Obama's Words Are Not an Empty Promise

Sam is homeless and we're holed up in the corner of an 11th floor office in the Chicago skyscraper that houses Barack Obama's volunteer efforts. It's sticky in mid-July and both of us are attendees at Camp Obama, the campaign's field training operation.

As an ex-reporter and HuffPost alumn, I've never been compelled to put down the notepad and my cushy seat on the sidelines to support a candidate playing in the actual game. But the senator from Illinois is a moment in time worth the impending suspicious looks from my so-called objective media brethren. I've devoured Dreams from My Father, bought the "Obama for President" hat and the stars in my eyes are dilated with audacious hope. The notebook is back, but this time the pen is poised to learn about canvassing, phone banking and community organizing. (I imagine at some cocktail party in the indefinite future I'll shrug and argue that we can't all be Bob Woodward or Judy Miller.)

At first I assume I will have little in common with Sam, but he supports the Senator for the same reasons I do: Obama represents the emergence of the contemporary American, is a consensus builder who seeks core solutions over Band-aids, and of all the Democrats pimping liberal platforms he's the most capable and sincere leader who is most likely to win the general election. It should be noted that this argument comes from a girl who used to tear up at the thought of Hillary in the White House and vehemently proclaimed that if the former First Lady ever sought the presidency she would abandon whatever she was doing to hold a Hillary sign on the first available sidewalk.

So how, you might ask, did this Defected Daughter of Hillary find herself bonding with a homeless guy over an underdog candidate whose message is barely discernable from her girlhood heroine's?

It's a slight but important distinction: I'm interested in the future.

Hillary boldly marinated in misogyny so that the country wouldn't flinch when Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as Majority Leader, and she paved the way for young women like me to pursue our wildest political dreams. For this I am zealously grateful. But she and Bill had power and lost it in personal scandal and vicious partisan politics. After the eight post-Clinton years we've experienced as a result, I'd rather put my faith in someone who isn't mired in old squabbles and establishment loyalties. The Republicans are only silent now because they're dying to run against her! Furthermore, if she were a man I would never be able look past her vote to authorize the Iraq war. I understand the impulse to overcompensate for the female-commander-in-chief criticisms, but Obama courageously used his good judgment to oppose this misguided, endless mess from the start.

Plus, the guy is unequivocally inspiring.

Sam and I swapped these beliefs with many Obama supporters that summer day. Our classmates included a mother from Texas, a student from Seattle, an immigrant from Finland who couldn't event vote, an older woman who hadn't been active in politics since JFK's candidacy and a high school senior who was excited about her first election.

Fast-forward to Sunday, when I'm reading the New York Times' story about Obama's "last ditch" effort to more aggressively take on Hillary. It's one of many stories in recent weeks reporting that his momentum is decelerating and that the passengers on the Hope Train are ready to find a new ride.

I read it after attending the celebration of Obama's California office opening in Koreatown. The place was packed with sweaty, cheering loyalists and newbies making phone calls, buying shirts, sharing personal stories. On days like this, the media messages are disconnected from the personal experience I'm having as a volunteer and advisor to his California campaign.

Since my adventures at Camp Obama, I've been lucky to see him connect with people from all walks of life: at hipster young professional parties, at speeches before the working poor, at Oprah's swanky Santa Barbara mansion singing with Stevie Wonder. No matter whose company this man is in, and no matter whose ears hear the message -- "We don't have to settle for what the world is, we're going to strive for what it might be." -- it is always compelling.

For those who haven't yet experienced it: The words don't fall flat, people. They are not a sound bite or an empty promise followed by a wimpy handshake. They are not lip service nor power-hungry. The message is not even profound; it's power lies in the fact that it's a simple gut instinct delivered by a real leader. In a world with cluttered priorities, he's presenting us with a standard and asking us to join a movement that is about our own personal expectations, be they for ourselves, our communities, this country or this world.

Right now his message lives in Iowa and New Hampshire because our antiquated electoral process puts all the emphasis on primary states. But don't be surprised if it smacks you in the face sometime around January 14.

