Barack Obama
Earlier today I endorsed Barack Obama for president, and I couldn't be more excited for the Democratic Party, the nation -- and the world.
Barack inspires me -- it's that simple. In the words of President Kennedy:
"The world is changing. The old ways will not do... It is time for a new generation of leadership."
In Barack, I see that next generation of American leadership: a figure who can transcend the divisions in this country that my family and I have fought so hard to tear down.
We were all moved four years ago as Barack told us a profound truth: We are not red states and blue states, but one United States. Since then, he has matched that rhetoric with action, traveling the country to inspire record turnouts of men and women of all ages, races, parties and faiths. Barack has forged consensus in the Senate on contentious issues such as immigration and pushed through necessary reforms like the most far-reaching ethics reform in its history.
But I'm not only supporting Barack because of what he has done. What counts in our leadership is not the length of years in Washington, but the reach of our vision, the strength of our beliefs, and that rare quality of mind and spirit that can call forth the best in our country and our people.
That's why I'm most excited about the promise of President Obama:
As president, Barack Obama will break the Washington gridlock to finally make health care what it should be in America.
He will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion and bridge the divisions of race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation that plague our country.
He will end a war in Iraq that he has always stood against, that has cost us the lives of thousands of our sons and daughters, and that America never should have fought.
He will close the door on the old economics that has written off the poor and left the middle class poorer and less secure.
He will make the United States the great leader and not the great roadblock in the fateful fight against global warming.
When Barack Obama raises his hand on Inauguration Day a new generation of American leadership will take charge and restore the hope, peace and prosperity the country so desperately needs.
Looking out from the stage today, I realized just how powerful his campaign has become. It's a movement for change -- and one that I'm proud to be a part of.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
In Barack, I see that next generation of American leadership: a figure who can transcend the divisions in this country that my family and I have fought so hard to tear down.
My repponse;
A worthy cause social justice yes very Liberal very Camelotish and very 60s and certainly supportive of group grievance slanders and grudged code and all that ugly myopic focus that comes with pitting groups against one another that goes with that lofty lecture, I can understand how rich liberals have the luxury and arrogance to make this their only selection criteria the redemption of past injustices, I however disagree that this is Americas priority or the burning CAUSE of the day, To me it is an attempt to marginalizes others and the immediate needs of an the expanded community and massive massive pragmatic policies needed for the middle in this country.
An elitist Liberal agenda of grudge politics wrapped in the flag of hope social jsutice as reason for Obama selection as a candidate to right past social wrongs is not something I can support or NEED, it is why I am not a Dem but a Independent.
Trust but verify.
A good friend of yours once told you that, Sen.Kennedy, but it was not one of the items Sen.Obama noted as a reason worth mentioning.
It's the economy, stupid.
Security, from a man who's yet to chair the European Affairs subcommittee, with NATO and conflict both at play.
He isn't in your brother's likeness for those reasons.
No record to show where he'd be on core items in a year the Democrats are guaranteed winners.
Limited track record on economic levers from a national perspective.
Failure to lead in a power void of contact with Europe as NATO capitulates in Afghanistan.
It's admirable that you are helping him. The ability to give him guidance at this time is crucial, he's mired in scandalous associations that are close enough to damage a great political future.
He could use a mentor, a father figure, at this time. You've connected with that sense of identity he has. Help the young man mature.
The myth of an icon who can lead the way, the strong man, is a myth. If one man could lead the way our current unilateral experiment in nation building would be a success.
It's about developing contacts and assets, a broad, plural range of diplomats.
Ask Sen.Obama to right the wrongs of Rezko as best he can by breaking forth with assertiveness in the diplomatic spectrum of the EU. He can still lead the way, but in time. Right now is the time to develop the environment in ways to win hearts and mind with our allies, then advance with them to shape interests and outcomes.
If he does that effectively then Sen. Obama can harness his ambition of youth constructively. We'll join him in those efforts, but it's your obligation to answer first.
Verify. Then the confidence gained abroad can help reshape our economy here with pre-emptive trade. That means taking charge of the subcommittee chair first.
Model your trust, in finding ways to reconnect our sense of community abroad, with our economic interests at home.
The three items form a singularity.
Well, Ted got his day in the sun. I really do not think that his endorsement will matter one way or the other.
To be honest with you, Senator, I have no clear preference for the Democratic candidate at this time. I believe that either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton would make a good president -- as would John Edwards.
I also understand that the bickering between them is all part of the political game and that they could and would work together if one is the nominee and the other accepts the Vice Presidential nomination.
My primary wish for the 2008 election is that we do not elect another Republican to the White House. I think we've had more than enough of neocon and religious fundamentalist-inspired Republican ideas in the last eight years, and any of the Democratic candidates would be a breath of fresh air after the Bush presidency. So, I will support the candidate who has the best chances of defeating the Republican nominee in November, though which of the candidates that is remains not fully clear to me at this time.
As an American in my late 40s who has been obliged to work without any health insurance whatsoever for the last four years and who hasn't had a raise in three years, I want a president who can positively affect the passage of a comprehensive health care plan that will not be dependent on how good of a job I have or how much money I make.
In closing, thank you for your words, Senator Kennedy. Some time ago, I was struck by how much Barack Obama reminded me of your brother, but this fact, in and of itself, is not quite enough for me to choose between him and Senator Clinton.
First, I think Obama will some day make a fine president. Maybe even a great president.
