I LOVE YOU IOWA!
I will obviously have more to say about the Presidential campaign during the upcoming months -- perhaps even during the upcoming days -- but I couldn't let the Sun come up without hailing what Iowa did tonight. I have been a huge Obama fan since I heard him deliver the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention. Well, that same Obama who wowed the nation in 2004 was on display in Iowa tonight.
Don't blame him for being charismatic, America. Don't fear his charisma. Embrace it! This is a good man. And he can use that charisma to implement honest-to-God positive social change.
A vote for most of the candidates is a vote for the status quo -- namely, four more years of polarization. We can't afford that. We need a President who can excite Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike and thereby hammer through bold legislation. The only candidate who can really inspire the critical mass of this country is Barack Obama. If you don't believe me, just watch a tape of his speech tonight. Please.
2 comments:
An extraordinary speech by an extraordinary man! I couldn't help but think of you as I watched -- I knew you were lovin' it too.
I have to say this, because I'm old enough to remember, Barack Obama has the same ability to inspire that young Jack Kennedy did in his early days. There is a wonderful picture of him and his family on Drudge.com, looking for all the world like the next First Family. I am truly hoping they make it.
I still like Edwards too, but don't see that he has a possibility of winning.
I kind of like Edwards too. I'd love to see him in an Obama Administration. And I like his wife even more than him. But the bottom line, I think, is that he doesn't have the gravitas to transcend the polarizing climate we live in.
Edwards' fundamental mistakes involved allowing such a wide chasm between his professed public policy views (hugely pro-economic equity) and his personal life decisions (the hedge fund job, the mega-mansion, the outlandish haircuts). As a member of the nouveau riche, he won't get cut much slack in opting for such Veblenian excess.
The non-reactionary Republicans and Independents will warm to Obama and allow him to implement some progressive legislation, just as they had previously rolled over for other Democrats in the early 60s and the 30s. But I don't see them doing as much of that for Edwards, who can be easily lampooned as a hypocrite who is as slick as a game show host.
Of course, if Hillary is elected, it would be even worse. Her honeymoon would last about as long as a football game ... then all the partisan bickering will come back with a vengeance. But Hillary still has an excellent chance of winning the nomination. As you point out, Edwards is still operating on a wing and a prayer.
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