Despite McCain’s strategic choice of VP–Sarah Polin, was Obama’s speech combined with 84,000 onlookers the perfect storm? Oprah cried her eyelashes out and many others followed. What is the ‘it’ that Obama has?
Despite McCain’s strategic choice of VP–Sarah Polin, was Obama’s speech combined with 84,000 onlookers the perfect storm? Oprah cried her eyelashes out and many others followed. What is the ‘it’ that Obama has?
Nebulous mantras on change, charisma, good looks, and a perfect mirror to reflect our desires upon.
I think it’s due to his positions being reasonable, his being a real change from Bush policies (of which the nation and world are thoroughly tired) and his approach being one of hope and unity, rather than hate and division.
Which is not to say that he doesn’t offer disagreements with those whom he disagrees, just that he does so without demonizing the Other, which seems to be what is happening in the Republican party today.
Obama is not a perfect candidate and won’t be a perfect president, but he offers a real change in the way things are done – from arrogant and top down to People-based, hopeful and bottom-up leadership.
It’s why his experiences in Chicago are as important to us as his legislative and governmental experience.
-From Dan Trabue, there seems to be a problem with the page not posting my comment for some reason.
Obama comes across as a person who is thoughtful, rather than sputtering out off the cuff impulsive responses. His opponents hurl zingers at him, and yet he nearly always respond with self control and well thought out rebuttals. He’s calm, well spoken and a family man who has walked in our shoes.
Also what he is talking about is reality for many people. Over this past summer I myself have had to choose between gas in the tank and food on the table. I have gone without healthcare for more of my life than I have actually had coverage. I have sat in the county hostpital for 24 hours waiting to be seen by a doctor.
This is the reality for many Americans right now.
Non-juror — aptly and briefly put, well said.
Dan Trabue — also a statement of the obvious about Obama. My only disagreement with what you appear to be saying has nothing to do with Obama, but in your assumptions about how power is used or abused: “…a real change in the way things are done – from arrogant and top down to People-based, hopeful and bottom-up leadership.” I have been around long enough, and as a professional historian have studied enough, to see thru this poetic jargon which demonizes, however lightly, contemporary authority and lionizes the upstart and the “the people.” As anyone who has lived thru, or at least studied, revolutions and reformations of any type, “arrogant and top down” always comes to the fore and replaces “People-based, hopeful and bottom-up” leadership, often with only slight delay. As the Bible itself declares (see Ecclesiastes), so have we discovered, that whoever is in power declares his policies right, in other words, “might makes right,” the people be damned. Whoever sets up the next administration for the United States, this will happen. Likely as not, since we vote for our king, and then he in turn appoints his court, we will get what we deserve.
Voix d’ange — Poverty in America, or at least unequal access to good social services, is indeed a shameful aspect of our American way of life. It’s the price of the kind of freedom which we enjoy — or abuse — and sets us apart from all other nations. But it doesn’t seem to be in the power of the President, or any public servant, to harness the medical establishment to the kind of wagon that it’s harnessed to in more socialist countries (like the rest of the developed world). So I hope Obama isn’t promising anything in that area, because he will be no more effective than were the Clintons.