Who would have thought even a year ago that Barack Obama would be able to transform one of the leanest of political careers into a force that could overpower the mighty political machine of the Clintons?
Well, he has managed to do just that, and as much as I dislike Hillary and the things she stands for, at times I find myself almost feeling sorry for her. After all, not all that long ago the Democratic nomination for President seemed to be hers for the taking, but now it appears that she’ll be lucky to even garner the nod to be Obama’s running mate.
What Barack Hussein Obama has been able to do politically is nothing short of amazing. With only a short stint in the Illinois State Senate and less than a single term as a U.S. Senator under his belt, he managed to put together a coalition of voters the likes of which have never been seen before.
He has pulled well ahead of Clinton in virtually every demographic group, leaving her struggling to find a way to wrestle her once devoted constituency back into her camp. Frankly, I don’t see it happening – which brings me to the point of this column.
A huge segment of the U.S. population (possibly even a majority) seem quite willing to buy a proverbial “pig in the poke” come election day. Why? Well, there are three main reasons:
- He has the looks of a movie star.
- He is well spoken and exudes a certain charm that many find irresistible.
- He is the first African-American presidential candidate with a legitimate shot at actually getting elected.
Of course none of these are very good reasons to vote for someone who will become the most powerful individual on the face of the planet if elected, but this time around the voters seem to favor form over substance. While Obama is big on hyperbole and a master at delivering it, he has never faced a hard interview by someone who would press him on the monumental issues facing our country.
Instead, he goes on Oprah, The Today Show, and other “soft venues” where he knows the questions will be both easy and complimentary. He has promised to do an interview at some point with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, but I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.
Yes, it’s hard to get a grasp on exactly what Obama stands for. We know he is adamantly against the war in Iraq, but he has yet to clue us in on how he plans to deal with the aftermath once he pulls our troops out (which apparently will happen very quickly once he is sworn in).
He says he will protect our nation from Islamic terrorists, but he has yet to explain how he plans to conduct the war on terror. He says he also supports the socialist staple of universal health care, but he has yet to explain how the nation could possibly afford it and how we could ever hope to pay for it. In short, Obama is big on ideas but rather lacking in details.
The good news about Barack Obama’s rocket-like rise to the top of the Democratic ticket is that it proves once and for all that we Americans have moved past the racial divide of old. Not only are we ready, but we are even eager to elect someone other than a white male to be President of the United States. And that is a good thing.
The bad new is that Obama is the wrong man for the job. After all, he has barely more political experience than your average county supervisor and no clear plan for running the country. The mantra of his campaign is “Change we can believe in”. Just remember come election day that “change just for the sake of change” can be very dangerous, as proved over and over again throughout the course of history.
One would be wise to demand a few details about the changes he plans to make before casting a vote for him. Do we really need to “buy a pig in a poke” to run our great country?
A shoelace would be better than Hillary!
Considering that Obama is the ranked as the most liberal senator and Hillary the 16th, I do believe we’d be better off with Hillary.