Who Will Be The People’s Candidate?

I read a profile of Chilean President Michelle Bachelet this weekend in The Guardian Unlimited, and I find it simultaneously amazing and inspiring that this woman now holds the highest office in that country. Politics in Chile has traditionally been dominated by men, and religion plays a large role in that country, yet this single mother, a self proclaimed agnostic, was able to reach the people of Chile and inspire them to put their fears aside and look to the future, a perfect example of the dramatic social and political shift taking place in Latin America that puts a glaring spotlight on our own fears that seem to be leading us back in time.

While much of the rest of the world is moving away from religion and authoritarian rule, and toward reason and populist ideals, in this country, we seem to be moving in the opposite direction, clamoring for more restrictions on our freedoms in the elusive search for security. But, there are many in this country who are growing tired of being afraid, and the time is right for a leader who will inspire us to move toward a better future and who will help us break the chains of fear that are holding us back. And that inspiration is not going to come from the lackluster Presidential frontrunners currently dominating the stage, but instead will come from someone the D.C. insiders will likely consider a long shot candidate.

I’m sure that when Ms. Bachelet decided to run for President, there were plenty of people who thought she was crazy and plenty more that advised her she didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of pulling it off, but she went ahead anyway. Clearly the Chilean people liked the vision of their country that Ms. Bachelet presented to them, so much so that they were willing to disregard conventional wisdom and throw their support behind her. There’s no reason that people powered politics can’t work just as well in this country, the question is, who will step up and become the people’s candidate?

Now, it’s no secret that I am a big fan of Senator Feingold’s (some have even suggested that I have a crush on the man. I’m not sure that’s true, although I was awfully excited to be sharing cyberspace with him on Smirking Chimp last week, in, I’ll admit, a silly and somewhat girly way) and certainly, conventional wisdom has his chances of winning the Presidency at next to zero, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is the best of the lot of Democratic leaders, at least up to this point. Not only is he willing to stand alone, if necessary, in defense of our constitution and our history as a free and open society, he’s also fighting for our future. I, for one, like the view of America through Feingold’s eyes and I shudder at the future America that John McCain or even Hillary Clinton will usher in if given the chance.

So let’s not be afraid to buck conventional wisdom and instead allow ourselves to consider the best options available to us, whether or not they seem reasonable now. After all, how reasonable was it that a figurehead governor of Texas, with a shady history of substance abuse and a string of failed businesses behind him could not only become President, but could also manage to hold on to the Presidency for a second term? Sure, he did it with a lot of money and family connections (not to mention some suspect political maneuvers), but it can be done without those things as well. Especially if a candidate emerges that really inspires the people, connects with them, speaks to their concerns and who can articulate a positive message and a better future. And just imagine how people would respond if he/she actually believed in the vision being presented. Now that person would be unbeatable.

I’m willing to concede that Senator Feingold has an uphill battle if he does decide to seek the Presidency, as many have pointed out, he’s twice divorced, Jewish, a Senator and has a pretty liberal voting record. But so what? It’s not as if he’s apologizing for any of those things (nor should he, and shame on us for thinking otherwise), and time has proved him to be on the right side of the major issues affecting our country, like the war in Iraq, the overreaching of the Patriot Act and the illegality of Bush’s NSA surveillance program. Seems to me he believes in what he says and he’s not afraid to tackle corruption, abuses of power and infringements on our constitutional rights. If an agnostic single mother can get elected President of Chile, a divorced Jewish Senator can be elected President here. But only if we are willing to show the same kind of courage and optimism as was exhibited by the Chilean people. I think we can do it, what about you?