I think I may have just watched Barack Obama win the presidency.
I find it amusing that people have made so much of the differences between the Democratic candidates. I want to see one win, but I will be the first to admit that the Republican primary is far more interesting, offering as it does real choice and variety. The differences between the major Democratic candidates, by contrast, from Biden to Obama, have seemed to me more a difference of style than substance.
The Republican Party is wrestling over a new definition of conservative, threatening to fracture. By contrast, it seems to me that the major Democratic Party candidates have been fairly aligned on a change in direction.
And then, I watched Obama give his speech tonight. Wow. He made the other candidates look like amateurs. "We are the change we have been waiting for," is a line that could land in history. (And have I been asleep? Has he - or someone else - bandied this phrase about already?) This man can speak in a way that makes emotional seem reasonable and vice versa. [And it turns out that I heard this wrong. Obama actually said, "We are the ones we have been waiting for."]
And, thanks to slouching mom, I saw this video made of one of Barack's speeches, underscoring my point that the man can inspire. (Well, in this case with a little help from will.i.am and a host of others.)
That is a great line of empowerment. Obama's best, and that's saying a lot. Viva, Obama!
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping he can lead as well as he can hold a room, a nation, with his eloquence.
ReplyDeleteThomas Banyacya said "We are the ones we've been waiting for," and Ghandi said "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Obama kind of mashed the two thoughts together.
I watched carefully. "How little we know, how much to discover." So you believed all that huh? Well it doesn't make any difference. H will be there come November and January. I will critique her state of the union speech for you all.
ReplyDeleteRight on, Brother!
ReplyDeleteHillary has too much baggage dragging behind her, and way too many vested interests own her.
Obama has far fewer obligations and far more ability to "speak truth" to America.
If Hillary wins, we are headed for four years of bitter partisanship and way too much payback to those who have bought her.
"This man can speak in a way that makes emotional seem reasonable."
ReplyDelete--hence his appeal to democrats
alarmed,
ReplyDeletewelcome and altho' my data sample is small, I'd agree this is his best line yet.
cce,
I'm with you on this.
thomas,
thank you for that. seriously. So, Obama is the new candidate - even his great lines are a mash up.
Davos,
so you are convinced that this is Hillary's to win? It seems to me like a roll of the dice either way.
LH,
I guess that I'm more sanguine about Hillary. In fact, I'd be happy to see her in the oval office.
anon,
I should be offended but ... that's actually really funny.
Have you seen this? If not, it's worth a look.
ReplyDeleteI am sold on Obama.
Dude, don't be offended..
ReplyDeleteEmotion over reason is the motto of your party.
In Eurpope you'd be considered a moderate..
Eurpope is just north of Aphrica and south of the Artick Sircle..
ReplyDeleteWhen Langston Hughes talked about 'a dream deferred' or when Charles Mingus sang about the fables of southern governors, their eloquence was the essence of what they did and it acheived a result in the minds of Americans. Barack Obama is a politician and while this eloquence serves well for a candidate, it is his policy that will be essential to what he does as President. My fear is that a public that has been challenged by world events and led by a President who clearly lacks this sort of eloquence, is so starved for it that they don't even care about policy or issues.
ReplyDeleteDon't be so enamored as to miss the fact that this candidate has suggested that he would go into Pakistan for Bin Laden, with or without Pakistan's permission (a country that is barely governed, has five or six times the population of Iraq and possesses the bomb, not to mention the fact that it is one of the most anti-american places on the planet already.) And don't miss such promises as the promise to protect labor unions, the perks and pay of the American worker while somehow making America more competitive on the global market. At least consider the fact that this wonderful campaign will come to an end and, if successful, the eloquence and image may not be enough.
I like this Anon and lsd. Though I don't like the fact that their comments pierced my unhappiness with my vote for Obama on Tuesday. I fear that Obama is a pretty face. I'd love to see what he proposes happen; I'm just not sure that is in the cards.
ReplyDeleteTo those who think Obama lacks substance, this will change your mind:
ReplyDeletehttp://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/barack-obama-101/
sm,
ReplyDeletegreat video and now included in this post. Thanks!
anon,
if I were pope I'd be considered a moderate? I guess that's right (but it's late and I just got back from east coast time zone so I may have missed your intended meaning).
Scott,
I hear you(and well said - when are you getting your blog?). Remember me, I'm the guy who actually thinks that policy matters more than politics. I did post desparingly about Obama's Pakistan gaffe months ago. And the one thing that worries me about the Dems is the apparent belief that they can legislate away the effects of globalization.
Dave,
and following up on Scott's comments, I'm less concerned about Obama's proposed policies than his ability to execute.
Daren,
Wow, that's a list. Thanks.
What impresses me most about Obama, even more than his 'we are the change..
ReplyDeleteis how he manages to keep people at the table. As a student of non violent conflict communication (an off-shoot of conflict resolution) I see Obama as having great potential for keeping dialogue going and reaching compromises. I loved when he called Clinton on his comment (paraphrased) that Republicans didn't have any ideas. Obama responded that it wasn't correct to say that they didn't have any ideas, just because he didn't agree with their ideas. Each time it seems that an argument or some 'dirty' same old same old statements are thrown in the ring, Obama quickly puts a stop to it and without degrading, debasing, or being offensive to the person who is slinging the accusations. I think that his ability to do so is answering a deep and widely prevalent feeling that many of us have been experiencing and wanting an answer to...when are the republicans and democrats, or democrats and democrats, when is congress going to look at and discuss issues? When are they going to see that we need a way to unite to move forward, compromises included. We need, as a nation to heal from what this administration has manifested. And isn't it interesting that president Bush and the republicans have given so much power to the presidency... which may end up in the hands of a democrat!?
Sam,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to R World and thanks for the provocative comment. I've asked more than a few Bush supporters if they'd be happy for Clinton, or Kucinich or Nader or Ron Paul to have the power that Bush has. The answer I've gotten is usually an uncomfortable grimace.
Well here it is 3 years and almost 4 months later, and it has become obvious that the Kenyan Wonder Kid has NO idea of what he's doing, unemployment is up, inflation is up, the national debt is up, he has spent more money in 3 years than George W. Dum-Dum did in EIGHT. Generalissimo 0bama has four (soon to be FIVE) wars going on, and his promise of 'transparency' in his administration was nothing but the same old lies that have worked in the past for other prevaricators and deceivers. I gotta laugh at you clods with your hero worship of someone who had even LESS experience than the Buffoon from Georgia (Jimmy Carter) and it shows.
ReplyDeleteYou silly bastards didn't just DRINK the 0bama FlavorAid, you sniffed it right out of the package!
How's that hopey-changey thing workin' out for ya, huh?
No need to answer, we all know.