But, the knock on him about experience and readiness is not unfair. There is a reason why very few senators get to be president. An executive position is much different from legislative, and people know it. And Obama is a junior senator at that. That's not to say that Clinton has much more experience, but there's a level of "osmosis" perhaps. Or there's the co-president factor, not that she would bring that up. But both *do* lead credence to the claim that she is "more ready."
Second, JFK was indeed a great man. I was too young to know if he was really a great president. But let us not forget the foreign policy disaster that was the Bay of Pigs. And maybe a lot of the Vietname policy disaster could be laid at his door as well. And as for the success, the Cuban Missile Crisis, well, we have probably never been so close to nuclear war as that.
Idealism often falters in the face of reality. You have to know when to be a pragmatist. Look at Carter's administration, for example. And the start of the Clinton years was probably plagued by that too, to be honest.
My ideal scenario? 8 yrs of Clinton/Obama, followed by 8 years of Obama.... Those years as VP would give him the necessary executive and foreign policy experience. And as a VP, he could inspire us through the general elections. And the pairing would help heal the rifts of the primary campaign (and before anyone says anything, since when has contested Democratic primary seasons *not* been as destructive as this--it's politics).
Don't fool yourselves--the population is NOT leaning liberal. They are leaning anti-Bush, anti-Republicans. They are likely to swing back to "normal" once the disaster that is this administration goes away. That might even happen in the general election--look at how tight the polls are already.
Silly Libs. First they tell us the 90s were the decade of Peace and Prosperity . Now they reject a return of the 90s with an unknown Obama.
Vietnam > No Exit Plan. No Imminent Threat, Civil War of another nation > 58,000 dead
JFK is closer to Bush than Obama
Several years ago I read an article about how Americans seek the Messiah president. Someone who is going to unite us, lead us out of the widerness and solve our problems. I am very skeptical of this Messiah perspective.
Kennedy's endorsement is a way for the Kennedy's to get back into the whitehouse without worrying about the 'curse'. Who do you think Obama will go to when he doesn't know what the hell to do once he is actually president. Hello-----Teddy. Of course, Obama in the whitehouse is a nightmare, not a dream come true. He is a petty backstabber.
Greetings,
Senator Kennedy: I admire your courage for change & real solutions for All Americans,good words & real deeds that work.One may not always agree with each other.The bottom line is we are all Americans.Our Citizens young and old are truly being reduced away from the American dream!
A great Gaps surrounds us in Education,Health-care,wages & income,Civil Rights eroding,and little or noting to cushion our declines OR build a 21st Century format to greet the world.
The constant efforts to hold people's in fear & War must go...These mindset are old ideas based in the 20th Century! Now Leadership must be measured and checks & balances in some cases restored.....
This country & the world unite,assure all suffering dull or desperate will come to its conclusion on the brighter side of Life!!
Best Wishes to All
Here's your uniter, who can't even reach across a row of seats to reach out with an open hand, never mind across continents. Phoney.
Updated on 1/29/2008 at 10:20 am with MSNBC material.
by Frank James
So President Bush has delivered his last State of the Union. And what everyone in the House press gallery is talking about isn't the speech. Rather, it's the snub.
Sen. Barack Obama refused to make himself available to greet Sen. Hillary Clinton before the speech.
When members of the Senate entered the chamber, Obama came in before Clinton. He went out of his way to greet as many House members as possible and walked halfway across the chamber to greet members of the Supreme Court, the president's cabinet, the military joint chiefs.
That made what happened next even more striking. Obama returned to stand by his seat next to Sen. Edward Kennedy who endorsed Obama today in a widely watched event that reverberated across the political world.
As Clinton approached, Kennedy made sure to make eye contact and indicated he wanted to shake her hand. Clinton leaned towards Kennedy over a row of seats and Kennedy leaned in towards her. They shook hands.
Obama stood icily staring at Clinton during this, then turned his back and stepped a few feet away. Kennedy may've wanted to make peace with Clinton but Obama clearly wanted no part of that.
As president, Obama has said he would meet with the U.S.'s enemies without precondition. But making nice with Clinton apparently is another mattter after the increasingly angry fight the two have waged, with charges and countercharges, for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The sense in the press gallery was that Obama didn't cover himself in glory. Someone even used the word "childish." (Not this writer.) Judging by how much conversation there was about this brush off in the press gallery, Americans will be hearing a lot more about this tomorrow and in coming days.
Continue
I hope you are right Senator. My fear is that the repubs will eat him alive.
Thank you for your long service.
del 8300
ie7
Kenndy should have stayed out of this. The bad rap (sorry racist word) the Clintons have received from the media etc. is insane. Can one even speak without every word and sentance being taken apart and looked at for some fictional meaning. I cannot even watch this stuff anymore even though I loved Politics most of my life. I got sick of it in the 60's and I am sick of it now. Maybe I will shut my TV off for another 20 years and go back to reading books (and not political books).
Mr. Kennedy, I am a devoted Democratic voter. I
will not vote for Obama this election cycle. That
you have endorced him for President of the U.S.
has as much importance to the American people as
your excuses for your plunge into the icy waters
that night not too long ago.
Thank you so much Senator Kennedy . . . I agree with you totally . . . America needs to change . . . and Obama is the candidate of change that America desperately needs . . .
I hope all of you are right about Senator Obama and he's not just some sly, slightly snotty backbencher with a good speechwriter. Next, tell us WHAT we would be uniting for, WHAT change would come in Iraq, WHAT all this will do for or against us.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
