With the exception of a $20 bill I once dropped in a hat at a Nader rally, I’ve never once given money to a politician. Today, I sent five fat Benjamins to Barack Obama.
To those of you who disagree with his “bring America together” message because Republicans cannot, will not, or should not be bargained with: You’re absolutely right. But I don’t think Obama is really that naive. He simply knows how to put forth a winning message. That kind of political strength and savvy will put him in a far stronger position to take on the Republicans when it counts.
This man is a progressive at heart, and I think he will be our ally once in office. Look at what he accomplished in the Illinois legislature. A politician who will stand up for the rights of criminal defendants is a rare and courageous leader. And to do it successfully — that’s practically unheard of. It’s a sign of a profound persuasive ability.
But Obama is way too smart to lead with that kind of agenda. Nobody could win the primary (much less the general election) on an Edwards platform right now, and Obama would be foolish to try it. That isn’t to say he’s disingenuous; but he knows how to frame the fight, and that is something Democrats haven’t been able to do well since JFK.
Make no mistake, this guy is very, very good, and his people clearly know what they’re doing.
Now, to be quite honest, I’m willing to vote for damned near anybody who can knock out Clinton. But for the first time in my life, I actually feel good about supporting a major presidential candidate.
Obama’s the real deal, folks. Let’s give the man a chance.
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I WANT to buy in, but I have burned SO many times!
I will suspend as much disbelief as I can for now, and try to give him the benefit of the doubt. But my eyes are wide open!
Brought up his work on criminal justice.
To me this is a big factor. As they say “a nation is only a good as it’s prisons”. The main attack Clinton has been throwing at Obama is that he isn’t “tough on crime.” Just read this post from Jack and Jill Politics.
http://jackandjillpolitics.blo…
Spot on, spot on.
with “bring America together”
like buhdy, i hope you’re right.
i felt that way about edwards a few months ago, but i got discouraged at not hearing about impeachment…
welcome back on the essay list!
…which we need to think about as carefully as possible. I have been turned inside and out over this the past week.
…from Kucinich’s throwing his Iowa votes to Obama if he (Kucinich) did not reach the required 15%—
…to Norman Solomon’s subsequent apparent rejection of Kucincich in his essay, “Edwards Reconsidered”—
—to listening to Glen Ford, Founding Editor of blackagendareport.com on KPFA, then going to that blogsite to read extensively where I learned of serious misgivings about Obama among serious black thinkers…
It is hard to trust. I do believe, as you state, that Obama is a liberal at his core, but I worry about the degree of contagion caused by the necessity of playing the acceptable corporate word game. Power corrupts. And close proximinty to corporate power also corrupts. Yet, also as you point out and as Kucinich so sadly proves, you don’t have a chance of getting there if you don’t say what the Corps want. I only fear the Faustian bargain once again.
The only candidates I have dared to trust during this election season are Kucinich and Gravel.
I don’t trust Edward’s new found liberalism either.
I’ll try to write something on all the things I’ve been reading on this in the next few days.
In the meantime, I quote one of several Obama offenses cited by Glen Ford:
Like buhdy, I can only suspend my disbelief while keeping eyes wide open. I’ll try to write more on what I’ve found on this.
…I will give my life for a level playing field. This is not it: