ErikLundegaard.com - 38.4 Million Obama Fans Can't Be Wrong

38.4 Million Obama Fans Can't Be Wrong

Apparently John McCain doesn’t take this presidency business seriously. First he injected Paris Hilton and Britney Spears into the race, and now’s he’s injected Sarah Palin. Gail Collins has a good piece on his decision and her qualifications, but a friend of mine had the better line: “It shows his respect for the office has been subordinated to his desire for the office.”

Meanwhile, Barack’s acceptance speech, before 38.4 million people Thursday night, was about nothing but the serious business of getting us out of the serious mess we’re in. I had friends call me from California and Minnesota to talk about the speech. They were pumped.

Here’s the part that got me:

    We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.
    The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.
    I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in a hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.
    You know, passions may fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.

Amazing. He talked about bridging our divisions and then gave concrete examples. And not just any concrete examples. He gave examples involving four of the most volatile issues in our country: abortion, gun control, same-sex marriage and immigration. And I agreed with every one, every comment. This is a serious, common-sense response to the absolutism that has infected our country, not just over the last eight years, but over the past several decades.

For my brother-in-law, Eric, who is deeply involved in community projects, this was the big moment:

What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me; it's about you. It's about you. ... You have shown what history teaches us, that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.

Both excerpts hearken back to why Obama originally (and immediately) appealed to me. Unlike 99.9 percent of the politicians out there, including John McCain, he’s not saying, “Here’s what I’ll do for you.” He’s saying, “Here’s what we can do together.” I think that’s hugely appealing. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want their life to have more meaning, and Barack is offering a path to that. He’s all about unity, no matter how divisive the issue. He’s all about what we can do when we work together. He’s a serious man for a serious time.

John McCain? I’m sorry, but he feels like a clown in comparison. Trotting out the same old divisive B.S. Sputtering the same old catchphrases. Injecting the same old fears. Focusing on everything that doesn’t matter: Britney, Paris, Sarah.

There’s no doubt who’s taking this presidency business seriously. The big question is: How serious are the rest of us?

Posted at 07:47 AM on Sat. Aug 30, 2008 in category Politics, Culture

COMMENTS

Mister B wrote:

Obama's acceptance speech was yet another example of how the Republicans just don't have anyone as good as Obama this time around. Of course, the Republicans didn't match up in 2004, either, but I guess too many of us were too afraid of the GOP-spawned boogeyman to vote with a clear head.

If this were softball, I believe the mercy rule would be called and we'd move right to who Obama is going to have on his transition team.

However (and unfortunately), this isn't softball, so we're going to hear more from the party of fear, ignorance and stupidity.

If we've learned anything as a country, McCain will lose in November. If he wins, I believe the U.S. is finished as a world superpower.

The Republicans can have 2016 if someone better comes along between now and then, but the mess we're in now won't be fixed by people who will just make things worse.

John McCain may have been a maverick in 2000, but he's since sold his soul to the same people who trashed him eight years ago just so he can take one last shot at the White House.

As for his pick of Palin, either he's gone senile already (and not willing to wait until another Iran-Contra-type hearing to make it more obvious) or he really has no idea what works during a campaign anymore.

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38.4 Million Obama Fans Can't Be Wrong

COMMENTS

Mister B wrote:

Comment posted on Mon. Sep 01, 2008 at 06:45 PM