Barack Obama went to Florida this weekend and gave me something real to write about.
It has been some time since I have posted to this blog. The campaign became to dully repetitive. How many times can we all make our same points in slightly different metaphors as the Democratic primaries grinds down? I have actually come to believe that, despite all the hoopla about its democratic potential, the Internet and the blogoshpere have become culprits in the oft-noted animosity of this campaign, as bloggers feel compelled to write their posts day in and day out while the campaign wakes up to yet another morning of grey haze and political drizzle.
And no, I am not going to write about HRC's incredible comment about the Robert Kennedy assassination, except to point out that even I, who consider myself jaded to the point that very little in electoral politics offends me, am astounded that after she was hit by the deluge of criticism her comment created, she apologized - to the Kennedys and not to Obama!
Enough of that. The real news is that Obama went to Florida and addressed the Cuban American National Foundation, where he announced that if elected would immediately lift the bans on family travel to Cuba and the limits on how much money people can send to their relatives in the communist nation.
The Cuban American National Foundation is the most prominent of the anti-Castro Cuban exile groups in Miami. This sector has had an extraordinary influence on US presidential politics, from the time of JFK right on down to the last two US presidential elections swinging on the vote in Florida.
For 40 years, American presidential candidates have done just what McCain did a couple of days ago. As Obama recapped in yesterday's speech, "I know what the easy thing is to do for American politicians. Every four years, they come down to Miami, they talk tough, they go back to Washington and nothing changes in Cuba. That's what John McCain did the other day. He joined the parade of politicians who make the same empty promises year after year, decade after decade."
Obama did something quite different. He took his politics of openness and engagement with the world to Florida and presented it to the bulwarks of the Cuban embargo.
This is, in my opinion, the actual substance in Obama's "new post-partisan politics." It is what is, in the end, most exciting about this candidate. Obama political experiences and his evidently acute political intuition has convinced him that there is some major movement waiting to happen among the American electorate, and that a candidate with the right appeal and, paradoxically, a limited record not tied too tightly to any well-established camp in the American political arena, might be able to capitalize on it. His high rankings in polls among young evangelicals is one indicator of this. His big wins in overwhelmingly white states in the north and northwest are another.
With the speech in Florida. Obama is signaling that he is for real about this. In fact, he is willing to bet his entire campaign on it. So he goes to Florida, to the heart of the Cuban American community, to the Cuban American National Foundation, where he is introduced by Jorge Mas Santos, son of the group's founder, who endorsed Obama's plan to lift restrictions on visiting relatives in Cuba and sending money.
Obama is betting on Mr. Mas Santos and his new generation of Cuban Americans who are fed up with the politics of their parents, just as he is appealing to the new generation of evangelicals who are fed up with the political alliances that community has made that resulted in 8 years of George Bush.
In this light, one can see that it is hardly surprising that the strongest predictor of which way a Democrat is likely to vote in this primary is age. Obama is betting the farm on the young generation. And he has a good chance of actually winning. How exciting and refreshing is that?
Richardson hoopla about how perfect that would be to attract Hispanics and Latinos, excited few intended and repulsed more unintended anywhere in the country.
Obama by design and necessity has been all about symbolism and slogans reinforced by inch deep rhetoric and media manipulated dirty tricks. Yes for a change, there is substance in Obamas comments to some Cubans. The blogosphere and talking heads will hype this miniscule pet treat into a game changing event, Further alienating those that think there is a difference between a slogan and real policy or substance.
Lastly, the material generational divide with Obama is actually around 35 and not the 40s-50s. Obama may be doing well with the 30 and under vote in Florida, but it is too bad that against McCain this puts him only a million votes behind based upon expected turnout.
Seniors 65+ are his toughest demographic, more resistant to change - let alone presented by a black man with funny sounding name. And senior Cuban-Americans are the most resistant to change of all (I know my Cuban parents live in Boca).
Meanwhile younger generation, in Florida and elsewhere are proving his strongest demographic, and he's demolishing McCain amongst the 18-30s. And younger Cuban-Americans are the MOST open to change, they see 50 years of failure and are more than ready to hear his message let's try a different approach.
In study after study 40 and under crowd more racially, religous, and sexually tolerant. We're winning the culture war already as the conservative base is aging and the young evangelicals, Cuban-Americans, all once stalwarts of the GOP, are hungry for change.
The true swing voters are not the white working class, nor the Independents...
The true swing voters of 2008, are the demographic caught in the middle, 41-59 year olds... more open to change than seniors but still wary.
Who will hold more sway, grandparents or children? Makes for a fascinating election as I suspect will be huge cross-overs and impossible for pundits to predict (much like primaries!!!)
Why do you say that Obama is a Black Man and, not say he is a White Man?? He is as White as he is Black.
So, I say Obama is a WHITE MAN!!!
Obama: Infinitesimal Change We Can Half-Heartedly Believe In
Cuba is ahead of the US in education and medicine and you will never find anyone sleeping on the sidewalks or panhandling on street corners. The shortage of consumer goods and limited ability to create an easier lifestyle are direct result of the embargo.
I hope this limited easing of the Cuba problem by Obama is just campaign pandering and that he will really do something more substantial in ending the embargo and our occupation of part of Cuba by having Guantanamo closed and lands ceded back to Cuba.
Madness.
Why, it threatens the very industry that purports to uncover the truth behind political speech. If the truth is what was said, who needs 'em?
Outrageous. Think of the jobs!
And if there were, it's because of the Democratic Congress.
Doesn't he know that truth is bad for the economy?
Even taking into account the nullification of Florida's primary, why is Obama's first stop to the state coming now? Since he didn't campaign there before the primary election, why couldn't he have done so during the 4 weeks he had before the PA primary? Or when he decided to skip WV and KY all together?
Why is Obama's pandering so constantly glossed over while Clinton's is headline news, perfect for scorn and ridicule?
Idiot.
So again, I ask:
"Even taking into account the nullification of Florida's primary, why is Obama's first stop to the state coming now?"
He's had a huge 4 month gap between when Florida voted and now. Why is this his first stop, when there are states with actual valid primaries that he's skipping? His campaign has done nothing but fight every plan and every effort to get Florida involved in the convention somehow, because he knew it would favor Hillary Clinton. So if this isn't opportunism and pandering, what is it?
I listened to that speech, as well and was very impressed with the detail in which he spoke. So much for people calling him an "empty suit". This man is for real and he has a clear vision of where this country needs to go in order to regain our standing in the world. I like that vision! I love his leadership style... I feel like I am part of the American Team again!
Thank you...
OBAMA 08
Let's send them cell phones!!!
and somewhere he was also talking a about toasters.......
That's not a tactic. That's a belief; a value; a moral center. That's the stuff of statesmanship.
It's been hard for us to identify it as such, because we haven't seen it's like in 60 years.
We don't want a pure populist president who promises pie in the sky, then can't deliver (nobody can!). He needs to explain to this country what our biggest challenges are, how we can resolve those issues with well thought-over strategies, what the benefits and drawbacks are of his strategies; and he needs to tell this with honesty and integrity, not manipulation and fear mongering. I think it's becoming more and more clear which candidate is most willing and able to do that. Long overdue indeed!
Thats the whole McBush foregin policy, lets ignore them, and sabre rattle and they will go away.
No they won't.
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2008/mayo/lun26/Reflections-26may.html