[Politics] Words Matter: Why I Plan to Support Obama
Critics have said that Obama is nothing but a great speaker and nothing without his voice. That is certainly not the case, but let’s suppose for a minute that it is. When it comes to our presidential candidates, should their words, and the voice they put behind them, not play a significant role in how we judge them? What more do we seek from our candidates when we watch debates and speeches and press conferences than the words they use to address the issues at hand? People have said the exact opposite about our current president, that it doesn’t matter that he is a bad speaker. Actually, it does matter. Words are how we see and know the world before we act in it. Words are thoughts and thoughts inform our actions. Words are the first means by which we can reach out to others and thoughts are the seed from which they blossom. Words pave the avenue of progress and reform, and they raise our children to be women and men of honor. So, can you really vote for someone because they are a great speaker? It is, in my opinion, a much better standard than voting out of fear or simple opposition. I think people have become so cynical as to truly believe that in politics all words are simply manipulation; and maybe it is because I have a keen sense for when words are being used to manipulate that I have no such universal belief. Words are our opportunity to express our concerns, our beliefs and our dreams, and I am more than happy to support someone who takes this opportunity with their words. If I thought every politician was lying every time that they spoke, I would have to believe that words have lost all of their beautiful purposes—that no one cares, that I should resign all hope. But I refuse to let language be the martyr of cynicism and politics as usual. There is power in words and there is meaning in how people use them. Who that has ever cried at a eulogy or heard a child tell them “I love you” can honestly say words do not matter? Obama has passion, and you cannot fake passion. He is not endowed with a thunderous voice and spine tingling intonations; these are not manifestations of genetics. They are manifestations of passion. Passion is nothing if it is not honest, and I can vote for a man that uses words honestly. And for once in a long time, I have that option.
Last Saturday, Barack Obama announced his candidacy for president in Springfield, IL, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, two days before the anniversary of the late president’s birth. It was a frigid day in the Midwest, but for the fired-up crowd of 17,000 the climate was perfect; and for many I think it seemed as if Lincoln’s vow to unify a nation and bring blacks out of the lowest tier of society was finally being fulfilled. But Obama, who is the most powerful black man to have ever run for president (and with a better chance at the office than any of his predecessors), views his race as merely a novelty this early in the election. And for all the romanticism and historical significance of a black candidate finally having a real shot at the presidency, I totally agree with Obama, and consider his perspective on the matter genius. By calling his race a novelty, it makes the issue a novelty; it makes his race just insignificant enough not to make him a “black” candidate, just an American candidate. It takes the drama out of the enormous racial barrier he could very well break, and declares just so simply that America is indeed absolutely ready for a black president, as much as we are ready for any other president (or any novelty for that matter). That’s smart. And, by calling his race a novelty, he does one other thing: he openly plays to that idea of novelty by making his announcement where and when he did. That’s honest.
Recently, someone asked me if I thought that Hillary Clinton needs to measure up to different standards because she is a woman. I absolutely think that she does. If Hillary Clinton wants my support she needs to have a different message, a different voice than the rest of the candidates, in other words, the white males who dominate the presidential election pool every year. She does not need a “woman’s” voice. She just needs her own voice.
Because he is black, Barack Obama has to measure up to a different standard too; he has to present a new perspective, a new vision and a new message. And he is doing that.
In his speech, Obama called his forthcoming journey “this improbable quest.” It is not improbable because of his race. It is improbable because he is young and speaks for a generation still young enough not to have dismissed their ideals as hopeless. It is improbable because he does not have to be right all of the time, because he does not mince words, make excuses or nuance his position for strategic gain. It is improbable because he is not beholden to party politics, because he is an organizer reaching across the aisle for support, breaking with his party when he disagrees and invoking the likes of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon when presenting his beliefs. It is improbable because he has big ideas about transforming the security, economy, healthcare and politics of this country, and because he believes that he can achieve those goals through a consensus. It is improbable because he wants the citizenry to fuel the change and take the charge of the future to make this nation everything it can and should be. It is improbable because it runs counter to everything that politics has been since as far back as I can remember.
He said on that cold February morning:That’s why this campaign can’t only be about me. It must be about us. It must be about what we can do together. [It] must be the vehicle for your hopes and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy and your advice to help push us forward when we’re doing right, and let us know when we’re not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change. By ourselves this cannot happen. Divided we are bound to fail.
That’s why I am in this race. Not to hold an office but to gather with you to transform a nation…I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union and building a better America. And if you will join with me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling and see as I see the future of endless possibilities stretching out before us; if you sense as I sense that the time is now to shake off our slumber and slough off our fears and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I am ready to take up the cause and march with you and work with you. Today, together we can finish the work that needs to be done and usher in a new birth of freedom on this earth. Let’s get to work.
2 comments:
Excellent Stew. I share many of your sentiments. I don’t know much about Obama but he certainly seems like he is honest about his intentions and beliefs. Of course this can’t be the only thing we look for. I would say that David Duke for example is very honest, although I certainly would not vote for him, and if I may be so bold, neither would you. That being said, honest, relevant, politicians are a rarity, they probably always have been, and when they do come around they often become marginalized. For example, John McCain comes to mind as someone who is honest and passionate, and agree with him or not one can at least know what to expect from him. However I also think that it is highly unlikely that he would be able to secure the Republican nomination because they see him as someone who historically does not like to play ball, only reluctantly towing the party line at the last minute when he has to.
Obama on the other hand has been rather lucky in this regard I think. It would be fair to say that, at least in recent years, it has probably been easier for Obama to say what he believes than it might have been in a different political reality. The Democrats, especially since the 2004 election, have been desperately trying to redefine themselves while at the same time failing to get any further than being defined by the media as the anti-War party. This is because while there is general agreement between Democrats about the situation in Iraq, namely that things have gone horribly wrong, there is very little agreement on what exactly should be done. As a result of this only vague semblance of a party line, individual Democrats have had the breathing room to develop their own unique agendas meanwhile having less cause for fear of an inner party backlash for doing so.
However this does not mean the Oboma is in the clear. Obviously Hilary Clinton is going to be an impressive candidate to follow, and there is still plenty of time for some governor, who no one has ever heard of, from a state that no one pays attention to, to make a stunning and impressive bid for the Whitehouse. Additionally, there is at least one thing about Obama that could end up working against him. That is that he is a senator and Americans rarely elect senators to the presidency. In fact the last time it happened was in 1960 when Kennedy became President. There are probably several reasons for this. One reason, although it may seem a little abstract, is that senators do not typically have the leadership experience considered necessary for a president. Indeed every president since Kennedy has held the position of vice presidents or state governor, which like the office of the President are managerial positions, prior to being elected as president. That being said history does not dictate the past. At best it helps us understand the present, and with people like Obama running for president in 2008 the future for once seems wide open.
Stew, thanks so much for defending the articulate. No matter what a candidate's policies are, if he or she is unable to articulate them and inspire the people with words as well as actions, we are short-changed. And that is certainly true in the international arena where how and what you say can make or break an agreement. We have lived with an inarticulate president for over 6 years now and it has cost us dearly. Obama's oratory shows both statesmanship and inspiration. I must admit that I had not been that moved by a speech since JFK.
Post a Comment