Confession time: last night, I did not go to Marie Et Cie to phone bank for the political love of my life (for future reference, a lot of people may be referred to as a “love of my life” but they are all categorized as to not get them confused—I will explain in another blog). Instead of donating my two hours to conversations with total strangers who will more than likely hang up on me, I got caught up in the episodes I didn’t see of Brotherhood and Dexter. I am a bad bad person. Eric seems to think that I have now cost Mr. Obama the election. I think I just did him a huge favor. Why? Because by my not showing up and reading from the phone banking paper that says something along the lines of “we wanted to make sure we have your support on election day and to let you know that Barack Obama is the man who will support [your cause here] in every way he can,” where some crazy old man will keep me on the phone for twenty minutes about how the person I called is in the hospital with shingles (really happened to me while phone banking for someone else, luckily I didn’t know what shingles were at the time)… I lost my train of thought, let’s try again: It is probably better that I didn’t go so I could give the world:
10 Things You May Never Have Wanted to Know About Barack Obama But May Sway You to Vote for Him
10. He did cocaine and admits it. Unlike President Clinton who didn’t inhale the herbal (for the record, he claims he tried) and our current fearless leader who we all know did it and won’t own up to it. Obama, in his first memoir Dreams of My Father, makes a great deal of confessions. He is quite possibly the most honest candidate this country has ever seen.
9. He turned the Democratic Party on its ear at the 2004 DNC with his keynote address: “My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or ‘blessed,’ believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined -- They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential.” [If you missed the address, you can watch and read it here: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2004/barackobama2004dnc.htm
8. Mr. Obama believes in affordable health care for all. Yes, every candidate claims that they have a comprehensive healthcare plan, and then become vague on the details. Well, Obama has no real secrets, he outlines his plan with some common political humanize the issue anecdotes here: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/ “It's time to bring together businesses, the medical community, and members of both parties around a comprehensive solution to this crisis, and it's time to let the drug and insurance industries know that while they'll get a seat at the table, they don't get to buy every chair.”
7. He’s totally hip to Generation IM [trademark in progress]. Honestly, I was a little perturbed when I first signed on to his website and saw that I could get text messages sent that would let me know what’s happening on the campaign trail. He’s kind of like the cool dad your friend has, where you think to yourself “why does he know what we’re talking about?” He has a profile on Digg. Also, he blogs, vlogs & emails. He’s pretty tech savvy for a baby boomer (but then again, so is my mom) which brings me to…
6. Silicon Valley loves him! (Google really loves him: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/14/AR2007111402700_pf.html) He has a plan to make broadband more accessible to the entire nation; stream congressional meetings live; delay passage of bills a week to allow America to contribute their opinions via email to engage the public in government activities.
5. He is young. A lot of people think that his youth and inexperience are a hindrance. I think that his being 47 at the inaugural may be a benefit more than anything. John Kennedy was 43 when he became president of the United States, and is arguably one of this nation’s best presidents. His younger brother, Bobby, was 42 when he was assassinated while running for the same office. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 35 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize, the year before he delivered the “I have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. Where does it say that being older makes you more qualified? If one is called into a duty, no matter what age that may be, and one is capable, why should we discriminate based on age?
4. He doesn’t have a lot of “experience.” Let’s revisit the Kennedy’s—Robert Kennedy: 3 years as Attorney General, 3 years U.S. Senator for New York. John Kennedy: 6 years U.S. Representative of 11th district in Massachusetts, 7 years U.S. Senator for Massachusetts. Barack Obama has been a U.S. representative of 13th district in Illinois for 7 years and is currently a U.S. for Illinois. We argue that inexperience breeds ground for mistakes and ineptitude, but who is to say that this “inexperience” will not work in his favor? He has not had as much time to make enemies in the legislative branch. He has yet to become hardened by party politics. He makes a stand based on his belief that the nation is governed under the principles of its founders rather than his party’s agenda. He’s still an idealist. Do we want a party puppet, or a person who can stand on his/her own and say “this is what is best for the country?”
3. His campaign is green. Okay, let’s be honest, it’s not entirely green, and I did see him and his posse drive up to my office building in SUVs, but as far as the campaign trail with the big parties, he is a front runner for the most green campaign. And since Green is the color for 2008 elections, let’s see who will match him in more than words. [At this time I cannot find the article I read that gave the breakdown of how green each candidate is, but as soon as I find it, I will post: my apologies.]
2. He did not vote in favor of the war in Iraq. He wasn’t a senator at the time, but was a candidate for Senate and spoke out against rushing into war. Yes, if he was a senator at the time, who is to say that he would not have voted for bombs, but the point is, he’s the only one running for office who didn’t. In addition, he voted against the recent bill that would increase the number of troops in Iraq and prolong our stay. He has a plan to pull out our troops from combat as early as 2010. He is adamant about a timeline for the safe return of our troops.
