Today is the presidential primary. Hope is in the air that change can be made and things will be better with a new president. Optimism and inspiration have never been higher for me than with the candidacy of Barack Obama. He has inspired me in a way that most politicians never have, and it seems young people in our country and city have been energized by him as well.
Across party lines, racial lines and issues, most people agree that Obama is one of the most likeable presidential candidates we have had. Many are comparing him to JFK, saying that though they both didn’t have a lot of leadership experience, there is something inside that makes someone an inspirational leader. Obama just has it—and isn’t that what our country needs? He is someone who is able to bring people together despite differences, relate to others foreign and domestic, and give people hope and optimism in their country.
I watched this video yesterday that I encourage all of you to view: the “Yes We Can” song put together by artist will.i.am. This video helps you to feel the passion and the history that could be in the making if Obama is elected. Though Obama has many celebrity supporters (which for some can be a turn-off, especially if someone seems too “trendy”), he obviously elicits a positive emotional response in ordinary people. Can you imagine Hillary Clinton doing the same?
Barack Obama’s wife Michelle spoke at San Jose State on Sunday night. In addition to being impressive and inspirational herself, she came off as being an extremely likeable figure and very grounded. She has common sense, a strong work ethic and smarts—a perfect match for her husband who can be described using the same adjectives. What was heartening to see was the large number of young people who came to hear her speak. (Does this signal a real turn of the tide in voter turnout?) Many people brought their young children. Obviously, they cannot make a difference at the polls, but their parents knew that the possible first African American first lady speaking here was a historic moment in our city. The crowd was excited and diverse. Has there been another candidate who could bridge the gaps between people with widely differing views in San Jose and across the country? I am interested to hear from others who were there and how they felt when they heard Michelle Obama speak.
I hope that we make history and this inspirational man who was born to lead takes the helm as president. Remember to vote for change today.
I disagree. Obama is the embodiment of style over substance. His outlook on foreign policy is naive. As Joseph Lieberman, one of the smarter Democrats on Capitol Hill said, “Many fine people are running for president this year. But when it comes to keeping our nation safe and solving the problems we face at home, John McCain is the one with the experience, the determination, and the character to lead America forward to a safer, better future.” Vote McCain in ‘08
Michelle Obama’s speech was the most exciting and inspiring political event I’ve been to in my life (and I’m nearly 40 and have volunteered for a number of local and national campaigns). She and her husband in the White House would be a true new beginning. Let’s do it today, folks.
Remember to vote for change today.
Sorry. I cannot. As a 58 year old, I voted for Barack last Tuesday.
Single Gal—enthusiasm for Barack seems entirely appropriate. He’s smart and direct and comes from a different, and better, place than most politicians. My concern is that a lot of the enthusiasm comes from electing a guy, albeit a heretofore unacceptable guy, instead of a woman. Even women are upset about having a woman president. Smart, competent and beautiful women are REALLY scary. Good thing Hillary is only smart and competent, and as far as one can tell, compassionate—and fearless, and CONFIDENT. Immature societies, including ours, give women plenty of power to pull the strings of the guys nominally in charge, but to actually have them out front as leaders, having responsibility and taking it, and suffering consequences is an experience that few societies have enjoyed. Queen Elizabeth I comes to mind, and look where England got to when she ran the show. Long time ago. Benazir Bhutto’s fate shows how far a male dominated society will go to keep a woman from taking charge. Societies that repress women brutally, like many Arab societies, ironically have the brutalized woment raising the males—because the fathers are totally away—with the result that the undisciplined male children they raise grow up to be thugs, and the cycle continues. Osamas mama is his favorite parent, who he is in constant touch with. Fooey on his father.
Eric Erickson did a great study on German child training that documents the process of weak women raising thugs by the millions. The only way to break the cycle is to respect women, and we sure are a long way from doing that in the US of A. Obama is exciting, especially after a mama’s boy like W, with all the damage he’s done, and still can do in the time he has left, but there’s something more exciting—Hillary for President. THAT would be a change, but I don’t think Americans are smart enough, and grown up enough to make that happen. George Green
I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Every person elected to the presidency since 1964 has been from the southern third of the U.S.
Lyndon Johnson, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush from Texas. Jimmy Carter from Georgia, Bill Clinton fron Arkansas. Richard M. Nixon and Ronald W. Reagan from southern California. Gerald R. Ford from Michigan wasn’t an elected president.
