Tuesday, July 8, 2008

• WHY OBAMA WILL WIN, BUT CAN’T DELIVER

McCain embarrassingly strains at the altar of speech giving, the teleprompter, like a schoolboy forced to stand at the front of the class to explain how he spent his weekend with the family. Cut to Obama, giving a speech, anywhere, doesn’t matter where, and the contrast in presentation is peculiar given that both are running for arguably the most important office in the world. Presentation shouldn’t matter but it does. McCain’s lack of presence makes him seem weak and appear out of his element. That doesn’t mean he is weak, but he is not helping his image in the public’s consciousness.

Even in his attempts to deliver emphatic points, McCain can’t muster conviction. Middle America is feeling uncomfortable on too many fronts and that discomfiture expects some appearance of conviction in a candidate. Only conviction will lead the American taxpayer out of the economic trench currently slowing progress. Only conviction will chart a new course away from the path that for the past eight years has been led by what has become the most despised resident of the White House in the history of that seat of power.

America needs its sense of confidence back. New blood, new thinking, and new ideas will forge a road back to that feeling of confidence. Obama has been able to present such a dream. Real or not, he is the new hip kid on the block who becomes vested with the hope of a nation urgently looking for change. Deep change. Obama becomes anointed as the savior who will rebuild the nation’s current economic mess and international stature.

America is a leader, and America makes its leaders. It dreams them up. They are a product of America’s illusions and aspirations as it goes about its business of working, raising families, and enjoying or stressing about life. America injects the White House with its expectations. America also forgets that the leaders it chooses are human, often with more frailties than the average American, and the expectations are often misplaced. The last two Presidents are examples to remember. Clinton had the potential to become one of the country’s greatest, yet he lacked a profound sense of history and his frailties rendered his Presidency impotent. Bush contrasted Clinton’s intelligence and appeared to be “everyman,” presenting a clean contrast that would not soil the stature of the Oval Office. Bush rapidly devastated both the image and the economy of the country with a lack of understanding on too many elements to be delineated here. Nevertheless, on he marched with confidence that his beliefs, fervor, and convictions were absolute, and that debt financing was his earned capital to be spent. This generation’s great-great grandchildren will be paying for that earned capital.

Obama is the only candidate in whom America can inject an expectation of a refurbished sense of glory. He is a blank canvas that America needs to inject with its anxious anticipation of a positive tomorrow. The actualization of Obama fulfilling expectations, his own or America’s, is an unlikely eventuality. He has set his own bar impossibly low, since he has refrained from making firm and definitive commitments, and has a record of abstaining from making difficult decisions in his short life as a sitting politician. Obama’s backpedaling on Iraq, for example, and announcing that he doesn’t plan on rushing out of the war, further blurs the lines that differentiate him from the competition. We understand. He's running for office and needs to stay neutral and polished, ... however, where's the passion for something specific? Where are the principles?

Bush has pushed America into a corner from whence it expects to be led toward lighter days. The new and overwhelming expectations are foisted on another human being with all the limitations and baggage we would rather not notice. As always, the average middle income tax payer will continue to do the heavy lifting. And also as always, in that expectation, America will not be disappointed.

12 comments:

  1. Obama being a "blank canvas" makes him a Trojan Horse for those who have backed him financially and put him into this position.

    The entry into Chicago politics, and American politics, began in Bill Ayers living room in Chicago.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxwKlulsfKc&NR=1

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  2. He's not the ONLY candidate who can bring change. We still have Hillary, and she looks better every day. Obama's spine is made of marshmellows. It's only July and he's already sold out, by November he'll be Bush #3.

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  3. Correction: Obama didn't backpeddle on Iraq. You are accepting the MSM's distortion to make a good story.

    Refine does not me change. Look it up. He has always said as commander-in-chief he will listen to what's happening on the ground to develop strategy (always bringing out 1-2 brigades each month to be out in approx. 16 months). Would you rather have McBush who is bipartisan only when you agree with him; absent of the facts?

