During the spring primary season, I wrote three blogs called The Exploration of Hope. Over the course of these past few weeks, I have been able to come full circle with this exploration of hope by having hard core, tangible reasons why I support Barack Obama. It is not all about the hopeful rhetoric of change. Although, inspiration is extremely important when mobilizing a large group of people towards the positive, it will not mean much without some real plans to back it up.
He has been providing specifics throughout his campaign in town hall meetings but for some reason, the media was still stuck on this question of who he is and how he will provide this elusive change. I did scribble these specifics in my mental notebook but sometimes, the words were smeared or so sloppily written that I couldn’t understand them myself so I was pretty lost like these “journalists”.
It was only recently where I finally was able to see the light, in sorts, through these national conventions of the Democrats and the Republicans. The stark difference between the two parties was highlighted. As a result, it made me fully aware of Obama’s plans clearly and concisely. Joe Biden also provided these ideas with a straightforward, simple way without all the political nonsense.
Someone asked me today why I support Barack Obama and for the first time, I was confident with my answer to this question. I have concrete reasons why he should be the commander in chief.
Reason #1: Integrity. Obama has shown his integrity time and again during the tough battle of the primaries. He maintained a level of respect for his opponent even when the kitchen sink was being thrown his way by his fellow Democrat. He, along with his campaign, was able to have a seamless Democratic National Convention by soothing the tensions that was caused during the primaries, showing the differences between their campaign and McCain’s without personal attacks and providing specific plans for the country. Currently, he continues to have this important leadership quality by focusing on the issues, even through the RNC debacle that happened. He didn’t attack Republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin about her family issues. He said family should be off limits, defending his opponent because he knows that it is not right to intrude into one’s personal family life and won’t let politics stand in the way of his morals.
Reason #2: Honesty. Okay so this may be a little touchy for some of you since politics is known for lack of honesty. Granted, I will even allude that Obama is probably not 100% honest about everything because this is politics and it is hard to be all the way honest in this field. It is just the nature of politics. However, I will say that overall, I trust his judgment. I trust that he will think of us first. I trust that he will admit his mistakes. I trust that he can make intelligent decisions without falling into the stereotypical political traps. For instance, when the whole Reverend Jeremiah Wright fiasco was at its peak, he could have easily said nothing about it and hoped it will die down or simply disowned him right then and there for the sake of his potential presidential candidacy. However, he did not do that. He, in fact, wrote a speech that touched the core issue behind all the media hoopla—race. It was risky but he did it with honesty that reached to everyone, Black and White. That speech solidified my pick for president during the primaries. In addition, he is ready to admit that he will not be the perfect president. Most presidential candidates try to prove that they will be perfect presidents through fake smiles and fake words.
Reason #3: Common Sense and Judgment. It seems it would be common sense to vote for a president who has common sense but I guess many Americans do not put that as a qualifier to lead this country. Barack Obama has shown common sense and good judgment by not following the crowd of supporters for the Iraq war. He said, in an eloquent, passionate speech, his disapproval of the war.
I don’t oppose all wars. My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton’s army. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil. I don’t oppose all wars. After September 11, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration’s pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again. I don’t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.
I don’t oppose all wars. My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton’s army. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil.
I don’t oppose all wars. After September 11, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration’s pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again.
I don’t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.
He even predicted the outcomes of the war.
I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars. So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president.”
I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.
I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.
I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars. So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president.”
At the end of this speech, he offered solutions and challenged the Bush administration to do the right thing.
You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings. You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s fight to make sure that…we vigorously enforce a nonproliferation treaty, and that former enemies and current allies like Russia safeguard and ultimately eliminate their stores of nuclear material, and that nations like Pakistan and India never use the terrible weapons already in their possession, and that the arms merchants in our own country stop feeding the countless wars that rage across the globe. You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s fight to make sure our so-called allies in the Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people, and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education, without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells. You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s fight to wean ourselves off Middle East oil through an energy policy that doesn’t simply serve the interests of Exxon and Mobil. Those are the battles that we need to fight. Those are the battles that we willingly join. The battles against ignorance and intolerance. Corruption and greed. Poverty and despair.
You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings.
You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s fight to make sure that…we vigorously enforce a nonproliferation treaty, and that former enemies and current allies like Russia safeguard and ultimately eliminate their stores of nuclear material, and that nations like Pakistan and India never use the terrible weapons already in their possession, and that the arms merchants in our own country stop feeding the countless wars that rage across the globe.
You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s fight to make sure our so-called allies in the Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people, and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education, without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells.
