Only once in a very long time does politics become more than politics, that is something more than partisan struggle, vote bartering, or arena of ambition. In ordinary times, ordinary political leaders suffice, more or less.
But on rare occasion, old arrangements and conventional wisdom come unstuck. This happens in periods of rapid if not revolutionary change. We find ourselves now in one of those periods. The forces of globalization, information, eroding sovereignties, and transformation of war ensure that traditional leaders and conventional politics can only muddle through at best and fail badly at worst.
But periods of upheaval also offer opportunities, opportunities to change our methods, our ideas, and our leaders. The rare leader capable of transforming threat to opportunity is one who welcomes transformation and sees it as a chance to abandon tradition and convention, to transcend that which is stale, unprofitable, and ineffective.
Periods of transformation require experimentation, innovation, and daring. America is a nation much more conservative than it thinks itself to be. Thus, its default position is to resist a forward leap even while applauding itself for its creativity. Al Capone said it best: "We don't want no trouble." But transformation is trouble in the best sense of the word, trouble that causes us to adapt to new conditions and circumstances and create new ways of governing.
Through some miracle of timing, luck, and good fortune Barack Obama has seized the moment. His mantra of "change" has been largely co-opted by lesser figures. He is in fact an agent of transformation. He is not operating on the same plane as ordinary politicians, and this makes him seem elusive to the conventional press and the traditional politicians. His instinct for the moment and the times is orders of magnitude more powerful than the experience claimed by others. Experience in the old ways is irrelevant experience.
In an age of great transformation, experience of the past is worthless because it is a barrier to the breakthrough gesture, the instant response in crisis, the instinctive bold decision in the face of totally new circumstances.
Some see Barack Obama as the long awaited champion finally come to slay the awful dragon of race. And they are right. Some see him as a new start for the Democratic Party and national politics. And they are right. Some see him as the walking embodiment of internationalism, ready to restore an honorable and respected place for America in the world. And they are right.
I see Barack Obama as a leader for this transcendent moment, the agent of transformation in an age of revolution, as a figure uniquely qualified to open the door to the 21st century and to convert threat to great new opportunity.
Same the other way around, that Hill would be absolutely ignorant not to have Obama as VP if she comes out on top. No matter what anyone says- either scenario could work just fine.
But it needs to be the peoples choice- not a bunch of delegates behind the scenes, because that will destroy so much hard wotk that has been accomplished up to this point.
So they should both stop the negative campaigning and just go at it, and unite to smash the rethugs because they will be ugly to deal with, and it's time to put those fascist dirty bastards out to pasture for good.
"The Confidence-Man"
Republican Ideology want us to continue to focus on fear, gay oppression, choice as murder, tax cuts for the wealthy, big oil, Iraq, Iran, and global warming (the myth). In other words, in this country in the last 7 years we have been acting in the interest of the least number of people as possible.
Is it at all possible for this country to start acting in the best interest of the largest number of its people?
Is it possible for us to focus on education, infrastructure and jobs instead of social issues that have no where near the impact on us?
Is it possible to set our priorities to making our environment the envy of the world while at the same time maintaining innovative cutting edge technologies?
Is it possible to focus our investments in defense and security in a way that utilizes them efficiently and effectively, instead of wasting billions of dollars and lives on ill conceived wars?
We'll see...
Alan Wolfe, the director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Political Life at Boston College, says Mr. Obama is simply — understandably — making an emotional appeal to those yearnings. “Politics is about policy, but it’s also about giving people some kind of sense of participating in a common venture with their fellow citizens,” Mr. Wolfe said.
Philosophers call it “civil religion,” using the language of religion and elevation to talk about your country. A classic example is Ronald Reagan’s summoning of the “city on a hill.” That, Professor Wolfe said, was the parallel Mr. Obama was hinting at when he talked about Reagan as a transformative leader.
This description / prescription is important. Policy differences being equal, the ability to instill a sense of hope, of the possible; the ability to mobilize, lead, and heal become critical at a revolutionary point in a country's history. We are at that point today.
Barack is just a man, not a god, and he's well aware of that. He didn't create any myth, a people (and media) starved for someone, something so different have. Let's hope his innate humility can withstand the pressure....
Could it be that those who scoff at Obama, as offering empty words; deep down, DON"T WANT CHANGE?
Want to keep their convenience foods, and blackberries, & ipods, be able to leave the car running while doing errands really THINK they need that tylenol to avoid a little pain..........
If you truley WANT CHANGE.......YOU can start tomorrow to make it happen. Boycott fast food, high fructose corn syrup in all processed foods.