1. He believes in this country and people can believe in him. It is, for this generation, the baby boomer’s Bobby Kennedy. There is an amazing feeling that this man can give us hope, and allow us to once again believe in our nation. When the average citizen is filled with so much disillusionment and cynicism of the government, when our hearts are not engaged in public service, when we have reach a point in our history where most are not proud to be Americans, here is a candidate who can make us proud if only for the reason that he embodies the American Dream. This is not to say that he will be a miracle worker, no messiah for the Israelites, but he could change our outlook on our government. He has the ability to raise interest in what our officials do and he wants us to have a say.
10 Things You May Never Have Wanted to Know About Barack Obama But May Sway You to Vote for Him
10. He did cocaine and admits it. Unlike President Clinton who didn’t inhale the herbal (for the record, he claims he tried) and our current fearless leader who we all know did it and won’t own up to it. Obama, in his first memoir Dreams of My Father, makes a great deal of confessions. He is quite possibly the most honest candidate this country has ever seen.
9. He turned the Democratic Party on its ear at the 2004 DNC with his keynote address: “My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or ‘blessed,’ believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined -- They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential.” [If you missed the address, you can watch and read it here: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2004/barackobama2004dnc.htm
8. Mr. Obama believes in affordable health care for all. Yes, every candidate claims that they have a comprehensive healthcare plan, and then become vague on the details. Well, Obama has no real secrets, he outlines his plan with some common political humanize the issue anecdotes here: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/ “It's time to bring together businesses, the medical community, and members of both parties around a comprehensive solution to this crisis, and it's time to let the drug and insurance industries know that while they'll get a seat at the table, they don't get to buy every chair.”
7. He’s totally hip to Generation IM [trademark in progress]. Honestly, I was a little perturbed when I first signed on to his website and saw that I could get text messages sent that would let me know what’s happening on the campaign trail. He’s kind of like the cool dad your friend has, where you think to yourself “why does he know what we’re talking about?” He has a profile on Digg. Also, he blogs, vlogs & emails. He’s pretty tech savvy for a baby boomer (but then again, so is my mom) which brings me to…
6. Silicon Valley loves him! (Google really loves him: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/14/AR2007111402700_pf.html) He has a plan to make broadband more accessible to the entire nation; stream congressional meetings live; delay passage of bills a week to allow America to contribute their opinions via email to engage the public in government activities.
5. He is young. A lot of people think that his youth and inexperience are a hindrance. I think that his being 47 at the inaugural may be a benefit more than anything. John Kennedy was 43 when he became president of the United States, and is arguably one of this nation’s best presidents. His younger brother, Bobby, was 42 when he was assassinated while running for the same office. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 35 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize, the year before he delivered the “I have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. Where does it say that being older makes you more qualified? If one is called into a duty, no matter what age that may be, and one is capable, why should we discriminate based on age?
4. He doesn’t have a lot of “experience.” Let’s revisit the Kennedy’s—Robert Kennedy: 3 years as Attorney General, 3 years U.S. Senator for New York. John Kennedy: 6 years U.S. Representative of 11th district in Massachusetts, 7 years U.S. Senator for Massachusetts. Barack Obama has been a U.S. representative of 13th district in Illinois for 7 years and is currently a U.S. for Illinois. We argue that inexperience breeds ground for mistakes and ineptitude, but who is to say that this “inexperience” will not work in his favor? He has not had as much time to make enemies in the legislative branch. He has yet to become hardened by party politics. He makes a stand based on his belief that the nation is governed under the principles of its founders rather than his party’s agenda. He’s still an idealist. Do we want a party puppet, or a person who can stand on his/her own and say “this is what is best for the country?”
3. His campaign is green. Okay, let’s be honest, it’s not entirely green, and I did see him and his posse drive up to my office building in SUVs, but as far as the campaign trail with the big parties, he is a front runner for the most green campaign. And since Green is the color for 2008 elections, let’s see who will match him in more than words. [At this time I cannot find the article I read that gave the breakdown of how green each candidate is, but as soon as I find it, I will post: my apologies.]
2. He did not vote in favor of the war in Iraq. He wasn’t a senator at the time, but was a candidate for Senate and spoke out against rushing into war. Yes, if he was a senator at the time, who is to say that he would not have voted for bombs, but the point is, he’s the only one running for office who didn’t. In addition, he voted against the recent bill that would increase the number of troops in Iraq and prolong our stay. He has a plan to pull out our troops from combat as early as 2010. He is adamant about a timeline for the safe return of our troops.
1. He believes in this country and people can believe in him. It is, for this generation, the baby boomer’s Bobby Kennedy. There is an amazing feeling that this man can give us hope, and allow us to once again believe in our nation. When the average citizen is filled with so much disillusionment and cynicism of the government, when our hearts are not engaged in public service, when we have reach a point in our history where most are not proud to be Americans, here is a candidate who can make us proud if only for the reason that he embodies the American Dream. This is not to say that he will be a miracle worker, no messiah for the Israelites, but he could change our outlook on our government. He has the ability to raise interest in what our officials do and he wants us to have a say.
*** More importantly, whether or not you vote for the political love of my life, make sure you vote. I am tired of hearing about people not voting for the candidate they want because they don't think he/she will win; or that they don't vote because it won't be counted. If you don't vote, you don't count and that is only because you choose not to be heard. Get informed. Get involved. Vote.***
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