You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s fight to wean ourselves off Middle East oil through an energy policy that doesn’t simply serve the interests of Exxon and Mobil.
Those are the battles that we need to fight. Those are the battles that we willingly join. The battles against ignorance and intolerance. Corruption and greed. Poverty and despair.
If this doesn’t show that he has the intuitive reason to handle foreign relations problems, then I do not know what would. His words speak for themselves. You can read the full speech here. He also said this speech during a senate race, which most candidates would have overlooked and not commented on for the sake of their political agenda. Again, Obama went against conventional wisdom to make a strong statement that still resonates six years later.
Obama also has shown common sense through his policy positions. It is common sense to not give tax breaks to the wealthiest of Americans. They don’t need it. They didn’t ask for it. It is common sense to tax them a bit more than the average American who is making less than $250,000 to level the economy. It is logical to use that money to invest in public education where the disparities in America really show and invest in our children’s future by promising a $4,000 tuition credit to students who are willing to help out America whether through community service or military service. It is logical to use that money to invest in the faulty health care system and the falling infrastructure. It is only fair to generate billions of dollars through corporate loopholes to offer proper care of our veterans physically and psychologically. It is only fair to help those who made some juvenile mistakes by implementing a bill that help them transition from their old criminal lifestyle to a successful one. It will help not only the individuals but the community as a whole. Obama’s common sense allows him to notice the inequalities in the criminal justice system. Therefore, he decided to take action by sponsoring a bill where police interrogations are videotaped and a bill that would initiate a study of the race of people stopped for traffic violations.
Reason #4: Humility. He was a community organizer after graduating from Columbia University because he has humility. He did not forget where he came from. He did not forget about his mother’s greatest characteristic. When he graduated from Harvard Law School, Obama could’ve easily been a big shot lawyer, making tons of money but he decided to go back to the South Side of Chicago to become a civil rights lawyer. He actually decided to get into politics once he realized how much power politicians have at changing crucial issues in the community. After all the frustration of trying to get things done as an organizer and civil rights lawyer, he pursue his career in politics.
Reason #5: Patience. Barack Obama showed patience quite a bit by not automatically picking Hillary Clinton as vice president even though that was the popular choice. He had a team to help him pick the right vice presidential candidate. He was able to wait awhile before picking Joe Biden because there is a vetting process that should be taken seriously. The whimsicalness of McCain’s pick shows his hastiness which can be a bad trait to have while running the country. Obama showed the maturity to not let the media dictate his pick. He also shows maturity by his foreign relations policies. Obama won’t use war as the first option. If anything, it will be a last resort. He is willing to be patient and actually talk to our enemies to try to resolve it in a peaceful way. Unlike Bush and McCain, Obama does not want to go to war unless it is absolutely necessary. This is the safer choice between the two. Instead of making jokes about bombing Iran and challenging Russia to try something, Obama thinks democratic reasoning may help the unresolved tensions. He is willing to use force if it is needed but he does not want to bully other countries, touting America’s power.
Reason #6: Intelligence. It is quite funny and ironic to think that someone who is intelligent can be considered “elitist” by people who make millions of dollars. It also shows their ignorance. As I said before, Obama has the common sense to make intelligent decisions. He also has the book smarts to back up his ideas. He graduated from prominent American schools, Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he earned magna cum laude. He has self-taught himself by reading many books. He became knowledgeable about history, law (he taught constitutional law), sociology, theology, religion and geography due to his traditional and nontraditional education. His intelligence shows in his speeches. His intelligence shows in his debates. His intelligence definitely shows in his books. This man is smarter than a lot of Americans and that is alright with me.
Reason #7: Broad worldview. In order to be highly effective in foreign relations, a leader must have a broad worldview with a sensibility to others’ cultures. Through Obama’s personal and professional travels, he explored the world with an open mind and has been exposed to the unique problems that surround these countries. When he was younger, he had the great opportunity to live in Indonesia for a short period of time, which is a big adjustment from his Midwestern childhood. He also lived in Hawaii during his adolescent years. He went to New York and California during his college years and settled in Chicago. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. So, he does have a broad worldview by being open-minded about these places and their specific cultural issues, partly thanks to his mother who exposed him to different cultures as a child and his own curiosity of the United States and the world.
Reason #8: Experience. I do not think experience is the only important assess to being a president, hence why this is the last reason. The other words I listed above should also be brought up to the American people because those qualities are just as important as this key word ‘experience’. Barack Obama may not have had the traditional Washington experience but that doesn’t negate the résumé he has built over the years.