Senators Clinton from New York and Obama from Illinois won’t be elected president. Neither will former Governor Romney from Massachussets. Senator McCain from Arizona will be elected president in 2008. It comes down to geography and demographics.
SG:
I don’t think Obama can or will bring people together….he can’t even bring Democrats together. The comparison to JFK is also off the mark.
JFK was far more experienced than Obama. He had six years in the House of Representatives and eight years experience in the Senate.
Obama’s inexperience showed when he said he would pull the troops out of Iraq immediately but then he also said he would unilaterly attack tribal regions of Pakistan-our ally!
JFK was also strong on national security and a tax cutter.
Obama has had 2 years in the Seante, of which he has been campaigning for both those years.
I find the Kennedy/Obama comparisons to be a bit flawed. First of all there’s this myth that Kennedy also didn’t have a lot of experience when in fact he had served in the House and Senate for a combined 13 years compared to Obama’s 2.
Don’t get me wrong, Obama would be much better than McCain or Romney but we need someone who’s not gonna back down from the Republican machine and Obama’s “unity” rhetoric is a bit nieve.
Hillary Clinton should be the choice for California Democrats! (And no she didn’t approve this message, this is my own personal view)
McCain? He’s a tightly wound nut-job who appears ready to crack at any moment. Not the kind of person I want making any kind of decisions having to do with the military or anything else. And don’t forget that he’s a charter member of the Keating 5 (look up savings and loans scandal if you don’t remember).
Clinton or Obama would be lightyears ahead of the moron-in-chief we’ve had the past 7 years. If we can only hang on another year without him completely bankrupting the country and sending more Americans to their death in Iraq, there may be hope.
McCain’s candidacy will be similar to John Kerry’s for us. We democrats (myself included) rallied around Kerry so we could have a strong candidate to take down Bush. Didn’t work out. Republicans are doing the same hoping to take out Hillary. But if the general election becomes about Hillary Clinton, she wins and the nation will be better off.
I’m concerned about Obama’s policy regarding immigration. I went to his website and submitted a question asking to clarify his stance on giving out driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants “if they know how to drive”. I never got a reply. Guess he doesn’t want my vote.
We should all support Obama. As for the Republican, who is Victor Ajlouny supporting??
Question is, when they read about Victor today at the Lantern, who will they let him support??
James Rowen
In addition to his superior political experience, Jack Kennedy was a war hero. Obama doesn’t come close to the depth of JFK.
I voted for Hillary last Thursday. Obama is very inspiring, he’s probably got a lot of good insights into fixing what’s wrong with this country and its systems but he doesn’t have the experience I feel is pre-requisite for the position of U.S. President (more arrogantly known as the most powerful person on the planet) and, inspirational as he may be, I don’t think he has the same ability to sway members of congress on the other side of the aisle. Hillary had 8 years of presidential exposure (no pun intended) and likely took away plenty of key learnings from Bill’s dealings with congress and the rest of the world’s leaders.
I do think Hillary and Barak as a “dream team” ticket would be nice if it happened that way, regardless of who got the nomination. What a remarkable turn-around it would be from Bush/Cheney to have a woman and a black man as serious contenders to replace those two ignorant thugs.
What I am seriously dreading is the Karl Rove type of smearing that’s going to happen to whomever becomes the Democratic candidate and I sincerely hope that the electorate will see it for what it is and ignore such trademark republican scheming.
Barack Obama is the most intelligent, charistmatic, and ethical candidate of either party.
He is the only leader not taking money from lobbyists, and pushing for real campaign finance reform. He is the only one capable of reforming not just the disastrous policies of the past 8 years, but the ugly weaknesses of the political system.
Some fear that Obama won’t stand up to the smearing that will inevitably come in a General, but this fear underestimates Barack (which isn’t surprising because he’s been underestimated back to his days in Illinois). This is false for 3 reasons:
1) People may disagree with him, but they don’t hate him (as Republicans hate Hillary and will even unite around a candidate they themselve don’t like due to their misguided hatred towards Hillary).
2) “Karl Rove – Divide and conquer” may have worked for the Republicans in ‘04; this is a different year, and Dems will win as uniters in ‘08.
3) Every time Hillary or Bill have tried to hit Barack, he has come out better in the polls than before the hit. Why? Because Barack, unlike John Kerry, comes off as an authentic person that is in touch with the people.
People don’t get turned off when Hillary or McCain or Romney and other “political people” are slammed, but they do when Barack does because he comes off as a “real person”.
