It sometimes helps me to take a deep breath and remember those words. AMERICA IS BETTER THAN THIS.

We are better than the kneejerk Racial Responses that many have stirred up in the Democratic campaign. Obama himself, in "A More Perfect Union," notes that we cannot ignore either racism or reverse racism--but can we not acknowledge it without FEEDING it? I think that, in America, enough of us can to make a difference.

We are better than Feminist fears that putting a woman into the White House is more important than putting the right leader there. As long as we define people primarily by their gender, we will continue to be sexists. Of course women must continue to fight--that is what has given us female Supreme Court justices. That is what has given us a female Speaker of the House--2nd in line to lead the country! But we cannot fight blindly, because we are better than that.

We are better than the Fear Mongering that has come from our own leadership, which is its own kind of terrorism and has done far more damage to the United States of America--to our Constitution, to our long-held checks and balances, to our very sense of well-being--than was perhaps done even by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. And I admit that the those attacks were a terrible, tragic blow and lost far too many good, good lives. But a healthy being learns to recover from tragedy, not to define oneself by it, and America should be healthy again. 

America is better than the aggression that not only Republicans have been putting out in the news--sabre rattling and bluster, invasions and excuses.

America is better than the economy that twenty years of "trickle-down economics" have left us with. We are better than our health crises and mortgage crises and employment crises would show us to be.

America should be--IS--better than politics that focus too much on "gotcha" and not enough on real issues. We are smart enough to hear the truth, and strong enough to take some responsibility for our own salvation.

I don't know about you, but sometimes--when I start to get really frustrated--it helps me to remind myself of this. And, more and more often, to act that way.

You?