park Slope/Windsor Terrace Resident. Amanda had this to say: “Why Obama? Because, for the most part, I agree with his policies. I support gay marriage, a woman’s right to choose abortion, cap and trade legislation, higher taxes for the wealthy, keeping religion out of schools, making healthcare accessible, and gun regulation. I really believe that Obama has the interests of more Americans at heart. Like Obama, I am opposed to privatizing Medicare. I think Obama cares about the greater good for more Americans than Romney does. Romney would be good for those who are doing well — wealthy Americans, big business — but those people are already okay. I am more interested in those who don’t fall into that category … first generation college students, the poor, the sick, the elderly. As Michelle Obama talked about in her convention speech, ‘we can’t get through the door of opportunity and slam it behind us.’” This woman was very passionate, informed and very suspicious of the one Subaru on her block who has Romney/Ryan sticker.
Another female 30-something mother of two, who has lived in Park Slope for 11 years, agreed. Steph, a columnist for Brooklyn Paper and blogger for GoldStar4trying.com, also had a soft spot for helping others (maybe it’s a mom thing, but shouldn’t we ALL care about taking care of those in need?) Steph said, “I’m voting for Obama because he still has hope that every single person in this country deserves a chance. Is he the perfect leader? No. Does he have all the answers? No. But unlike Romney and his cohorts, Obama is at least trying to figure programs that help the ‘poor, lazy, slobs’ making less than $250K a year, so I’m giving President O my vote and a big gold star.” I hope Steph gives the Park Slope Reader a gold star. She is a really good writer and dresses cool.
Marcus, a 26-year-old Asian-American male (he asked to be indentified as such) who works in one of our important community centers, told me why he was voting for Obama. First of all, he blames Bush for his prior period of unemployment and credits Obama’s legislation for obtaining this new, current job. Marcus was required to attend career readiness workshops while he was unemployed, and he says if it weren’t for that, he never would have gotten the boost he needed. And we would be deprived of his welcoming smile and attention to detail when we lose our membership cards … He also stated, “Bush got eight years to put us in this hole, why can’t we give Obama eight years to get us out?” Good point! Marcus also told me that his older, conservative Chinese parents registered and voted for the first time in 2008. “That says a lot,” he said.
Ellen, a retired school teacher and former real estate broker who currently leads tours at the Brooklyn Museum, said “Obama wants to improve the economy for everyone, to make sure everyone has healthcare, protect the environment, improve education, keep bank regulations in place, make sure the social safety net stays protected, and protect the rights of all people, including women and gays. Romney will take care of the rich, the corporations, the oil companies, the bankers, and let everyone else go to hell. A Romney presidency would deprive us of everything that is good about America.” Spoken like a true Brooklynite! Her colleague Jim, also a retiree and a 44-year resident of Park Slope, was the first one to talk about Obama on a personal, human level, which I found interesting and touching: “His sense of humor and the obvious sense of mutual love and respect he exhibits with his family [as well as] his calm and coolness in a crisis” are some of the reason Jim likes the guy and will give him his vote. Why, yes! These are indeed qualities the leader of this great nation should have, not something to be taken for granted. Jim made another good point: “His life story, which shows the power of the American Dream — the idea that anyone, no matter his or her origins, has the potential to succeed through hard work, determination and persistence.” Now, THAT’S a role model I want for my kids. By the way, people who seem soft spoken are NOT when it comes to politics or art.
I don’t know if I’m going to vote in the upcoming election. If I do I’ll vote for Obama, but not because I think he’ll protect my rights, or the rights of others, but because he’s the lesser of two evils. Politics leave me feeling stuck between a rock and hard place because the conspiracy theories make more sense to me that what I see in mainstream media.
I do need to mention the few residents I encountered who did not feel the lOve (capital O intentional). Three people, who shall remain anonymous, are “sitting this one out”. They are a bit disillusioned with the whole democracy thing. When pressed for a reason, one Park Sloper, wrote this to me: “If people would stop to see how the candidates are both bought out by the same corporate sponsors and how misled they are by a highly unethical media, they might actually make demands on our government that are unseen in today’s system. People are co-opting into thinking that they are creating change when they go flip a lever every four years, and that’s just the way our government wants it.” He is an active member of Occupy Wall Street and is, himself, being a part of the change he wants to see by protesting and writing about these issues. I admire a man who stands by his principles and actually acts upon them.
So IT IS true! Yes, Virginia, there are NO Republicans in our neighborhood! Well there’s one, but she was raised in New Orleans and is re-registering as “Independent and will probably be voting for Obama.” But we are Park Slopers, after all, and are tolerant of other people’s beliefs, even if they are not our own. All kidding and digression aside, I did talk to a lot more people and they are ALL going to vote for Obama. I wonder if the owner of the Windsor Terrace Subaru has that bumper sticker because they lost a bet, or alternatively, if that’s what they truly believe, then maybe they really are the one percent and should support their neighbors’ businesses, nonprofits and cultural institutions.
