In Our Time
In case you missed it last night—perhaps you were on an interstellar voyage—Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama gave a speech. In this speech, he showed America and the world what he’s about, but he also showed Americans and the world what America is about. You have to see it or read the transcript to get it. He covered everything, eloquently and intelligently, and was fearless without using fear as a weapon, and he sent a message that he’s ready to fight. Simply put, it’s a landmark moment, and Barack Obama is a politician that’s cut in the mold of JFK. Bill Clinton is a great speaker and inspirer, but Obama’s got him beat.
Now, we’re bound to hear a deluge of stuff about how Obama hasn’t swayed voters (the media is bound to find a stray Clinton supporter somewhere who’s not convinced—who cares really?), hasn’t gotten a big bounce as expected (if it’s not a 15 or 20 point bounce, they’ll indicate he’s failed or not catching on as hoped), still hasn’t given us a clear picture of who he is (to which I say, what the fuck else do you need?). But if you’re actually paying attention, you’re witnessing history, and not just the fact that Obama is the first African-American presidential nominee. He made the case for himself and the Democratic party and took down McCain, Bush, the Republican party, and all the failed policies and campaigns of fear that have marked their time in power. Not only did he make a case for progressive politics, but also a case against conservatism.
But Obama, in brilliant rhetoric that he’s capable of and that the American public has rarely seen in a long time, took his case and, in an inspiring manner, took the questions about him and mutated them into questions to America without disrespecting Americans but instead respecting us enough to hold us to something better . Do you want something better, not just for you and your family but for the United States of America? Do you want to boldly go into the future as Americans and not schlep into it head down, using nothing but fear to pace you along?
Using Dennis Kucinich’s words from a previous night, this is the time for America to wake up. Obama said in his speech that his campaign was not about him but it was about the American people. Right now, at this moment in history, it’s up to the American people to chose the failed policies of the past in John McCain—policies that will lead the United States sliding further in its worldwide relevance and influence and standard bearer of democracy and peace—or go with Barack Obama, who reflects a change to someone who recognizes the greatness that America was and can be again if it rejects conservative policies as they’ve been played the last eight years (and even longer).
Update: John McCain picks Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, as his VP choice. It’s hard not to see this as a reaction to the Obama campaign and its seeming trajectory straight to the White House. The Democrats, of course, cannot afford to take her lightly and underestimate her; with the way campaign has been conducted thus far, I don’t fear this as much as I would have in previous years. On the surface, it appears that McCain has ceded the argument of Obama’s experience (he at least has 4 years of experience in the Senate, which is a national policy job) and has opted to go with someone who will appeal to the conservative base, and I think it magnifies the choice of VP when that might not have been necessary (magnified already because he’s 72 and, let’s face it, on the wrong side of a human lifespan, but magnified even more when going with someone with as little experience). If he wanted a woman as VP, he could’ve gone with someone with more experience, like Kay Bailey Hutchison, or Olympia Snowe, or Christine Whitman. You wonder if this is an attempt to steal some of the youth or Hillary/women voters thunder from Obama, but you’d have to think that Hillary Clinton, a true fighter and Democrat, would not be thrilled with the prospect of a Republican woman becoming the first female president.
Now, we’re bound to hear a deluge of stuff about how Obama hasn’t swayed voters (the media is bound to find a stray Clinton supporter somewhere who’s not convinced—who cares really?), hasn’t gotten a big bounce as expected (if it’s not a 15 or 20 point bounce, they’ll indicate he’s failed or not catching on as hoped), still hasn’t given us a clear picture of who he is (to which I say, what the fuck else do you need?). But if you’re actually paying attention, you’re witnessing history, and not just the fact that Obama is the first African-American presidential nominee. He made the case for himself and the Democratic party and took down McCain, Bush, the Republican party, and all the failed policies and campaigns of fear that have marked their time in power. Not only did he make a case for progressive politics, but also a case against conservatism.
But Obama, in brilliant rhetoric that he’s capable of and that the American public has rarely seen in a long time, took his case and, in an inspiring manner, took the questions about him and mutated them into questions to America without disrespecting Americans but instead respecting us enough to hold us to something better . Do you want something better, not just for you and your family but for the United States of America? Do you want to boldly go into the future as Americans and not schlep into it head down, using nothing but fear to pace you along?
Using Dennis Kucinich’s words from a previous night, this is the time for America to wake up. Obama said in his speech that his campaign was not about him but it was about the American people. Right now, at this moment in history, it’s up to the American people to chose the failed policies of the past in John McCain—policies that will lead the United States sliding further in its worldwide relevance and influence and standard bearer of democracy and peace—or go with Barack Obama, who reflects a change to someone who recognizes the greatness that America was and can be again if it rejects conservative policies as they’ve been played the last eight years (and even longer).
Update: John McCain picks Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, as his VP choice. It’s hard not to see this as a reaction to the Obama campaign and its seeming trajectory straight to the White House. The Democrats, of course, cannot afford to take her lightly and underestimate her; with the way campaign has been conducted thus far, I don’t fear this as much as I would have in previous years. On the surface, it appears that McCain has ceded the argument of Obama’s experience (he at least has 4 years of experience in the Senate, which is a national policy job) and has opted to go with someone who will appeal to the conservative base, and I think it magnifies the choice of VP when that might not have been necessary (magnified already because he’s 72 and, let’s face it, on the wrong side of a human lifespan, but magnified even more when going with someone with as little experience). If he wanted a woman as VP, he could’ve gone with someone with more experience, like Kay Bailey Hutchison, or Olympia Snowe, or Christine Whitman. You wonder if this is an attempt to steal some of the youth or Hillary/women voters thunder from Obama, but you’d have to think that Hillary Clinton, a true fighter and Democrat, would not be thrilled with the prospect of a Republican woman becoming the first female president.