Don't succumb tothe temptation to get the "latest" electronic gadget, cell phone etc. AND taco chips! The balance is already badly tilted , in favor of growing corn at the expense of growing wheat. Corn is now being used in our cars......... we have ruined 90% of Mexico's corn with contamination from GM corn. If you don't like illegal immigrants taking your jobs, attack it where it begins, don't build a fence!
I lived 2/3rds of my life without eating a taco chip. It was the better 2/3 rds of my life!
The only thing that's true is that people are projecting their political fantasies onto Obama.
Hillary has attempted to combat his vision, described by as part MLK and part JFK, by reminding anyone who would listen that Obama is inexperienced, and talk is cheap and that what the country really needs is someone with the ability to navigate the politics and to actually get stuff done. Nobody is listening, and it doesn’t matter because the big ideas that Obama offers will redefine our country. He is truly the candidate of change. He has articulated the vision.
"This was a victory for hope.....by showing that we could disagree with each other without being disagreeable...put your cynicism down...by challenging you to stake in your neighbor's dreams and struggles as well as your own..... Democrats and Independents and Republicans are here. You are liberal and moderate and conservative....This has never been my campaign. It has always been yours. The real heroes here are the thousands of you, here...You are the ones who transformed this from a political campaign to a movement for change and I am honored and awed by what you have done...You made a claim on history....to govern in a whole new way, to make change real and lasting and meaningful. to refuse the politics of division and fear.... 'hope for the best and work for it.'..."
Inspired and brilliant. It is, however, actually the words of David Axelrod’s client immediately previous to his campaign work for Obama. It is the acceptance speech of Deval Patrick, black governor of the State of Massachusetts.
We know that Obama is not the experienced candidate. Is it a possibility that what is really behind Obama that has made us all a part of the "swoon' is simply the very effective product of David Axelrod political guru, who validated the message during the successful Governors campaign in Massachusetts, which he managed? Have we all been suckered by illusion?
http://www.thecityedition.com/Pages/Archive/Winter08/2008Election.html
You may have to cut and paste the article, or actually type it into your browser.
and this quote: "Experience in the old ways is irrelevant experience. In an age of great transformation, experience of the past is worthless because it is a barrier to the breakthrough gesture, the instant response in crisis, the instinctive bold decision in the face of totally new circumstances."
so true. clearly, you "get it." thanks.
During the war, when Roosevelt gave his fireside chats he enjoined Americans to open maps and follow along in the discussion. Compare that to G.W. Bush who uses vague phrases such as “the Iraqi people”
and blames everything on AlQaeda, or Iran, or the “Democrat” party.
One wonders at what point the government began to view the public as less participant than potential adversary. Was it sometime during the Vietnam conflict when dialog became propaganda? Was there a watershed moment when Murcoch realized the vast untapped market in exploiting the uneducated masses?
When was it that the RNC realized the potential for Fox news and right wing radio to sell crap and call it cherry pie?
Susan Jacoby in a recent interview said that what this country needs is not so much a commander in chief as an educator in chief. Amen to that.
Whether or not Obama will be that instrument of change only time will tell,
but one thing is for certain; he remains the ONLY candidate who still retains that potential.
We may count on the Republican Party, and status quo politicians in general, to pull out all stops to quash his momentum.
Afterall, their entire system has become dependant on the ignorance of the American people and their ability to incite by moral outrage.
We can count on a very dirty campaign to keep their base angry and stupid because ignorance is the very source of their power.
But this administration and the right wing leadership has truly made idiots out of everybody who would even begin to allow a comparable of Iraq to WWII, or any other war, for that example, because the campaign in Iraq is not a war, it is an occupation. Any other war, even Vietnam, had an organized army fighting ours; in Iraq, it is mostly a resistance that is fighting us because we are there.
We have the largest most powerful and destructive military in the history of the planet. We have every moral perogative to get our of Iraq and keep all our enemies at bay and away from our shores with what we have to work with, and keep our hard earned money and treasure to live on for the sake of our nation, not for the sake of greedy corporatione that want to support and profit from our global domination.
We've got to stop giving the criminal right the moral high ground by allowing them to call the invasion and conflict in Iraq a war. It's not, Dammit. It's an occupation/colonization for the sale of domination and resources. This is not what America is all about, and never will be.
Barack Obama isn't suffering from an inability to design detailed plans for change in specific areas ... he understands instead that changing a complex system requires that one find someplace "logical" to begin, and then move forward in cooperation with that system. You don't regrow a prairie by laying sod and then sticking a buffalo on it. All this may sounda bit "purple and beaded" on the surface, but there's a growing body of scientific evidence that supports just the approach he's wise enough to be taking.
The "Hopes, Dreams, Expectations" are SO High for him, how does he succeed?
As the First Black President, like women have been saying, one has to be twice as successful, just to be considered even....
