Take it from Michelle, vote for progress

Looking at the television monitor of the crowd, I was nervous. A crowd of some 3,000 people awaited my less-than-important two minute speech.

In a constant sequence of rehearsing my speech, pacing the floor and sitting down to catch my breath, she came backstage again. As my name was called, she gave me a reassuring smile, and I walked onto the stage.

“Without further ado,” I said at the end of a short speech at the Fitzgerald Field House last Wednesday, “I would like to introduce to you the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama.”

Never had I thought, at the age of 19, I would be meeting — let alone introducing — the First Lady.

But the collective six minutes I spent with her and alone on stage brought more than just jitters — it forced my understanding of this election to come full circle. It made me realize how important our votes are for this election. I realized that this election is bigger than myself, and goes beyond our personal grievances with each candidate. The policies of this election will undoubtedly affect not only ourselves, but our children, our government and the way we live.

Instead of giving up on the political process, we need to fight as hard as we can to bring our government back to life and represent the people again.

I can’t say I went into the election with a fully open and undecided mind, as I have always been in support of the Obama administration and thought I would naturally support the Clinton administration as well. But I did my best to inform myself about the policies and opinions of the current Republican presidential candidate so as not to be completely ignorant.

Nevertheless, he never failed to turn me off with his rhetoric, whether it was his statements against Islam, his defining creed to build a wall along the Mexican border in order to prevent the influx of immigrants into our country or his repeated degradation of women.

What was most bothersome to me was that his support was not small by any extent. Masses of people all across the nation support him in what I’ve come to understand is essentially a xenophobic platform built for the wealthy. I knew that it would not be right for me, a first-generation American, to sit idle and hope that he would go away. So I decided to join the Hillary campaign.

Becoming a fellow of the campaign, my main job was to register people to vote. Students all across campus have become increasingly annoyed with the efforts of people like me, asking students to update their addresses or encouraging them to fill out their absentee ballot, but there is a reason we bother students so much.

It is a privilege to live in a country that not only has prospered so much but has also granted us liberties that are difficult to come by in many places around the world. This election is not just about him and her, and it is hardly the time for sitting out or a protest vote. Rather, it is about diminishing the greed of those at the top, helping the working and middle class gain equal footing on the job and income market and fighting for the liberties that this nation was founded on.

The hours I spend talking to students and strangers on the street is in an effort to help people express their freedom of speech — nothing more and nothing less. Every day, I manage to run into people who believe our government is broken or their vote will not make a difference in this election, blaming some institution like the electoral college for taking away their vote.

My job is to explain why that is not the case. That it is their voices that will shape the government in a way that will help the American people the most. The outcome of this election will shape the future of our education, healthcare, social security, welfare programs and the economy. While I was registering people as a Clinton surrogate, I began to realize that simply registering them at all, regardless of party, was equally important.

My hard work on the campaign eventually gave me the opportunity to introduce the First Lady. Meeting and hearing her speak was inspirational, but the premise of her argument was correct no matter what side of the political spectrum you are coming from.

“Elections aren’t just about who votes, but also who doesn’t vote,” Obama said.

It is the votes of the people that act to assure a government that is truly made for the people. Our government is built on the foundations of democracy and it is essential that we fulfill our role and shape a government we desire.

This campaign, this election and this fight means a lot to me, and it should mean a lot to you as well. There is far more at stake here that many have yet to realize, both with our policies and our values.

It is no longer even a matter of being educated in politics, or being able to 100 percent agree with a candidate. This election is about the principles our country was built upon and defending them to the best of our ability.

Saket primarily writes on politics for The Pitt News. Write to Saket at Smr122@pitt.edu.