He was a community organizer and director of Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland (Roseland, West Pullman, and Riverdale) on Chicago’s far South Side. He also directed Project Vote, from April to October 1992, which is a voter registration drive with a staff of 10 and 700 volunteers that achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered African Americans in the state, leading Crain’s Chicago Business to name Obama to its 1993 list of “40 under Forty” powers to be. Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years, as a Lecturer for four years (1992–1996), and as a Senior Lecturer for eight years (1996–2004). (Wikipedia.org)
He was a civil rights lawyer. He worked in the state senate where he sponsored more than 800 bills. Some of them he reached out to Republican counterparts to help sponsor, co-author, and pass. In 2002, he became the chairman of Illinois Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee.
He spoke out against the invasion of Iraq before the congressional authorization in 2002 at anti-war rally, and then again before the actual invasion in 2003.
In 2005, he was sworn in as the fifth-ever African-American U.S. senator. He worked with Republican Senator Lugar to author and implement a program to locate and dismantle stray Russian WMD’s. He was designated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as the party’s point man on ethics. He worked with Russ Feingold to pass a major ethics/lobbying reform bill. He cosponsored, with John McCain, the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. He called for increased fuel efficiency standards (3 percent every year for 15 years). He had assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Homeland Security. He was the chairman of the Senate’s subcommittee on European Affairs.
He waged a tremendous battle to become the Democratic presidential nominee. Currently manages 2,500 campaign employees and a budget of $40-$50 million/month.
So yeah, he has some experience. It may not be “executive” but it coincides with the skills needed to be a great leader. And I know Senator Barack Obama will be a great president of the United States of America for all the reasons above and then some.
It has been awhile since I have written on this man. I studied this man for months, trying to listen to as many speeches as possible, read as many books about him as I can, learn more about his amazing wife, and gain knowledge about his policy positions. During this exploration, I’ve also wondered where I fall in this whole equation.
Part of my exploration is a need to know what this man is all about. I do not mean the Fox News reasons to see if this Black guy is legit. I want to observe the humanity in him. Before, I equated politics to the opposite of humility and humanity. I didn’t trust anyone in politics. And honestly, some remnants of that are still there even with Obama running.
However, Barack has been able to put a focus on people, “regular” folks like no other politician I have seen in my lifetime. It’s not about a whole bunch of plans that mean shit to us or a bunch of promises that we know are impossible to keep. I do think he may not be able to deliver on all his plans (and some people unfairly view him as a saint when in reality he is a politician with a extraordinary gift to speak to the masses with eloquence and intimacy that gets right to you) but I think he’ll work as hard as he can to lay the foundation of tremendous change in the future beyond his eight year term.
I also believe that he has already made history by being in the position he is in right now. He has the ability to move people towards a positive direction by pronouncing the personal responsibility within us in order for this to truly work. It starts with his grassroots campaign and it will soon grow into him being the President of the United States (yes, I am that sure of myself to declare this now) and then once he is there, he is still going to need us to push his plans forward. I like that push to pay attention. A lot of us have been walking blindly, ignoring the government because we really just didn’t care nor trust. We stopped believing in America for she kept allowing a man to abuse her over and over again. Maybe, Barack is just the kind of man she needs in her life.
I am still exploring this moment in more ways than one. I have been taking a break from his speeches. After awhile, I knew where he was going to go with his speeches and the little personal stories he was going to insert so it started to become redundant to me. However, I am definitely looking forward to his Democratic Convention speech in Denver, CO. I know it is going to be amazing. I will be doing as much as I can to help him out in the meantime, whether it is with donating, registering new voters or canvassing in my neighborhood. I intend to support him fully. I also intend to support myself through this whole process, meaning not give all the credit to Obama for this sudden change within myself.
See, the word change rings many bells for me at this time in my life. And perhaps, Obama drew this attention because that word was so desperately needed not only on a national level but a personal one as well. I guess I’ll see throughout my personal exploration that will never end. And maybe I’ll write a blog or two about it.
Written on July 20, 2008
On this exploration, I have found myself bombarded with the constant message from Barack Obama’s campaign of “change” and “hope”—two words that the American people have been dying to hear during the grueling years of the Bush Administration. Personally, I have heard those words explicit and/or implied all my life before from politicians, civil rights leaders, teachers, preachers, writers, poets and even musicians. Usually, when they say these words or words that convey the images of change and hope, I oftentimes don’t believe them. When Barack Obama says them, I believe them. Now how can this be? How can a man that I barely know affect me this much in comparison to someone who is a few inches from me speaking the same thing?
One reason could be the way he speaks about change and hope. The eloquence of this man’s speeches is remarkable. He typically starts out from a general standpoint then quickly dives into his personal life and then segues seamlessly into the issues of fellow Americans. After that, he quietly pronounces the key message to his belief in change and hope with a strong and powerful finish towards the end of his speech. He stirs the hearts and spirits of Americans because he touches us in one way or another with his broad view of many issues facing us today.
Typically, when I see other people trying to convey this message, it is steeped in cynicism, bitterness, anger and/or resentment. The change and the hope get buried under the critical view of reality. Not to say these feelings are not warranted. They are definitely justifiable, considering all the problems that face Americans and more personally, African Americans that I see every day, walking like zombies due to depression and hopelessness. However, the lack of optimism creates an environment of complacency and confinement. And how can real change come about if we aren’t moving towards anything better in our thoughts, which ultimately control our actions? Which brings me back to Obama, he is not naïve in his view of reality. The grim details of the issues that face America are noted in his speeches; however, he takes those grim details and turns them on their heads by bringing a sense of confidence and positivity that often lacks in current day politics. And I gravitate towards that like a moth towards a flame except I do not get burn in my pursuit; I see the light of the red and the orange as a symbol to some peace and oneness in America.
See, I was not alive when Frederick Douglass made his speech about July 4th. I was not alive when Martin Luther King said his dream. I was not alive when leaders like Malcolm X, Huey P Newton and Marcus Garvey created their movements for change and hope. I was not around when John F. Kennedy was president. I was not in the black and white footage of the 60s demanding for equal rights only to be beaten down by a police man.
I was not there so I feel guilty for my lack of service. I feel sort of selfish in my attempt to find that change and hope within myself. I feel like I could do more for my community that surrounds me every day as an awful reminder of how far we got to go in order to obtain true equality. I feel complacent in my position as a young African American college graduate from Philadelphia, looking to pursue the American Dream. However, when I went to the Obama Headquarters earlier this spring, I began to feel that sense of guilt slowly fading away. By being involved in his campaign, I finally felt like I was a part of history and that my little deeds will, in fact, create little ripples of change. However, the guilt is not in a state of oblivion. I still feel like I can do more. Barack Obama’s tone, thoughtfulness and compassion resonates an innate want to help others. And I have a gut feeling that this is what Douglass did and King did and those other leaders did during a time before me.
He has inspired me to change and I can’t ask for anything more from a future leader of the free and hopeful world.
Written on May 26, 2008
When people ask me why I support Barack Obama, I always feel slightly tongue-tied. I lose a little bit of confidence even though I do have some clear beliefs why he should win office. However, they always end up sounding cliché. For instance, I usually think of the word ‘change’ but how many times have you heard that from an Obama supporter? It’s an abstract truth but not a concrete reason that holds weight with candidates like Hillary Clinton, whose political experience outweighs his or John McCain who has been in politics since I’ve been born. So with this in mind, I’ve been searching for better reasons why I support the Black man with the “funny name”.
Over the last few months, I have been immersed in Obama’s campaign. I’ve read both of his books, the autobiography Dreams from My Father and the more politically driven, The Audacity of Hope, which gives me a more personal and specific look into the man’s upbringing, beliefs and political views. I have also been reading some articles from various sources about his campaign and how he’s been stacking up against his relentless, unflinching opponent, Hillary Clinton. In the evenings, after I come home from work, I sometimes watch Youtube clips from his page, hoping to gain a firmer stance on my position on the issues. I’ve also, sometimes reluctantly, watch CNN, MSNBC and even FOX News (all thanks to my brother whose sudden interest in politics may be all due to Mr. Obama himself). I’ve even volunteered on his behalf, making donations, going to rallies, making a few calls to voters, sending out postcards and agreeing to a random interview with a university as a young supporter.
Now, I will say that prior to this election, I was not into politics that much at all. I’ve never been to a rally for a candidate nor read a political book in my life. I was even a Hillary supporter at first, thinking that Obama really didn’t have a chance at winning the presidency. So I wonder, “What is it about him that makes me believe so much? Why do I feel so driven to be involved and to learn as much as I can about the issues and the candidate himself?”
I’m still in search for that answer. I’ve had some discoveries over the last few months that I will share with you and I know I will have quite a few more during the general election. In consequence, I will share my journey with you on this quest to find out the answer to this very question. I will call it, for now, “The Exploration of Hope”. Cheesy maybe but I kinda like it.
Written on May 19, 2008
