Ijust finished watching Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention and my first impression was that I had not only witnessed one of the greatest speeches by a presidential candidate, but that I was a watching a turning point in American politics. The speech was awe inspiring and was a good indicator of what it might be like to have a brilliant guy manning the wheel of the presidency again.
My second thought was a bit of sadness and pity for McCain who has to follow that up with his own version of a clich’d speech that’ll most likely just be a rickety cue card reading. I’ll be the first one to admit it if McCain happens to pull off a stunner, but if past speeches are any indication as to how its gonna go down, then just be prepared to wince at a stumbling presentation of an out-of-date argument. Comparing the eloquence of the two is like watching a swim meet between Michael Phelps and Mr. Magoo.
Obama reminded us why he’s come so far so fast. He resonates with what American politics is at its very best. American politics at its very best isn’t spiteful or dirty, but it is internally encouraging. At their very best, politicians teach us that we’re in the same fish bowl together and that our greater actions reflect upon each other. They force us to be involved because progressive strides have to be made together, even if it means compromising with people and ideals that you’d rather eat razors than listen to.
The naysayers keep dishing out the assertion that he’s not ready, that he’s too inexperienced for the job. At the core, the job of a politician is decision making. So the indictment is that his lack of years in Washington will lead him to make bad decisions. The fact is that every decision Obama has made has put him closer to the door step of being the most powerful leader in the world. It definitely wasn’t his buckets of money or an influential family name. On the flip side, McCain made his absolute worst decision, the decision to go into Iraq, after being in the senate for over 20 years. And he’s still making that bad decision.
There are some instances where a mind of an elevated caliber transcends the argument of experience. John F. Kennedy was that type of politician, and so is Obama. Everything he’s done so far shows a mind that has the ability to calculate the possibilities and exercise that sort of elite judgment. Call me a cheerleader, but I look forward to that clear mind in the White House. I look forward to turning the page on these last eight years of petty politics and self-preservation at all costs. I look forward to actually anticipating what the president has to say instead of cringing at an inarticulate mess of a man.