I won't be surprised. People always doubt him, and he always proves them wrong. To borrow from something the senator said last weekend at Ron and Kelly Meyer's Malibu fundraiser: "I'm a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama. This was always going to be hard."

After hearing him that day, I left ready to broker world peace or at least scale Mt. Everest. I'm sure every campaign has it's own homeless guy, Oprah and excitable young people. But I can't imagine that it feels like this.

I don't care if I have to defend my support to yet another person equipped with the results of a national Gallup poll. (Seriously, who answers those anymore? People sitting with all the lights out watching big-screens while eating frozen dinners on TV trays who happen to be near their home phones at 7pm?) I don't care if Hillary sends 1,000 new staffers to Iowa or if dozens more Robert Farmers who hedged their bets flee to the frontrunner.

It's a time to stand for something. And I and the 365,000 donors (92.5 percent of them $250 or less!) who have voted with their wallets, and the unquantifiable more who have dedicated their time and voices to the senator, are still confident in his ability to connect with Americans who are disengaged or jaded by the political process. I believe he is our best chance to regain our stake in governance and re-establish ourselves as a global compass.

Perhaps the 27-year-olds sporting glassy eyes and Mondale signs in 1984 sensed a similar momentum, but if Barack Obama is losing, I want to sink on the ship with him.

Comments

[SeanGardner]

Great post!

[LisainNYC]

Thanks for a great post, Maegan! Finally, HuffPo lets someone write a decent article about Obama. I'm tired of the misleading headlines and the peculiarly obsessed Hutchinson.

[Kansas Evans]

Thanks Maegan. Great post from personal experience.

[JimR]

Thank you for providing some balance on Barack Obama. He has been the target of some vicious attacks by other bloggers who have seized on certain "issues" and blown them way out of proportion. Excellent job explaining what it is that some of us like about him!

[azteacher]

Thank you, Maegan, for this wonderful post. I am absolutely perplexed by the media coverage that this campaign is floundering. From my vantage point as a volunteer in Phoenix, I've seen the Obama momentum continue to surge. I am a thirty-something teacher, I volunteer almost daily for Obama, and have seen the dedication to this campaign from students, professionals, stay-at-home moms, pizza delivery people, grandmothers, grandfathers -- and a plethora of ages, incomes, religions, backgrounds, and experiences. We are anything but defeated! We are too busy canvassing, phone banking, driving to Nevada to help out in this early state, and networking to be bothered by meaningless polls and pundants! We are enthusiastic for the change that this man is going to bring, not only to the political climate in Washington, but to America's standing in the world community. I only hope that democrats understand Barack's ability to bring about bipartisan fundamental change, inspire a younger generation of Americans, and nearly as important, win the general election! His enormous base of grassroot volunteers are like horses at the gate before the big race...Just open up the gates and let us begin the hard work of changing the world!

[Qbear]

"but Obama courageously used his good judgment to oppose this misguided, endless mess from the start. "

WHERE was that "good" judgement when the campaign selected closet case McClurkin and equally offensive Mary Mary?
If Obama allows spokespeople he selected and PRAISED to SPIT ON gays/lesbians, and People Living With AIDS....FINE.

Just DON'T ask My (LGBT) community for OUR FUNDS, OUR VOLUNTEERS, OUR DELEGATES, or OUR VOTES.

Gays/Lesbians have left the building, Barack...and we won't be coming back.

[JimR]

You are of course, free to make up your mind. But it's hard to say goodbye to you when you won't leave.

[LeeFromVA]

Thank you Meagan!!! You have very elegantly put into words the exact thoughts that I have been thinking. I'm with you and Obama to the very end. I never get excited about a presidential candidate, but this one is DIFFERENT. The rest of the world can vote for the same old crap. I'm voting for hope. He may truly be the last chance.

[cynara]

It would be easier to believe that Obamas words are not empty promises if he was voting them in the Senate. The fact that he didn't show up to vote against the Iran way measure (Kyle-Leiberman) gave me pause, and its been Sen. Dodd, not Obama, leading the charge against immunity for the telecommunications companies.

I want to believe in Obama. I am not thrilled with the prospect of Hillary and I'd like an alternative, but I need to see some real pro-active leadership in his current job first.

