First, read about where he stands on the issues that matter to you: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/ Then, come back... I'd like to share with you how my weekend has gone...
For the first time I decided to go out a volunteer for a campaign. I
called them up, they called me back, gave me details, and yesterday and
today I found myself out on the road canvasing for the Obama campaign
here in Massachusetts (in the Newton area). There is an amazing amount
of enthusiasm out here for Obama. I was walking up Cypress Street near
Newton center, and an older gentleman (possibly Polish or Armenian) saw
me with my sticker on, and he struck up a conversation about how much
he's been moved by what the campaign has had to say about a vision for
America. He kept reflecting on how poorly we've shepherded the vision
we have of ourselves.
Out of the list of registered/undecided Democratic and Independent
voters, I only ran into a few that had straight up made up their minds
to vote for Clinton. Most people were still undecided, and I was amazed
at how many Obama supporters there were out there. One woman, about my
age, came to the door with her kid in one arm, and she kept saying that
if she could, she'd vote twice for Obama, and thanked me for donating
my time. One guy was leaving the house with a buddy and I asked him if
he had any questions and if he planned on turning out to vote. He kept
saying there was one issue he'd had a question on... eventually his
friend laughed, and said, "Dude, stop wasting this guy's time, you know
you're voting for Obama!" It was a really excellent morning, and I felt
more confident talking to people than I did yesterday. The amount of
effort going into this election is really amazing to see in action.
I think he's definitely the RIGHT candidate. As I walked from house to
house, I kept mulling over things I'd heard people say in various
conversations. "Well, Obama's young, he can run again next go-round",
or "Clinton can absorb the inevitable attacks better." or "I think
Hillary has more experience." At the end of the day, I don't think the
future is promised to us. I'm personally only interested in voting for
RIGHT NOW. I think Obama holds a very unique position in politics with
regards to his time in Washington, his ability to foment bipartisan
agreement, and as his wife put it, his current proximity to "normal"
Americans in the way he lives his day to day life (Presidential
campaigning not withstanding). I think he has much less "material" for
attackers to work with, and he represents someone who knows how to
admit a mistake and learn from it. Everytime I hear Hillary Clinton say
that she thinks she made the right choice "at the time" to authorize
the war in Iraq, I gawk when I see someone buy equivocating as a
legitimate answer. If you shot someone on bad information and simply
said, "Hey, with the same information, I'd make the same choice today"
I personally think you're a fool.
I don't want to mourn for my country anymore, under the presidency of
another version of ego politics. I don't want to hear the empty words
of another president who fears attack SO MUCH, that they refuse to EVER
fix a mistake and come clean with the American people about a poor
choice. When I listened to Hillary Clinton's "Living History" memoir, I
found it insightful, but I also noticed how often she opted for
solidarity over an honest reaction. How often she gave her reaction to
vast right-wing conspiracies, over saying or attempting to BLUNT such
attacks by addressing the American people with frankness and humility.
While the Clinton healthcare plan was negotiated in secret, Obama plans
to have the details of his plan broadcast on CSPAN... the idea being,
that if someone tries to shoot it down... at the VERY least, it will be
in FULL public view, and such persons will make themselves known for
their dissent. Given the "Transparency Act" he co-sponsored, it seems
clear that these aren't just words. Given his savvy as a constitutional
scholar, they aren't purely optimistic or naive words either.
I love chess. I love looking a few moves ahead, and have a good
impression of where the game is going. If Clinton wins the nomination,
I'm almost certain Obama would accept a vice-presidency if the position
were offered. Unfortunately, with the wrong tenor of the new
administration... I call "checkmate" on the Democratic Party momentum
in 2 years (assaults on character and a repeat of the Clinton years in
full-swing). I'll just sit there watching it play out, and hoping I'm
wrong.
Song & video, featuring a star cast, by Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. Inspired by Barack Obama's 'Yes We Can' speech.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.
Yes we can. Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can... heal this nation.
Yes we can... repair this world.
Yes we can. Yes we can.
Si, Se Puede!
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We Want Change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics... they will only grow louder and more dissonant...
We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --
Yes. We. Can.
Celebrities & performers include: Adam Rodriguez, Alfonso Ribeiro, Amaury Nolasco, Amber Valetta, Auden McCaw, Anson Mount, Austin Nichols, Aisha Tyler, Bryan Greenberg, Cliff Collins, Common, Derek Watkins, Ed Kowalczyk, Enrique Murciano, Eric Balfour, Eric Olsen, Esthero, Fred Goldring, Harold Perrineau, Herbie Hancock, Hill Harper, John Legend, John Schaech, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Kate Walsh, Kelly Hu, Maya Rubin, Nick Cannon, Nicole Scherzinger, Sam Page, Sarah Wright, Scarlett Johannson, Shoshannah Stern, Taryn Manning, Tatyana Ali, Tracee Ellis Ross, Will.i.am
Comments (1)
barrack obama in the house now lolÂ
BMW Performance