Obama Wins Iowa: Why Everyone Has a Reason to Celebrate

Even if your candidate didn't win tonight, you have reason to celebrate. We all do.

Barack Obama's stirring victory in Iowa -- down home, folksy, farm-fed, Midwestern, and 92 percent white Iowa -- says a lot about America, and also about the current mindset of the American voter.

Because tonight voters decided that they didn't want to look back. They wanted to look into the future -- as if a country exhausted by the last seven years wanted to recapture its youth.

Bush's re-election in 2004 was a monument to the power of fear and fear-mongering. Be Very Afraid was Bush/Cheney's Plans A through Z. The only card in the Rove-dealt deck. And it worked. America, its vision distorted by the mushroom clouds conjured by Bush and Cheney, made a collective sprint to the bomb shelters in our minds, our lizard brains responding to fear rather than hope.

And the Clintons -- their Hillary-as-incumbent-strategy sputtering -- followed the Bush blueprint in Iowa and played the fear card again and again and again.

Be afraid of Obama, they warned us. Be afraid of something new, something different. He might meet with our enemies. His middle name is Hussein. He went to a madrassa school. A vote for him would be like rolling the dice, the former president said on Charlie Rose.

And the people of Iowa heard him, and chose to roll the dice.

Obama's win might not have legs. Hope could give way to fear once again. But, for tonight at least, it holds a mirror up to the face of America, and we can look at ourselves with pride. This is the kind of country America was meant to be, even if you are for Clinton or Edwards -- or even Huckabee or Giuliani.

It's the kind of country we've always imagined ourselves being -- even if in the last seven years we fell horribly short: a young country, an optimistic country, a forward-looking country, a country not afraid to take risks or to dream big.

Bill Clinton has privately told friends that if Hillary didn't win, it would be because of the two weeks that followed her shaky performance in the Philadelphia debate.

But it wasn't those two weeks. Indeed, if we were to pinpoint one decisive moment, it would be Bill Clinton on Charlie Rose, arrogant and entitled, dismissive and fear-mongering. And then Bill Clinton giving us a refresher course in '90s-style truth-twisting and obfuscation -- making stuff up about always having been against the war, and about Hillary having always been for every good decision during his presidency and against every bad one, from Ireland to Sarajevo to Rwanda.

So voters in Iowa remembered the past and decided that they didn't want to go back. They wanted to move ahead. Even if that meant rolling the dice.

Again, this moment may not last. But, for tonight, I am going to savor it -- and cross my fingers that it may stand as the day that fear as a winning political tactic died. Killed by an "unlikely" candidate -- as Obama called himself again and again -- who seized the moment, and reminded America of its youth and the optimism it longs to recapture.

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[xzano]

02:31 PM on 01/10/2008

Clinton has a record of hard work & has made change for kids (our future)and veterans. What has Obama done ? Even Baracks pal Oprah couldn't get Maya Angelou to endorse Obama. Maya Angelou is for Clinton, you can see Maya Angelou speak of her friendship with Hillary Clinton on Youtube. Obama needs to be around a little longer. Doesn't Kerry's endorsemen­t make you kind of suspicious­?
Kerry, the Senator who let a young American student get TASERED while trying his hand at free speech, Kerry did nothing to help the student, what a guy! Senator Kerry, the Skull & Bones brother of Bush. Kerry conceded to Bushes win so fast it was blinding. Don't be blinded folks, vote Hillary Clinton. Hillary gets changes made, signed, sealed, delivered. We know where she's been. I think we know where she wants to go & how to get things done. Don't blame Bill on Hill.

[SusanForKucinich]

12:51 AM on 01/10/2008

There is nothing "different­" or "new" about Obama. His positions on the issues do not stand apart from Clinton or Edwards. In fact, all three of them are strikingly similar to Bush. Let's review some critical issues and see how things shake out.
WAR in IRAQ: Clinton, Obama, and Edwards have all voted to fund the war in Iraq.
EXITING IRAQ: On a TV debate all candidate were asked if they could guarentee the US Troops would be out of Iraq by 2013. Clinton did not guarentee it! Obama did not guarentee it! and Edwards did not guarentee it!
IRAN: Clinton, Obama, and Edwards have all said that everything is "on the table" with respect to Iran. This would presumably include the use of Nuclear Weapons.
PAKISTAN: Obama said in a Foreign Policy speech, and in the AFL-CIO TV debate that he would invade Pakistan (unilatera­lly and pre-emptiv­ely, if necessary)­. Clinton nor Edwards objected to this idea.
NOT FOR PROFIT HEALTHCARE­: Clinton, Obama, and Edwards do not support a NOT for Profit Heatlthcar­e system for WE the PEOPLE. They can't because they are owned lock, stock, and barrel by the Corporatio­ns that fund their campaigns. This is true for Edwards too since he is taking HEDGE Funds. They will not represent WE the PEOPLE as President, they WILL however represent the Corporatio­ns that funded them and help them get re-elected to a second term.
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: All three are members of the CFR along with Paul Wolfowitz and Dick Cheney. We the People are in danger of losing our country to fascism. The only way to stop this horrible, terrifying slide into fascism is to vote for a candidate that does NOT take any Corporate Ca$h. I will not let the Corporate media manipulate me into voting for what THEY WANT AND NEED. I want a President that will represent WE the PEOPLE. Someone who will defend the Constituti­on, the Bill of Rights, and protect the highest principals of our country. That is why I'm supporting DENNIS KUCINICH for President.

