Tonight, I am so fired up following an Obama victory in my state, Wisconsin. Following the victory Obama gave an awesome speech in Houston, Texas beautifully interleaving specifics and inspiring rhetoric. But the one thing during his speech that totally swept me was when he said he was wearing a bracelet that a mother of a fallen war veteran had given him. The bracelet was in honor of Ryan who died when a road side bomb went off in Iraq. The words that were embedded in it touched my heart. It said "all of them gave some, but Ryan gave all".
I think of the candidates who remain in this race, only Obama understands the ground realities of this "dumb" war which has not really helped anybody. Without political reconcilliation in Iraq between the ethnic factions, no military can maintain peace. This is the blaring and ominous truth that only Obama has come to terms with. McCain who promises 100 more years in Iraq would be a complete disaster. I think for the sake of Ryan and the rest of them who have sacrificed "all they have", or "most of what they have", it is time to end the war and the mindset that led to this war. And for that very reason, it is time to elect Senator Obama to the white house in 2009.
Time for change, time for common sense politics.
-Obama 08-
I wrote this on my personal blog for my not-so-political friends to take a look at. Thought it might be fun to share with the other Obamaites!! Continue to read below...
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Yes that is the direction I have been heading during the past year politically, left. I wouldn't like to think of this as a dramatic shift in ideology. Although my folks have generally been conservative I grew up somewhat a centrist, often refusing to accept what I was being passively forced to accept.The first time I heard the sensational speech of Barack Obama at the democratic national convention in 2004, I was just blown away by the eloquence, pragmatism and inclusiveness of the senator from Illinois. When he called the people to rise above the divides of red states and blue states and unite for a common purpose, I saw a man who had the right vision. Another year went by before I caught him on senate floor (while flipping channels on my idiot box), this time speaking on the ethics reform bill he had passed along with the senator from Wisconsin, Russ Fiengold.I even managed to sit through the entire 30 minutes on C-Span! Already pretty impressed by the senators' ability to inspire through words and also see him pass a reform bill that was apparently the toughest in 25 years I realized he was unique and not more of the same Washington politicians. Another year later when I heard Barack Obama was running to be democratic nominee for president, I got pretty excited. It is probably fair to conclude that, I began leaning left because of the message of unity, hope and common good that Barack Obama wrapped it with in a stylishly eloquent and inspiring manner.I have an entire set of views on why Barack Obama is the last best hope for his country. After witnessing politics being converted to sewage by incompetent, corrupt, divisive, cynical, backward politicians of my state and my country, I had myself become very cynical about it. Today I know that Barack Obama stands apart from the rest of the dirty, mud slinging politicians. He speaks of hope not cynicism, of bringing all people together to get things done not dividing them. He disagrees without being disagreeable. He rises above politics among a bunch of others who have forgotten what that even means.How I wish I could vote in this country so that I could do just that little bit instead of being a passive observer of the process. I urge people who haven't heard this man to get onto youtube and hear some of his speeches. Here are the links to some of his speeches.1. opposition to Iraq war from the beginning2. Barack Obama's Speech at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner3. Story behind "Fired up - Ready to go".... (last 5 minutes of the speech!!)4. Barack Obama - Iowa Victory Speech5. Obama taking a dig at the Clinton Standards (rather lack thereof).. This one is really funny
I am sure after seeing these videos anyone would be intrigued to hear more . So please look for more videos on youtube or www.youbama.com. Visit www.barackobama.com to learn more about the issues.Barack Obama 08 all the way!!!
The Iraq War vote
Barack stood against the war in 2002 when it was not the popular thing to do. In an interview that is available on youtube, Barack precisely predicts the problems that would impend if the war was infact waged. Hillary on the other hand, voted for the war and still does not have the honesty to accept the vote as a mistake. There are 2 important conclusion that I draw from this. Firstly, you don't have to be associated with washington for 35 years to make the right decision on the most important issue. Secondly, more important than committing a mistake is have the guts to own up to it. If one does not recognize the misstep how can we be sure how he/she has learnt from the mistake. Hillary clinton's claim that the vote was not a mistake, I feel, is disingeneous.
Health care plan
Hillary mandates her Healthcare plan for all people. Even if one cannot afford to buy into her system, she would force them by deducting money from their tax returns. I think this is totally unfair. If a person needs to prioratizes feeding his family over paying for Hillary's healthcare I think the government has no right to force him to do otherwise.
Obama on the other hand does not mandate his plan, rather focusses on reducing the cost to make it affordable for every person. This shows that he has a grasp of the situation real people are in.
Message versus secrecy
Obama has by far the strongest message in this election. He wants to involve the people and bring them together to make things happen. Hillary on the other hand refused to release her record as the first lady and recently her tax return papers which Obama has done. I believe Obama's approach clearly shows his intent to get people involved in the process as opposed to the Clinton's who classify records and keep the common man in the dark.
While Hillary uses the phrase "35 years of experience" as though it was simply a pause between 2 sentences, she refuses to release the records of her actions during those 35 years to substantiate her claim. Bill Clinton infamously put a seal on his and her records during his white house days. If she infact is running on the achievements during those years, isn't it imperitive that people get to see what her achievments really are?
Perception of the rest of the World
As a person who brings a perspective that many people here don't, as a person who was born and brought up outside the US, I can lay a modest claim on how the world perceives the United States. I think people outside the US, like her for the opportunities she provides to those who yearn for one. People look up to the United States for leadership and innovation more than any other country in the world. Countries look to the United States as a role model for its infrastructure and facilities. Others like the people of united states for their competitiveness and modesty.
However, people have taken a dislike towards the arrogance of the George Bush government and its policies with regards to foreign relation. John McCain has promised to deliver more of the same. Hillary Clinton eventhough has promised to change course with regards to war in Iraq has said that she would not talk to countries that stand against the US.
Obama is the only leader who has said he would not hesitate to talk to leaders of countries eventhough they might disagree with the United States. I think that this is the first step in changing the perception of the world and reclaiming moral authority. I believe that the respect for USA around the world will be restored when Obama goes to the white house and tells Hugo Chavez that he needs to review his policies. Even if people don't agree with you, they will respect you for reaching across and might become friendlier.
-Vote Obama 08 -
