Barack Obama is a man who is for Change. How do we know this? Because that seems, at times, to be the only word that he is capable of saying. What kind of Change, specifically, does this Democratic front-runner want to implement? Well, there the water turns a little murky. I don?t know. I don?t think America knows. And I don?t think he knows, either.
Let?s examine one act of Change that Obama would like to effect. He is the sponsor of S. 2433: Global Poverty Act of 2007, the Senate version of a bill that passed in the House of Representatives last year. As one may infer from the name of this bill, its goal is to reduce poverty across the globe. But at what cost? Obama would like to take roughly seven-tenths of a percent of out gross national product and put it towards this noble goal. Somehow, in my mind, at least, $845 billion seems like a lot of change to be sending out of our country when we are entering a recession ourselves.
On a more personal level, it is a nice thing to know that Michelle Obama, the candidate?s wife, is ?for the first time . . . proud of [her] country. Not just because Barack is doing well, but [because she] think[s] people are hungry for change.? There it is again! Change. What is most striking about this quote by a potential first lady is its insensitivity towards Americans in general. She is proud to be an American because America strives for change? That doesn’t seem like a patriotic statement in any sense of the word.
Obama was placed on a pedestal when he entered the political arena. He was viewed as someone who was beyond reproach, who represented everything that was not existent in Washington, but could be. Now, as the presidential race turns dirty, and as Clinton and Obama fight over precious few superdelegates and the remaining states, Obama can no longer hold himself to the ideological ideal that benefited him in the beginning and still persuade people to vote for him either as their party’s candidate or in the general election.
Perhaps the first sign of a crack in Obama’s ironclad aloofness from the political mainstream came during the recent ABC News debate. Ignoring the unprofessional conduct displayed by the moderators, it is still clear that Obama is not willing to live up to his former deeds. Consider the IVI-IPO General Candidate Questionnaire on gun control. In the debate, Obama denied answering this survey, even when his handwriting appears on it!
The Pennsylvania primaries are in two days, and it stands to be seen whether Obama or Clinton will be victorious in them. However, as the campaign rages on and these two candidates rip each other apart, are they really doing nothing more than destroying their respective electability?
Hahaha, Nate Dawg your words bring upon amusement.
The word “change” would of course seem extremely vague and obscure in your eyes because you do not long for it. Unlike you, most of the American public, and I mean 70% of it, is disgusted with the Bush Administration and wish to see an end to its days in office. However this is not the only “change” they seek; they also hope for the end of bitter partisan politics as seen in the Clinton and 2nd Bush years, i.e. the impeachment of Bill Clinton and Karl Rove’s sleazy campaign tactics. When Obama says we are hungry for change, he is right; but you, a person part of the small minority that is quite comfortable with the despicable status quo, do not.
You see, it is in exactly what you have said that I lose comprehension of your stated goals. What is “change”? Is it really nothing more than an end to partisan politics? To me, the believe that Obama could effect that change is ludicrous; he is a political candidate in an immense party dominated by political conniving and scheming. If he were really serious about this message, why would he not appeal directly to the people as a third party candidate? Perhaps he would not win the election, but he would make his voice heard, and could have a larger impact on the hearts and minds of the American people. Additionally, he could leave Clinton and McCain to fight one another, instead of merely giving McCain a free ride through the nomination process.
Hmm…you are right that the two Democrats are currently bloodying each other up, but as we can see from Obama’s rallies and just the large number of endorsements he has received, I think he has made quite the impact on American society. Also it is important to mention the mere fact that he is *in a low voice* a black man *normal voice* who has gained such wide support among the American electorate.
Nathan, the system cannot be fixed from the outside; Obama is trying to enter the fray of American politics and give the American people what they want.