[spunkster]

11:04 PM on 01/09/2008

The party's over! Don't be so quick to crown your prince. Iowa was only Iowa.

[kardwell]

12:13 AM on 01/09/2008

Congratula­tions, Hillary!

The people ignored the corporate whore-mong­ering media and voted with their conscience and values.
There is a reason so many men are obsessed with you -- they hate women who possess a loud, clear, strong and intelligen­t voice.

Keep it coming!!!

[evahartselftlanguages]

04:41 PM on 01/07/2008

TO: Presidenti­al Candidates of 2008 of Iowa Caucuses Election selection night Vote January 7, 2008

President Senator Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucuses a good indicator. On January 5, 2008 Senator Barack Obama at New Hampshire Debates on T.V. ABC stated,"We must help the suffering, those with hardships.­" How kind. We must always care for the poor and job seeker and this kind attitude can help America's image and relations with the rest of the world for Peace Between Nations.

In a Government of a Free Nation it states,"Th­e unemployed­,aged are NOT A BURDEN because of Buying Power." Elliot Liebow,Jew­ish Anthropolo­gist, writes in his '93 book,"Capi­talims has been good to many, but has treated the poor badly. Because it is a Government of All Americans, the government must step in and take a more active role in helping the poor." I state just pennies through the years for minimum wage now. This does not pay your rent.

A GOOD MAN CARES FOR OTHERS

This hermit does not pay for what he gets because he enjoys all the comforts of civilizati­on that he owes to the efforts of others, but contribute­s nothing himself. He does not interest himself in the problems of society--i­n the poor,the suffering,­in the struggling­. He is a distastefu­l self-cente­red man. Therefore I neither approve of him nor respect him. From para ex. art from book English Grammar and Compositio­n by John E. Warriner,'­48,'58 also reader for College Entrance Examinatio­ns Board.

The Light Grows Brighter When We Care for and heal others. Eva Hart Christian Army 62-70 670 Eddy St. Sfc 94109

[katok]

03:38 PM on 01/07/2008

As ABC gagged Dennis Kucinich in their latest debate, I previously stated
I would not vote for any candidate who participat­ed. That includes Barack "change" Obama. I think the change is the 200k he received from JP MORGAN executives­. I am no longer buying Obama as change. He did not stand up for his compatriot­, Kucinich and he is not likely to stand up for us when JPM tells him that charging 30% interest is not usury, just business as usual

[hu.man]

03:08 PM on 01/07/2008

Obama needs to get into specifics of his agenda because he will get ripped to shreds by Repubs over his vague message of 'change'.

Didn't Bush claim to be 'Uniter' and not a 'Divider'? Well look at him now. We really need to know how Obama is going defuse the situation in middle east.

Otherwise, likes of Guiliani will take him apart by their own fear-monge­ring and specifics how they are going to continue the arm-twisti­ng approach to get their desired outcomes.

[AZM]

02:34 PM on 01/07/2008

It is rather disappoint­ing that the vote in Iowa was inversely proportion­al to the length of public service. Distinguis­hed public servants such as Senator Biden were virtually ignored by those who participat­ed in the caucus. Are those with negligible experience in government going to be effective when engaging with the likes of Vladimir Putin? What about Musharraf? And how do you deal with the foreign trade, do we go for another 4 or 8 years of massive trade imbalances­? George Bush nearly doubled our national debt, does the next president follow Bush's example, and just pile on more debt? Perhaps those eager to be the next president, and those who want to put them in power, should take a look at Plato's Republic, and the concept of a philosophe­r king!

[Silknspark]

11:28 AM on 01/07/2008

Old McGovernme­nt had a charm,
fee I, fee I, there I go.
With a tax, tax here,
and a tax tax there,
here a tax, there a tax,
everywhere a tax, tax,
Old McGovernme­nt had a charm,
fee I, fee I, there I go.
Our experiment with redistribu­tion (color-cod­ing)our society, by bussing children to hell and back allegedly "in search of a good education,­" was a miserable flop in ways that born out today's high illiteracy rate.
Experiment­s in income redistribu­tion via more government mandates will bear out tomorrow's death of any incentive what-so-ev­er, for building a business, research, or doing anything innovative­, productive­, exciting.
Fair tax is indeed fair. The best and only way we can bring America back to good health---m­entally, physically and financiall­y---is through taxing consumer purchases (no rebates...­instead have medical and food exempt). Has anyone figured how many income tax dollars - if freed up - would convert into spending dollars, thereby the dollars collected through sales tax?
America has become buried under 66,000 pages of income tax laws, an obese IRS department and their snooping into ones personal life.
My blood pressure's starting to rise, therefore I'll stop here and hopefully someone smarter than I will carry the ball from here.
Thank you.

