here's why obama will win the white house
I'm 47 and I've never seen the almost religious fervor about a political candidate before. He has struck a deep chord in the hearts of millions with two simple concepts. Hope. And Change. Something that many have longed for for ages.
I'm not sure how to put it into words, but the heartfelt passion for what obama represents is soul-stirring. All I can think is that is how people must have felt about JFK. He was a president everyone loved and believed in. And it wasn't because of his "policies." And it wasn't because he led a perfect life. He had the courage to believe. Believe that we could BE. That we could DO. He had heart and vision.
I'm not sure how to put it into words, but the heartfelt passion for what obama represents is soul-stirring. All I can think is that is how people must have felt about JFK. He was a president everyone loved and believed in. And it wasn't because of his "policies." And it wasn't because he led a perfect life. He had the courage to believe. Believe that we could BE. That we could DO. He had heart and vision.
I suppose Reagan was in a similar vein, uniting the country to be and do again. But there's something different about obama that I can't get my finger on. I think it's because he puts even LESS emphasis on policy than Reagan, and more on principle. I think people are fed up with facts and figures and endless wrangling about the details... while the forest is being overlooked.
You've got to admit he's likeable. Like you wish he were your dad, or brother, or uncle, or husband, or counselor, or pastor, or boss, or friend. You want to run up to him and have him put his arms around you, give you a big smile, and tell you everything's going to be alright. And then he'll tell you, "Now here's what you're gonna have to do. Go do it. I believe in you!" And you run off happy and do it.
And then you mix in the fact that he is half white/half black, that he's got a name that sounds like a mix of Iraq and Osama, and you get to thinking, hey, maybe this guy does represent everybody! He is a walking advertisement for unity and diversity after what many people think has been way too long an era of segregation, partisanship, and fracture.
And, if you hear his wife speak, she's just as impassioned. She's a believer. She's not just "supporting her man."
So, obama has stepped into a vacuum that has been looking to be filled for some time. And the current is swelling. It is non-verbal. It is non-rational. It just is. It has it's own energy that is much bigger than obama itself. That's why it's called a "movement." Obama happens to be the catalyst.
And it makes all the other candidates look like carboard figures. Just men. Mortal. Pedestrian. Run of the mill. Uninspiring.
And that's why on an emotional level I feel like i WANT to vote for this guy even though I have absolutely NO idea what he stands for. And i almost don't care. Scarey, huh?
I'm not saying i AM going to vote for him. I'm just saying I WANT to. I can imagine going into the ballot booth and coming out smiling! Like actually feeling good! Excited! Yes! I'm a winner!I'm just hoping he has policies i can stomach. I'm kind of afraid to look.
So, to go with my former prediction, I think the contest for the white house will be between obama and mccain, with obama winning. mccain represents the old guard, the elderly white man's establishment, status quo. War, tough times, enemies, grin and bear it, strength and might... A charicature of what has been. WWII mentality. So "20th century." Obama represents unity, compassion, dialogue, negotiation, bringing together, toleration, hope, belief, youth, change. So "21st century." (And no matter what hillary does, she will be equated with the old guard... the last 20 years of either a bush or a clinton in the white house. I don't think people are looking to make that 28! We don't do monarchy here.)
To sum up, there's a dictum I find eerily true... "If you're not a liberal when you're in your 20's you have no heart. If you're not a conservative when you're in your 50's you have no brain!" In this election cycle I think the tinman is going to get his wish, not the scarecrow. We are looking for, and will get, a heart. A beating, imperfect, authentic, humble, generous, learning, growing, human heart.
If you have not gotten swept up into this current yet, watch these videos. If you cry at Hallmark commercials, you better get your tissues out. :) Be careful. You may get converted! You may become a believer.
"YES WE CAN"
"WE ARE THE ONES"
"READY TO BELIEVE"
"JOHN HE IS" (Anti-mccain spin off video)
If you have not gotten swept up into this current yet, watch these videos. If you cry at Hallmark commercials, you better get your tissues out. :) Be careful. You may get converted! You may become a believer.
"YES WE CAN"
"WE ARE THE ONES"
"READY TO BELIEVE"
"JOHN HE IS" (Anti-mccain spin off video)
