Barack Obama, Yes He Did!

I’m sure you’ve got the stomach, the time and patience to read one more piece about how Barack Obama should be the next president of the United States.

I mean, if you’re a John McCain supporter, you can hardly wait to hear another talking head go on at length about how his guy is better than your guy. And that Sarah Palin…sheesh.

If you’re an Obama supporter, you’re no doubt tired of crossing your fingers, arms, legs, eyes, etc. as you wait for the big day…in which an unprecedented sea change in US history will take place.

It’s got Jane Fonda so stressed out, she’s got a sore back and she can’t sleep at night.

Speaking of stress, I want to stress that this is a personal preference on my part...not the endorsement of Orato.com. The only position Orato.com endorses is the right of everyone to hold an opinion -- and to express that opinion on this site! So I'm not trying to tell you what to think. I'm just telling you what I think. Just another voice hanging around the court of public opinion.

Back to Obama. I think Jane's back hurts because she understands the monumental change being contemplated her. She's worried that maybe we don't want to make history after all. The previous 43 presidents of the United States were white guys. Number 44 could well be a black guy. When he calls for Change, he's not kidding. So, I think it needs to be said again. Barack Obama is the best choice to preside over the USA for the next four years. And I have three big reasons for saying so.

1) Barack Obama gets the 21st Century. He gets it all, the diversity, the technology, the environment, the need to rise above blood and boundaries because we are all connected, even the people we don’t like. I’m not sure about John McCain. I think he’s stuck in the US vs. Them paradigm of the past. He’s an old warrior who has experienced, to me, unimaginable hardship for his country. It makes me sick when the smug and comfortable make fun of John McCain, but I have to admit, he’s in over his head when it comes to what’s next.

2) Barack Obama elevates the game. I don’t know what he’s really like…Michelle Obama says she’d like to have the guy that everybody idolizes around her house rather than the real father of her two daughters. I wonder if there’s a spouse in America who can’t relate? But if you look at this guy’s behavior in public throughout the last two years, and try to come up with one time that’s he’s blown it, behaved less than honorably, been caught in a lie, failed to respect his opponent, it’s extremely difficult. The only time I can think of was in June, when he changed his mind and decided not to take public funding after he said he would. But who could predict that millions of ordinary Americans would throw all that money at him, 25 bucks at a time? Other candidates have behaved less than honorably toward Obama, but he has never sunk to their level, and has always kept it about the issues and the policies, not the people behind them. This disinclination to sling mud has made him the character choice for millions of Americans fed up with negative politics. And while McCain can rightfully retort that Obama has endorsed and funded as many negative ads as he has in his campaign, those ads never sink to the guilt-by-association level that are such a common feature of the Republican campaign. It is especially vexing that McCain has chosen to work with Karl Rove, the man responsible for scuttling his own previous bid for president using unsavory tactics.

3) If, God forbid, Barack Obama dies in office, Sarah Palin won’t be the next president. Give us a break, and send her back to Alaska, where she can gnaw on moose bones in peace. If there was ever someone who, when asked to serve, should have politely declined, it’s Sarah Palin. Joe Biden may not be Barack Obama or John McCain, but he can speak in sentences, even if he does throw in an occasional gaffe. John McCain is 72 years old, has an iffy medical chart, and has needlessly put the entire world in Defcon 4 by selecting Ms. Palin as his running mate. Shrewd and smart aren’t the same thing, and I’m not even sure, despite all the winks and knowing smiles, that Sarah Palin is shrewd. From what I can tell, she has all the characteristics of a hatchet person with none of the sharp edges. Must be the most inappropriate candidate for VP since Spiro Agnew and Dan Qualye. What is it with Republicans? Why can’t they just pick someone who qualifies for the job?

For me, the above three reasons are decisive. I have been a fan of John McCain for many years. I have loved his openness, thoughtfulness, his willingness to do the right thing. But I think he’s past his Best Before date – which the rigors of the campaign have confirmed. He’s made one panicky move after another, while Barack Obama has just grown, from primary to primary, debate to debate. Finally: his speech, A More Perfect Union, delivered in Philadelphia’s Constitution Hall on March 18, 2008, in response to the embarrassing and troubling pronouncements of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is the finest political speech I have read since the days of John F. Kennedy. If oratory (Orato?) can bring hope to a nation mired in racial divisions, then A More Perfect Union could be the ticket to an America where the things that bring us together are once again stronger than the things that pull us apart.

Folks, vote your hearts out!