[azteacher]

Obama was told that the Kyle-Leiberman Bill was not going to voted on that day, and left Washington to campaign in NH. Harry Reid then called the vote at the last minute, after Obama had already left. Interestingly, Harry Reid's son is a paid staffer on the Clinton campaign. Obama spoke out that he would definitely have voted no on this bill...

[JimR]

Fact check time:

Harry Reid pulled a fast one on Obama. He pulled the Kyl-Lieberman from the floor and told everyone it would not be reintroduced in the near future. So Obama left to campaign in New Hampshire. The very next day, Reid suddenly put the amendment back on the floor for a vote.

By the way, did you know Reid's son works for the Hillary Clinton campaign?

[HighPlainsAg]

Reid is in the admin's pocket. It's called a "Judas goat." These days, they are used to get the cattle to walk up the ramp into the slaughter house.

[vicissitude]

Yes, Obama MISSED the vote, but that does not overshadow the fact that Hillary once again voted WRONG.

Missing a vote does not excuse POOR JUDGEMENT.

Obama also announced PRIOR to the vote that he opposed the bill, he told why the bill had so many loopholes, how the STATE DEPT could declare the Iranian Rev Guard a terrorist group but NOT the pentagon!!

If voting counts..you need to be asking why Hillary consistently gets it wrong.

Focus on the real issue the substance not the spin of missing votes....geez

[MidMo]

Thank you for the words. I love reading and writing stuff like this.

Everyone this man has "IT".

It gets to the core of character and appeal. Such dedication along with a good amount of money and traction can get you far in an election.

Obama will be the comeback kid (why does it sound like chris mattews in my head??)

[tombollocks]

Sink away, baby!

He's kind of like Britney: sounds good with a studio, but can't really sing...

[Hubert]

It is one thing to note Obama's strengths as a candidate- it is quite different to set him up as the messiah of a "new politics."

I applaud Cranberry's effort to portray Obama's exceptional character and charisma.

This is a race for the presidency- not prophet in residence.

I support Obama because he is a better choice for our country than Hillary.

Obama and his advisors should spend less effort on "building a movement" and more on developing and implementing strategies and tactics to get him elected.

I do not want, to paraphrase the words of Cranberry, wish to sink on ship Obama- rather, I'd like to see a better effort from Obama's campaign to win the nomination.

[ihavenobias]

I wish Obama's words on "free trade" (link within the link below) *were* an empty promise, in which case I'd like him more.

Luckily not every major candidate feels the same way:

www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/edwards-move-makes-trade-_b_70243.html

[sandpiper]

God bless you, Maegan. Most intelligent post I've seen hereabouts in months, echoing my own feelings so precisely that I took a quick look over my shoulder...

Keep on truckin'!

[DontSpin]

ditto.

[ikebona]

Excellent article!

I'll spend my valuable time listening to people like Maegan Carberry and Jon Stewart than listening to Keith Olbermann or cranky old Earl Hutchinson.

Great job, Maegan.

[HighPlainsAg]

I admire the loyalty of "sinking with the ship," but this election is too important for ultimately futile gestures. Whoever the Dem candidate is, there will be "a dime's worth of difference" with whoever the Repug is. Please, please, don't Nader the election again!!! I will do what I can to get the nomination for Dodd, Edwards, Richardson, Biden, or Obama. But if it ends up being someone else, male, female, black, white, or brown, I will campaign to end the legacy of Republican fascism. People said there wasn't "enough" difference between Bush and Gore. Crow with your Chablis, folks?

M

[literate]

The more I hear about Clinton being "inevitable" the harder I work for Obama, because - despite what "experts" argue about their similarities making it difficult for him to distinguish himself from her - the most vital distinctions are obvious - honesty, directness, sincerity, and the ability to inspire others to action. Clinton projects none of these. If Democrats don't nominate him, they don't deserve him, and they will prove that what Machiavelli wrote 500 years ago must be true: "It is necessary that the prince should know how to color his nature well, and how to be a hypocrite and dissembler. For men are so simple, and yield so much to immediate necessity, that the deceiver will never lack dupes."