This past weekend, while Shannon and I visited friends in Boston, I made a promise to not talk about politics. I wasn’t asked to keep my yap shut. I volunteered this action because I did not want to ruin anyone’s birthday or make an ass out of myself (more importantly, out of Shannon). I have lost my temper (while stone cold sober) while talking politics one too many times recently–and If I can’t keep a civil tongue when I am talking to my godmother, I truly fear what will tumble out of my mouth when I am in another city in another person’s house.
This weekend, I didn’t really talk about politics. I resisted as best I could when I was baited–by lots of people, all in good fun of course–and I only clarified a few things when I knew I wouldn’t lose my temper. Now that I am home, writing on my blog, I can be more expressive. I can be blunt.
If you want Change, Vote Obama.
There is no other viable candidate on the field who can inspire more change than Obama.
To quote Will, “Working for change for 35 years is supporting the status quo.” We need a different tactic, a different way of looking at the nation’s problems. We also need a different style of addressing these problems. Barack can do this–I’m not sure Hillary can.
If you hope, Vote Obama.
“Politics is what we create by what we do, what we hope for, and what we dare to imagine.” Paul Wellstone wrote that in his book “The Conscience of a Liberal.” It was the first book with this title–when I read Paul Krugman’s I’ll tell you which is better–and it is a field manual on grass roots organizing. Obama has been addressing hope and change since before the campaign started. Obama, in my opinion, can do more for the Wellstone Legacy than Hilary can. Obama inspires people. Given how jaded and cynical the average person appears to be, the ability to inspire action in others cannot be overrated. We need inspiration.
Obama has proved his viability, electability and vitality in regards to the campaign. He represents change at a pace that, I believe, most American’s can accept. I believe Obama can take us into a direction that we, as a nation, so desperately need.
Technorati Tags: endorsement, Obama08, Political Rant, Politics
Libertarian in viewpoint here.
I would vote for Obama.
Just to play devil’s advocate, I must say that the Kennedy comparison seems to be an apt one. With that said, though, it might be relevant to note that while Kennedy certainly accomplished much in his 2.5 year tenure, (the Peace Corps, some civil rights speeches, the, Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the space program, the bay of pigs invasion, vietnam,) it was his successor LBJ who pushed through Civil Rights Legislation and gave us the Great Society Legislation, including medicare and medicaid. Of course, he also gave us an escalation in Vietnam, among other mistakes. I’m not making the case that LBJ was a better person, but instead that LBJ had something Kennedy lacked. He was the Master of the Senate, and had the experience and contacts to strongarm legislation through congress that Kennedy couldn’t. It seems to me that Clinton is closer to LBJ, and Obama to Kennedy. With that said, either of them will be elected with a Democratic congressional majority, so LBJ’s skills might not be as necessary, and really, their platforms are pretty damn similar. That, and we can’t guess at what Kennedy would have accomplished witha full term. I guess my real point is that the message of hope and change is a good one, but that it is not decisive. Two of the greatest legislative packages from the past century came from political dealers of significant experience: LBJ and FDR.
Experience matters less than the ability to propel, I believe. A President is surrounded by experts and advisers who can provide experience. A President must have gravitas, an ability to rouse and inspire, and the personal dedication and motivation to do so despite the thousands of strands of interfering agendas and distractions. A President must have the personal fortitude and resolve to cut through bullshit.
Senator Clinton, in my opinion, has too many existing strands attached to her — too many favors owed, too many behind-the-scenes expectations from past cohorts and adjacent politicos. Her experience is valuable, but it is not the invaluable quality of gravitas, which is difficult to measure but impossible to ignore.
If we’re going to draw lines to previous US Presidents as fodder for discussion, though, I’ll summon up a reference to another Illinois lawyer, congressman and statesman with very little experience upon his election to the Presidency: Abraham Lincoln.
Experience isn’t everything.
@seth
Was LBJ able to do his work because he was better in the senate or was he building off of the momentum started by Kennedy ( a momentum that continued because of his assassination). LBJ carried on what Kennedy started–without Kennedy, I don’t think that legislation would have happened.
Yo, Marty. Linedan, Beltar, call me whatcha want here, just don’t call me late for dinner.
My politics are far enough to the right of yours that we can’t see each other’s stands for the curvature of the earth. I think Attila the Hun was a bleeding-heart liberal. That having been said, if you put a gun to my head and made me vote in a Democratic primary, I’d vote for Obama too.
Why? Simple. Despite the fact I disagree with about 99% of what the guy believes in, I think he’s basically a decent and honest human being, albeit wrong (IMO) about many things. I don’t believe that about Hillary. You can talk about the “vast right-wing conspiracy” all you want, but no matter your political persuasion, if you sit back and look hard at both Clintons, you see sleaze, baggage, and power-mongering. They’re talking about her “35 years of experience”…ffs, doing WHAT? One health-care task force that was a straight-up disaster, a couple of decades of being First Lady of a state or the country, and a private practice lawyer the rest of the times. That doesn’t exactly stack up as well as Hillary thinks, does it? Using that argument is like saying that Gisele Bundchen should’ve started the Super Bowl because she’s hung around Tom Brady for a year. Yeah, Obama is extremely short on experience, but he talks a good game. And people are just plain tired of Clinton right now.
Besides, look at it this way, Marty. Imagine what I’m going through here in Republicanville. What are my remaining choices? A dyspeptic “maverick” who loves to crap all over the right wing of his own party, has a temper that makes Dick Cheney look stable, and would be 72 when inaugurated; YASG (yet another Southern governor) that combines all the worst features of Jimmy Carter, Mike Bloomberg, and Bill Clinton; and America’s Crazy Uncle, Ron Paul.
Maybe Nathan had the right idea when he moved to Australia.
Republicanville was never a place I visited much. I would drive through on occasion, even stopping to remark at some of the similarities between our positions…..
But this year, you guys got shafted. Not one decent bloody candidate. At least huckabee goes on the Colbert Report…but that does not mean he’d make a great executive.
Basically, we needed somebody with Fred Thompson’s positions, Mitt Romney’s looks, Mike Huckabee’s energy, and Ron Paul’s organizing efforts.
We got John McCain. 0 for 4.