This is America. There's children, there's women. There are a lot of black people,there are a lot of plain old redneck people like myself.
Those were the words this morning of Jerry Dreddy, a 61-year old white man from Liberty, North Carolina and an ardent Hillary Clinton supporter. No matter who wins the nomination, this truck parts salesman won't be voting for John McCain in November. But Dreddy isn't too impressed by Barack Obama, whom he described as inexperienced and too guarded about his personal life. Dreddy said he'd be looking closely at who Obama chooses as his running mate.
Dreddy drove with his wife to Washington, D.C. last night in order to participate in the "Count Every Vote" rally held by pro-Clinton groups outside of the Marriott Park Wardman. Inside the hotel, the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee is currently debating the fates of Florida and Michigan's delegates. Outside, several hundred Clinton supporters, with the largest contigents from Florida and New York, marched into Rock Creek Park. Far from being the homogenous group of angry, white, middle aged women cariacatured in many media reports, the event was just as diverse as many Barack Obama rallies I've attened this election season. There were plenty of men; men of every type you can imagine. There was a Spanish-speaking group from Nevada, LGBT people with pride buttons, teenagers participating in their first election, young professionals lounging on the grass, Asian Americans, and dozens of African Americans, mostly from Florida. In other words, activist Clinton supporters look a lot like any other gathering of Democrats.
That's not to say the rhetoric wasn't a tad overheated. Dozens of people said they wouldn't vote for Obama if he prevails. "Count me now, or don't count on my vote," read the sign carried by Cindy Malzan, a 51-year old from Buffalo, New York. "No," Malzan replied emphatically when asked if she'd vote for Obama. "And most everyone I know feels that way. In the United States, we don't have to vote forpeople we don't want, and I don't want him. I think he's naive in international politics and relations." She said she was considering voting for McCain, "even though that kind of turns my stomach."
Meanwhile, 44-year old John Clisham, a Clinton supporter and guidance counselor at a Virginia high school, was arguing on a street corner with 17-year old Christian Edlagan, who said he could never vote for Obama, since "I don't think the Party should give the nomination to someone who gamed the system." Clisham, a gay father of adopted children, reminded Edlagan of the kinds of judges McCain would appoint to the Supreme Court. "Just on gay rights and Roe alone, I can't support him," Clisham argued. Nevertheless, he's not yet ready to throw his support to Obama, and he's upset by the DNC's process. "Living in D.C., I know what it's like to have no representation in Congress, and this is just another example," Clisham said.
The open conversations among rally-attendees about the merits of Obama and McCain hardly reflected the tone of the official speakers, who mostly avoided mentioning Obama's name or the possiblity that Clinton won't be the nominee. Still, many audience members said they were upbeat about the general election, no matter what the outcome of today's RBC ruling. "People are hurting," said Janet Upton, 46, a African American Clinton supporter from Jackonsville, Florida. "But this is a very history-making event that we're experiencing, the first woman candidate and of course the first black candidate. I will support Obama if he's the nominee, but I just think the Clintons have a record of success."
--Dana Goldstein
