Patch Blog: Obama Deserves Four More Years

So, I’m a dentist and I went to USC and I totally support President Barack Obama. And anyone around here seen a California condor or a Steller sea-lion wearin’ a cardinal & gold hoodie lately?

I guess it’s no big surprise that sometimes when I’m around my colleagues and fellow Trojans I feel about as endangered as swim suit competition in Saudi Arabia or a stack of Big Macs right in the middle of former VP Cheney’s dining room table.

But it’s cool being an independent thinker and I’m really grateful our richly diverse SoCal culture actually encourages this kind of stuff. If you need any proof, I give you Clipper Nation.

I’ve never voted my pocket book, Main Street, or Wall Street. I vote my conscience. Guess where that comes from?

So here’s the thing; my parents never made me do anything other than my best while playing fair. And that’s why when I make important choices, I still seek their counsel.

My dad served working folks and my mom wound up negotiating that slippery high wire we know as America’s healthcare system and now you know where I’m coming from. What I value more than anything is family and I’ve always strived to see patients and co-workers in that context.

So I always vote for someone I think authentically cares. And no (maybe I’m just being naïve), I don’t think all politicians are alike; it would be way beyond tragic if so many sacrificed so much only to see our cherished freedom of choice reduced to cynical stand-up material.

The admissions Dean at USC D-school once mocked my dad within 5-minutes of our meeting, saying “unions were good in their day.” Before I knew it I was asking the Dean his thoughts on slavery. But they still let me in.

I was my mom’s advocate/caregiver through her difficult final journey through the #37-ranked healthcare system in the world. My own practice is committed to providing the best possible personalized, compassionate care and even if you’re wearing a bruin t-shirt we’ve made the substantial investment required because I’m still seeing you as my mom or dad or sister or brother.

To me, voting isn’t about business or politics; it’s personal.

So this time around, my choice isn’t very difficult because I’m really tired of being part of something that should be greater than me that provides the best possible care in the world for the few and ranks #37 for almost all the folks I regard as family.

The president is far from perfect but he didn’t cynically hand out loans and then bet against working people who desperately just wanted a glimpse of what used to be the American Dream. And he finally achieved a first step to doing something about being ranked a little higher than #37. He may have fallen short on promises made on inheriting the closest thing to the Great Depression Part II, but GM is thriving, the stock market has doubled and right here in Temple City, local government hasn’t gotten off their butts in over 30 years.

Almost all of my patients, co-workers, and therefore family are part of that dreaded 47% that will probably never make it to a national convention exclusively attended by rich, old country club members. My parents started a family during the Great Depression, worked hard and sacrificed so that I could go to a state college and later USC. I guess that makes us part of that 47% as well. I’m NOT complaining; I’m proud.

Someone who authentically cares about people doesn’t go around disrespecting my extended family; doesn’t matter to me if it’s a dean, a CEO, or a former governor. It’s still personal.

And who would vote to join a club that really doesn’t want or respect you?

See you on November 6; I’ll be the guy still wearin’ my cardinal & gold hoodie.