If/when Barack wins the Primary, he will win the General. Vote for better policy and a better system; vote for the next President of the United States. Vote Obama.
I guess there weren’t too many Californians who were inspired, particularly in Santa Clara county. Maybe they saw what I see which is an empty suit spouting some pretty rhetoric.
S.G.:
Obama is intelligent, inspiring, sincere, and probably the best speaker in America. I don’t plan to vote for him, but I wish him well, and hope he become’s the nominee. (I don’t want Hillary to win…wouldn’t mind a female President, just not her).
Trouble for Obama is his youth and lack of experience, and I believe that his position on illegal immigration might very well sink him.
It’s funny…McCain loses to Obama in the national polls…Clinton loses to Mccain…but Clinton is leading Obama. (Are any of the Democrats looking at this math?)
Pete Campbell
I didn’t support Obama, but he is a good speaker and has the “correct” democratic views. Inpsired speaker…uhmm…well he has a good presentation but the rhetoric is a bit obvious and predictable. Doesn’t take much to inspire people now a days I suppose. I will support him in the general if it goes that way.
Hope I don’t get fried for this following, but here goes.
The media kept on asking the
I’m a republican and I voted for Huckabee. I have a feeling that he will not be the republican nominee for President because McCain has the most delegates and he seems to have the backing of the republican party.
Although I respect the fact that McCain served our country, if he is going to be the nominee for the republicans, I’m switching party lines and will vote for Obama.
(to finish my thought)
The media kept on asking why Latinos would not vote for African-Americans with the implication that there was latent racism. It was such an unfair implication, especially when you consider the percentages of African-Amer supporting Obama (~80%) or that Asians supported Clinton more heavily than Latinos (70% compared to 60%…in the early Calif results anyways.). The media just needs to stop that kind of thinking.
The other question that is coming to mind has to do with the comparison to JFK and his legacy. I would just really like us all to take a hard, realistic look at what he really did; because what comes to mind is mixed at best: Peace Corps (+), Cuban Missiles (+), Youth/Energy (?), Bay Pigs (-), Vietnam (-), CIA covert foreign interference (-). I know I know that I don’t have the whole story, but was he so much better than say LBJ with his Civil Rights legislation. Or is it that JFK inspired the Civil Rights legislation but LBJ got it done. So we need an experienced implementer, because you can find the inpirational people anywhere. Just asking that’s all.
“The media just needs to stop that kind of thinking.”
Yes. The media should be reported to San Jose’s Human Right Commission post haste and rung up for thought crimes.
http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_1_blacks_and_immigration.html
The media is doing everything it can to avoid this
issue like the plague.
The very notion that non-whites are capable of racism doesn’t quite fit the storyline the media has been feeding to self-loathing white leftists all these years.
As for Obama, nice guy, empty suit. As for his supporters?
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/02/04/hannity-to-pro-obama-luntz-focus-group-name-one-of-his-accomplishments/
I already love your blog, but this post just made me love you more.
Obama for change!
#19
Apollo (++++++)
I am so very sad that so many have fallen under the smoke screen that is personified by Obama. A man who claims Christianity as his #1 new-found faith, although with Muslim roots, I’m sure he will not deny any Muslim-American “demands” if brought before him if, I shudder to say, he becomes President. Currently we have Muslims demanding a place to pray in shopping malls, schools, places of business, time off during the day to pray, etc. etc. They want “laws” passed for these demands. Man, go build yourself a temple, and pray there like everyone else. They are slowly and assuredly demanding more and more unreasonable “rights” due to their faith and beliefs. Yet the “rights” set in our constitution by our Christian forefathers are constantly being denied and shoved aside. The scales of equality have certainly tipped in their direction….okay fallen over!
So, religion aside, Obama is so very weak on foreign policy, he rides the fence the on Iraq issue, he whitewashes every issue area with fancy speech that draws in the crowds. Sure, he looks good on camera, but if you listen to him talk, nothing comes out of his mouth – it’s spin! As much as I hate Hillary, and I’m really miffed about McCain getting closer to the nomination, if Obama were to win, I fear our United States of America can kiss freedom, liberty and justice goodbye.
It’s a total Catch 22 at this point.
Single Girl, if change inspiring and I believe it can, then it would be nice to San Jose Inside change and go to the next level by having SJI Issue writers that respond to questions from readers. Also have more guest bloggers that have interesting subjects we can exchange ideas or thoughts with. This would be inspiring.
Just a thought. Maybe it`s time for San Jose Inside to take discussion to the next level.
Your thoughts.