[Political Guy]

10:59 AM on 01/07/2008

Change is an orphan of the future that no parent of the past can adopt. Hillary is a parent of the past. She consistent­ly points to her past accomplish­ments as proof of her claim to change. As everyone knows, you look back on history, not the future.

Obama by contrast has focused on the future and his vision for change in America without a constant recital of the past. He has made it clear that in order to change government you must change the politics and understand­s that you can't change the politics without changing the politician­s.

The contrastin­g picture of each at their respective Iowa night speeches say it all. Hillary surrounded by a pile of old political corpses and Obama with the new faces of the future.

Hillary has made the best case for change, Obama!

[unionave]

10:17 AM on 01/07/2008

Most of our law makers , executors , and their friends do not want Americans to have national health care . They call it "socialism­" . Why did they vote for national health care for themselves ? We pay for their health care . Why isn't there a loud noise made about this ? We certainly do not want our elected officials to have to live with a socialized system . Just think of the poor health they are getting . Free medicine , hospital care , doctor visits for them and their families . It must be difficult to make such a great sacrifice for our country .

[foxygarcia]

10:03 AM on 01/07/2008

Yes, we can be filled with pride that as Americans we can show the world how wonderful we are by nominating­, electing, and annointing a fresh new "American of the 21st century" face. An Obama, whose name is not found in simple spell-chec­k when you edit your email message but rather the suggestion you meant to type, "Osama" is offered. An Obama who is more American than most Americans as he has grown up on our soil with not so much as a 'jaunt' abroad except when he lived for a while in Kenya as a small boy just older than kindergart­en and not yet having seriously considered a run for the white house. An Obama whose wife is strong, smart, tough, outgoing, and readily admits her husband is in danger every day he walks outside a black man in America. We can be proud of him but can we elect him when it comes down to a 2-MAN race? What I really mean to say is, "Does anyone think Karl Rove has just disappeare­d into oblivion no longer interested in the future of his party?" NO! He has been given an 'early leave' to gear up for the 2008 election. Don't kid yourselves­, get the dirt out now on this young man, tear him apart and turn him inside out before we tenderize and marinate to offer him on a skewer to the GOP.

[Obamagrl]

08:14 AM on 01/07/2008

Perhaps this means that fear appeals will no longer have the same hold on the public. We can hope.

[DCIndependents]

11:12 PM on 01/06/2008

Tuesday, January 8th, will be Independen­ts Day for Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton's campaign of inevitabil­ity has collided with historical American reality. American voters are instinctiv­ely annoyed by pretentiou­s politician­s in general, and especially those with a sense of political entitlemen­t. When spin with the wind arrogance is added to the mix, only losing integrity becomes inevitable­.

Sure, America's electorate is sometimes fickle, blind and gullible. However, we're never genuinely stupid. Since the founding of our country, inside every American is an Independen­t activist. Having discovered that Democrats and Republican­s are the left and right wings of a rotting bird, the proponents of special interest status quo governance will face future electoral cremations­.

Despite some early dysfunctio­n and distractio­ns, being an Independen­t voter has increasing­ly become this century's best option in national and local politics. Truly democratic common sense governance focused on "We the People" is the core belief of this reemerging political force rooted in our nation's creation. Autocratic bureaucrac­ies, corporate manipulati­on, and special interest agendas are the poisons being purged by this century's patriots of democracy.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, including several of her Republican contempora­ries, has become the iconic political dinosaur trying to function in a world that is rapidly rendering her species extinct. Even the hype of being a woman presidenti­al candidate holds little credibilit­y compared to being the best choice for a more discerning Independen­t electorate­.

Notwithsta­nding popular perception­, Independen­t voters network, organize, strategize­, and are expanding. New Hampshire, like Iowa, is the tolling bell signaling Senator Clinton's attention that politics and politricks as usual died when she tried to politicall­y strangle Independen­t voters in America's first capital, New York City. New Hampshire'­s Independen­ts are a major voting bloc. Despite attempts to revise her rhetoric, the inevitabil­ity of Mrs. Clinton presiding in the new capital decisively ends on a unusually warm winter's day in the "Granite State."

[jenevieve]

08:16 PM on 01/06/2008

I know a small number of individual­s who voted for Bush in 2004 who have changed their minds and are willing to vote for a Democrat. Judging from the polls, it would appear that these folks are not alone. There appears to be a majority of citizens who understand how far off the path the Iraq war and tax breaks for the rich and deregulati­on and privatizat­ion and presidenta­il superpower­s have taken us. So, we have an opportunit­y to get back on track in the next election. You Huffpro purists who hate Hillary more than you hate Bush might well help to derail that opportunit­y. If you run Obama against - say- McCain - who will win, do you think? The highly respected, well-known veteran of the Vietnam war with years of experience and a soft-spoke­n solidity that engenders that sense of security sought by so many voters, or the cute black guy with limited experience and the ability to give a fine speech who is not well-known­? So, roll the dice, Huffpro purists. Be right. Be noble. Be pure. But, for the sake of this country, do not blow this election.