Sisters Talking Politics at the Dunkin' Donuts

When I jump off the Bx4, there's no Bx19 in sight so I head into the Dunkin' Donuts on the corner of Westchester and Southern Boulevard. The middle-aged African American woman ahead of me in line sports an OBAMA '08 button on the lapel of her church-nice coat. One of the young women behind the counter - an African American in her early 20s - sports a black wrap under her Giants cap. �Yeah, you voting for Obama?� she says to the customer.

Her coworker - a fair-skinned Latina - asks, �And who're you voting for?�

�Me? Clinton, baby,� she says, wagging her finger. �Last time under Clinton, I had a good job making $52,000 a year. Then Bush comes in, and now I'm working at Dunkin' Donuts.� All of us smile appropriately. Like we understand that it's funny but not that funny. OK to smile, foul to laugh.

The older woman says, �The reason why I'm not voting for Clinton is because it's time for a change. Her husband was in there before, and so she's made connections and deals, and you know they owe people. So if Hillary gets in, she's going to be paying them back, and we don't need that. Same with Bush. First the father, then the son, the same nonsense. At least with Obama, we start fresh.�

Never thought of it that way, and I guess there's something to that. Not that Obama won't have some cronies to grease for helping him get into office if he becomes president because that's just not the way things work, but, you know. . .

�I just made up my mind last week,� I say to the woman, �and I'm supporting Obama, too.�

The cashier says, �No more Republicans.� I laugh, agreeing with that. Seems we all agree on that one. As she hands the woman in front of me her coffee and change, she adds, �They're not for us.� We all agree on that, too. �At least, the Democrats are for us.�

IIIIIIIIII don't know about all that, but I understand why she feels that way.

The woman heads for the door with her coffee and change. Before she steps out onto the street, she stops �Vote for whoever you want,�she calls over her shoulder. �Just vote.�

Ach�.