As I am a slave to social conventions, I too have been struck with Obama Fever. I just added the Obama girl on MySpace. I have watched Will.i.am’s video “Yes We Can” more times than can be counted on one limb. I track the young politico on Twitter while faithfully waiting for him to accept my friendship request on Facebook. There is no doubt; Obama makes me “fired up” and “ready to go.”
It’s true. Obama is in. He is the latest fad and his popularity among college kids like us is understandable. He admits to smoking pot in college. He decries Washington and its lobbyists. He makes us feel good about ourselves by telling us to “take a chance on your own aspirations.” Most importantly, voting for Obama gives me a chance to feel trendy and politically correct.
What’s not to love about Obama? He’s warm and cuddly. He’s fresh and determined. He speaks with conviction and his rhetoric is spellbinding. He moves me to tears with his promises of change and progress. Some have even gone so far as to call him the American Messiah.
So what if he derives much of his freshness based on his identity as a young, handsome, black politician? Who cares if his proposals are replete with fluff and devoid of substance? The fact that he seems to get by on platitudes about “hope,” “change,” and vague one-liners like “yes we can” and “our time is now” doesn’t bother me; he’s hot, and after the destruction of our global image, especially in the Third World, we need a good photo-op.
Actually, if you look at Obama’s track record as a state senator in the Illinois Legislature, you can see that he understands the importance of pleasing his constituents. While in office, he abstained from voting on more than 100 bills that were proposed – some of which he himself had sponsored. Maybe he didn’t have time to develop his own political stance on these issues. Perhaps he knew he was going to run for president and didn’t want to lose anyone’s support. Either way, failing to make concrete decisions during his term was a smart move; he won the public’s approval as a safe candidate.
Obama is so secure and wholesome, even Oprah endorsed him. Unlike Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich, he isn’t a big risk taker. He wants to raise taxes, but lessen the burden for the middle class. He wants to build a relationship with Iran, but promises safety to Israel. He condemns gay marriage, but he supports civil unions. Can instigating change really be done without taking any risks? Apparently so! To someone like me, with deeply embedded bad habits, this is a more than appealing prospect.
You might think that our president would need more than good speaking skills and inspirational phrases, or that a successful leader should not have to feel the need to voice more affirmations than a faked orgasm, but you would be wrong. Running the most powerful country in the world does not require difficult decisions or experience; it takes hope and change. What changes in particular? I don’t know, but it sure sounds good.
I understand that many are perplexed when asked to name any of Obama’s accomplishments as a senator. I also realize that he is a mainstream candidate whose policies don’t really differ that drastically from Hillary Clinton’s. Regardless, I believe Barack Obama will make this country a better place because “in the face of change lies hope, and in face of hope lies change.”
With lines like that, how can one not be inspired to envision a better future? Let’s close our eyes and use our imaginations to will a perfect reality into existence. Who needs a real, solid political course when we have hope? All I know is that anyone who manages to retain mainstream policies while still purporting the illusion of being a unique, fresh idealist is extremely clever; he definitely has my vote.
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All this Obamania is justified
Daily Emerald
March 5, 2008
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