Thoughts on why I'm behind Barack Obama:
I first considered Mr. Obama after reading an article, "Barack Obama, Inc." in a magazine in late 2006. In that article, I was attracted by his work as early as 2000 on regulating against predatory lending in Illinois. I was impressed by his prescient early recognition of the systematic peril of deregulation aimed at inflating the housing bubble. In recent weeks, I’ve been even more amazed at his restraint in trumpeting his foresight on this very issue. Mr. Obama, it seems, favors action over ego.
In campaigning against Mrs. Clinton he responded to the Reverend Wright criticism with deep honesty and political jujitsu in his now famous speech. He has now handled the RNC with even greater jujitsu. For example, his campaign's work in preparing the short film on McCain's dirty hand in the $120 billion dollar Savings and Loan bailout was masterfully staged, and only released AFTER Mrs. Palin did the RNC's bidding and turned the campaign negative in Colorado 3 weeks ago.
This is how he will execute foreign policy. Just as he now has the RNC spinning while he builds momentum towards action and solution, Mr Obama will unite the country against unenlightened self-interest, and unite the world against Al Qaeda.
Back in late 2006, I had a conversation with Michael Powell, Colin Powell's son, who also served in the Bush administration as chair of the FCC. He also resigned from the Bush administration in early 2005. Thereafter I took great interest in the career of both father and son. They are great Americans, evolving conservatives, and, like my parents, republicans who will vote democrat on November 4th. The Uniting has begun.
We have great cause for hope in this country, and always have; but it has seldom been more obvious. Dare we be grateful that just when our citizens are feeling the full impact of banker greed ($1T) and oilwar profiteering (another $1T), Mr Obama arrives to address our despair with substance, style and the social network technology that reinvents community organizing and political fundraising, and destroys big money politics itself?
I'm feeling very grateful... for the Bush legacy and for Lehman and Countrywide and Halliburton and Enron and all the many thieves… for waking up America... but mostly for Mr. Obama and all his supporters, especially republicans who've put their ego aside.
And that's a good place to be at the start of something new. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
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