A Few More Thoughts on Obama
I'm listening to Obama's speech from Houston Texas right now, and he really sounds like he thinks he's the nominee. He's brought up immigration to try and draw a distinction with Republicans. He's also talking about veterans, maybe trying to preempt McCain, and about serving as Commander in Chief. He's using his judgment argument on Iraq, saying that he has the best judgment of any potential commander in chief because he was against the war from the beginning. He's also playing up the anti-Washington bias, which as a Senator works well for him because he has spent comparatively little time there, especially when you're talking about McCain. All of those arguments are general election type arguments.
Also, with regard to the commander in chief stuff, this exit poll number from Wisconsin really caught my attention. Obama beat Clinton 56% to 41% on who will "Improve relations with the rest of the world." I don't know that anyone necessarily votes on this, but I think it's a big part of his appeal. He's seen as someone capable of connecting with people who disagree with him, of repairing frayed relations. It's probably why he also beat Clinton 63% to 35% on who is "Most likely to Unite the Country."
One last mention about numbers, Obama beat Clinton 63% to 37% on who is "Most likely to win in November." That's huge. If he continues to be viewed at the "most electable" candidate, then no matter the delegate margin, if he's in the lead the super delegates will vote for him.
Oh one last thing. My favorite thing about Obama is that he campaigns with an uplifting vision of the future. He leads not through fear, but through visions of promise and opportunity. It's easy to get people to be afraid, it's a lot harder to convince that they need not be afraid, that there is a better future out there that stands within their grasp. Obama is one of those rare individuals whose words act not as cover and stuffing, but actually serve a purpose. He inspires with his words, moves people not simply to listen but to think.
The Clinton campaign has made the argument that talk is cheap throughout this campaign, but especially of late. But this argument ignores the unassailable point that words in and of themselves are actions, and can often have significant and lasting impacts.
Human societies are held together through words, or through communication more generally. It's why freedom of speech is such an important and basic right. By talking about hope, and change and opportunity Obama is fundamentally altering the basic public discourse in America. He is preparing the way for an administration that first and foremost will look to reestablish that pervading sense of optimism that has long made America great. As Obama often does in his speeches about hope, he references various points during American history when the hope of ordinary Americans helped inspire great change in our land: the hope of slaves singing freedom songs, of settlers setting out for the West, etc. He is calling on American's to hope again, and implicitly to change again. He is uniting past and present, uniting the whole country with a metaphor anyone can understand and relate to. This kind of talk may not put food on anyone's table, but as Obama said neither did NAFTA. Voters don't relate to policies as much as they do people, and Obama's rhetoric allows people to believe in themselves and their country again. Voters want leaders, and in my book the best kind of leader is one who points the way toward a better future, and then takes us there. Think Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, King and Kennedy. Obama has the talent and the vision to join them. I hope he can.
Also, with regard to the commander in chief stuff, this exit poll number from Wisconsin really caught my attention. Obama beat Clinton 56% to 41% on who will "Improve relations with the rest of the world." I don't know that anyone necessarily votes on this, but I think it's a big part of his appeal. He's seen as someone capable of connecting with people who disagree with him, of repairing frayed relations. It's probably why he also beat Clinton 63% to 35% on who is "Most likely to Unite the Country."
One last mention about numbers, Obama beat Clinton 63% to 37% on who is "Most likely to win in November." That's huge. If he continues to be viewed at the "most electable" candidate, then no matter the delegate margin, if he's in the lead the super delegates will vote for him.
Oh one last thing. My favorite thing about Obama is that he campaigns with an uplifting vision of the future. He leads not through fear, but through visions of promise and opportunity. It's easy to get people to be afraid, it's a lot harder to convince that they need not be afraid, that there is a better future out there that stands within their grasp. Obama is one of those rare individuals whose words act not as cover and stuffing, but actually serve a purpose. He inspires with his words, moves people not simply to listen but to think.
The Clinton campaign has made the argument that talk is cheap throughout this campaign, but especially of late. But this argument ignores the unassailable point that words in and of themselves are actions, and can often have significant and lasting impacts.
Human societies are held together through words, or through communication more generally. It's why freedom of speech is such an important and basic right. By talking about hope, and change and opportunity Obama is fundamentally altering the basic public discourse in America. He is preparing the way for an administration that first and foremost will look to reestablish that pervading sense of optimism that has long made America great. As Obama often does in his speeches about hope, he references various points during American history when the hope of ordinary Americans helped inspire great change in our land: the hope of slaves singing freedom songs, of settlers setting out for the West, etc. He is calling on American's to hope again, and implicitly to change again. He is uniting past and present, uniting the whole country with a metaphor anyone can understand and relate to. This kind of talk may not put food on anyone's table, but as Obama said neither did NAFTA. Voters don't relate to policies as much as they do people, and Obama's rhetoric allows people to believe in themselves and their country again. Voters want leaders, and in my book the best kind of leader is one who points the way toward a better future, and then takes us there. Think Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, King and Kennedy. Obama has the talent and the vision to join them. I hope he can.
posted by Tbone at
7:08 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home