    I pray we don't get sidetracked by semantics and distortions and elect the BEST CHANCE WE HAVE to deal with all the problems the Rethuglicans have left us. It won't be easy for any new President, but we need to pull together and step up to our responsibility. Get involved and help bring about change.

    Obama may not be a perfect President, nor is a perfect human being. However, he is our best and only chance. I'm voting for Obama for the future of our country and the world; also my two beautiful granddaughters for a safe and secure future.

    Think about it and don't be influenced by the pundits and conservative right-wing news media.

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  4. Considering that the economy FAR outweighs the war in the latest Polls of America's concern and considering I am about to bring a child into the world, I will not vote for Obama. I am in the Middle class but strive daily to be in the upper class and I feel that if we go down the road with Obama and the tax increases that will HAVE to happen (Medicare, Adding Universal HC, Trying to Cover Social Security which I will never see), we will have Carter #2.

    If McBush, as you say, has more policy I want to see happen (ie. School Vouchers, FINALLY getting some fiscal control of Washington, returning more power to STATES and away from the fedral level) that is who I will vote with. Our government was initially designed to have limited federal interaction and majority of the power at the state level. We have gotten away from that with power hungry Congressional Reps.

    "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

    Then, people can decide which state represents them best.

    I don't think I will change peoples minds here on this post, but lets get away from 'Rethuglicans' and 'McBush' comments. I respect your candidate, I just don't agree with him.

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  5. You're right, Sharon! I can't understand how Obama ever made it as far as he has with such a completely biased RIGHT-wing media. It's so powerful, I'm sure it will create an up-hill battle for poor Barack. Everybody's out to get him, because he's the only chance we have for change. They must be jealous.

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  6. what is gping on in the world, pkeopel saying vote for Obana, no way!!!! I was with him until the end, before facts started to come out. Bring back Hillary, she is the CHANGE.

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  7. Best chance for your young ones? Yet in the past, he was one of the few politicians that actually supported partial birth abortions, the early release for criminal sex offenders, and against filtering pornography on school and library computers. If he is this crooked as a Senator, I wonder what kind of destruction he will usher onto the entire nation. The end of the world is near.

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  8. While Obama should make Hillary his running mate, given her performance, he won't.

    Perhaps she's keeping quiet for a reason, in the background. I suspect she's sensing a groundswell to get her back on track.

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  9. Re James Raider's comment on 7/17 on Hillary being in the background...perhaps you didn't read that she was taking a month off? Well deserved one since I'm her age and, though I don't support her, I admire that she ran a grueling schedule and good campaign. On BHO, I pray he's not the President. I applaud that a black man and a white woman ran for President. As a life long Democrat, I'm switching sides. BHO does not have the fortitude or background to be president.

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  10. LOL at all the republicans in the comment section here playing the "im a democrat but Obama doesn't cut it, no experience, blah blah....". Please. You're not fooling anyone.

    This guy is a brilliant campaigner and politician, and on every issue, he's what the American people want. He's held a variety of jobs and elected offices, and his academic credentials are impressive to say the least. With his resume and impressive primary campaign, as well as his prescient analysis of Iraq from the beginning, its not hard to understand why people assume his liberal detractors are racist. He's young, but the inexperience charge just simply doesn't hold water.

    The fact is his skills as a politician have earned him the nomination, and his demonstrated judgment has shown his qualification to be President. Last time I checked it was 35 and born in the US, and no amount of fake republican AstroTurf monkey business is going to make a dent in the unified, energized Democratic Party. Its time for a change.

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  11. I'm constantly amazed by the call for "change" because that is all it is, words. What change? What do you want? Spell it out and how you will pay for it. All I've heard the Obama say is "pick me, I'm for change!" with little substance and a huge tax increase to boot. More taxes in the hands of a failed Dem run congress is recipe for disaster.

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