He has to deal with a $9 Trillion Dollar Debt... Do we borrow more, to work on Infrastructure, that has gone neglected for years??? How about rebuilding the Military, that Bush has run into the ground??? Another Trillion+ needed???
Taxes... Raise Taxes? Tax Corporations more??? Corporations who then pass the Taxes onto us in higher prices??? Get a Fair Tax passed??? Do a Tax cut???
All the time dealing with a World that does not like us very much anymore... Oh, there's also Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda to deal with... As well as the Iraq Invasion/ Occupation... Attempting to pull Troops out, even as Al Qaeda interferes... Protecting the Iraqi's who have assisted us... Trying to keep the Kurds, Sunnis and Sheeites from all out Civil War, while we're attempting to withdraw... Do we choose sides if one group goes after another? How about if two groups join in temporary alliance?
Withdraw our troops, says real easy... If there is a slaughter, do we interfere, or be blamed if we don't? What of the Iraqi demolished infrastructure??? What about all the refugees that fled all the killing??? What of all our equipment???
And, "Hopes, Dreams, Expectations" in the Form of one Rookie US Senator is supposed to be able to "bring the Country together" and end a corrupt, Corporate financed Political System, with it's two entrenched branches, Democrat and Republican??? And all this to be done by a Rookie Senator? One who already took $275,000.00 for his Campaign, from Excelon, as well as a Campaign Manager who worked for Excelon, after watering down a Bill no longer REQUIRING the State to be Legally Notified if Nuclear Power plants leak...
Throw in Global Warming and preparedness... Dealing with water shortages and floods... Dealing with probable Fires, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, etc... Add to the task, replacing incompetent Loyal Bush appointees... Toss in Criminal Prosecutions... Protecting the Border... Restoring our Constitutional Republic and so called democracy...
Meanwhile, back at the Washington DC Ranch, President "Hopes, Dreams, Expectations" has to deal with a Supreme Court, who's last two Bush Appointees were confirmed, without telling Congress, or the American People, what they believed in... Now, we find out at least one Justice of the Supreme Court believes Torture may NOT be UN-Constitutional...
Seems like the blatant Corruption of the Bush Administration alone, could keep a President and staff very busy... Can we Constitutionally cut the Supreme Court back to 5, then later run it back up to 9??? Oh, I notice if a Justice states the Law the way a persons Bias is, that's the Law, but if different than the Bias, they are creating "New Law"...
For all who believed in Obama inspired "Hopes, Dreams, and Expectations," that's a very full, actually, rather instead, a very overflowing plate to deal with... The Obama's played to Race and played the Race Card... Would mediocre be considered success, or Failure? If Obama is biting off more than he can "chew," is that a crushing blow to our Nation, to "Black People," who have staked so much Hope and Faith in his inspirational speeches??? Would "Black People" (as the Obama's defined and played to), accept response able ness for putting a Rookie US Senator into such a position??? Would this impact "Race and skin color" relations??? Would this Backlash on future "Black People" seeking office??? Does electing a "Black President" support, or diminish Segregation in people's mind? If people with black skin BELIEVE they are "Black People", is that self Segregation? Racial Segregation?
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obama has more years of experience being an elected official than hillary does.
so if obama is a rookie, then what does that make her?
If Sen. Obama makes it to the convention it is only because the bad guys on Wall St. and in the media want him to. Then they pull the plug. And Bloomberg/McCain waltz to the White House. Is any Rock-Star worth that?????
Forgeet aboute it.
The method the Republicans used to fund the war - Charging exhorbitant prices for gasoline and then buying treasury bonds with the profits - which has not only heavily taxed all Americans at this time, but will continue to do so after the war is long over since it is the working man who will need to pay out the money for the treasury bonds when they mature. The war is making trillionaires out of billionaires and it is too late to change that. There is no money for making needed changes: no money for new bridges; no money for affordable housing for minimum waged workers; no money for global warming turn-around policies; no money for additional fresh water for an out-of-control population explosion. The war has bankrupted the Nation. We are at the mercy of the trillionaires.
What Obama will bring to the WhiteHouse is hope. Not for a future with all our creature comforts intact, that's not going to happen. Obama will stand for a renewed hope that we Americans will again be able to hold our heads high as a nation that plays fair. We will no longer be cheating or killing around the world in order to make more trillionaires out of billionaires. Blessings - chuck
Like the old saying goes, "Fight fire with fire." We desperately need a man who knows the system well enough to beat it. That man is a woman. We need her strength - NOW.
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well keep making the case for politics as usual. keep making the case of how the us needs more of the same.
and why in the world are you under the impression that hillary is going to work to beat the same system that she has benefited from? please.