I’ve seen Barack Hussein Obama—the self-termed “skinny kid with a funny name”—sobriqued as many things over the past few months: domestic insurgent, kafir infidel, hope monger, cult leader, the black candidate, a presidential candidate who happens to be black, Kennedy reborn, Senator Galahad, etc. None of these are adequate. The moniker that best embodies everything he represents to us, the American People, and in particular to this generation is Human Prozac (credit Kathleen Parker).
We like Obama because he makes us feel good. It is that simple.
Now, even though we’re young and naive, we’re not complete idiots. We know he is less experienced on the national scene than Hillary Clinton. We know that his health care plan is probably not as comprehensive as Senator Clinton’s. We know that his chances of pushing Congress to actually get things done are slim to none. We know that real life isn’t like The Little Engine That Could. We know that we don’t get anything done by repeating that mantra “Yes, we can.”
Yet, we’re willing to sweep all these considerations under the rug. Why? It’s because we’re desperate to have something make us feel good about ourselves. It’s because the defining moments of this generation haven’t. There has been no giant leap for mankind, no Miracle on Ice; most of us are too young to remember the fall of the Berlin Wall. In fact, the one defining moment of this YouTube-generation is something that reminded us of the evil side of the human spirit. The ensuing reactions showed us its fearful and hateful sides. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Nicole on Feb 28th in Politics | Comment |
On the heels of Senator Barack Obama’s monumental win in South Carolina, I am filled even more with a sense inspiration and hope. Personally, I have never been overly drawn to political issues or candidates, despite my understanding of how American Politics impacts the world. I only garnered more discouragement from speaking with friends who were also more than politically disengaged. The youth of America had not been inspired. They had not been engaged.
As someone who is a general news junkie, knowledge of general political issues comes with the informational territory. I understand what the important issues are and which sound bites would be fed to the masses to propel the issues forward , but I never took responsibility for those issues. How could those issues impact my way of life, and those closest to me? Immigration is important because the media decides to dedicate airtime to it, but what do I believe? I would think the situation overseas is dire, but it is the way it is and it is not my responsibility to care about it. Perhaps by saying that I was “inspired” by Obama would be stealing from the Queen of Media, Ms. Oprah Winfrey, but it is the only way to describe what has happened…and is happening all around this country. (By the way you may OWN a lot Oprah….but the word inspiration is free game.) Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by murrowjg on Jan 28th in News, Politics | Comment |
Can Barack Obama win South Carolina? Well, the optimist inside me shouts yes, but recent events beg a different response. Each day I watch local news, flipping back and forth between sloppy coverage. Several days ago, one of the local stations had a segment in which the news anchor was interviewing Senator Obama. In her interview she took questions submitted by viewers straight to Obama. The questions were outrageous, but perhaps give us a better view of the mentality Barack would face if he were to gain the Democratic nomination. Most of the questions surrounded the absurd idea of Obama being an radical Muslim. Question after question targeted the same nerve…each looking for a reason not to like him.I am sure Barack is pondering…what to do…what to do…should I spread the radical Islam …which I dont believe in.. or focus on becoming an effective leader of the free world? Black men have it hard enough..let the man concentrate on the latter. Can people not utilize the tools afforded to us in the 21st century to delve deeper into these issues if they are of such importance? While I do understand that many do not have internet access etc…a library card is just a proof of identification away. I heard even more of these questions at my job. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by murrowjg on Jan 26th in News, Politics | Comment |
In case you haven’t heard, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and legendary T.V. diva Oprah Winfrey cut a wide swath as they blew through South Carolina. Attracting a crowd of over 30,000, the two held the largest political rally in South Carolina’s history and the largest rally of this presidential campaign. I was fortunate enough to be there and watch history in the making (for Paula Dean’s history recipe, add 1 part historical event, plus 3 sticks of butter, and season with Oprah to taste).
The event truly was one for the record, and in my opinion it was all around first rate. From the chairs brought to the handicapped people waiting in line to the hilarious ladies standing next to me on the field, it was an event I will never forget.
Michelle Obama kicked off the event by introducing Oprah. Although Oprah didn’t bring any cars, nor did she erase anyone’s debt, she came bearing a top tier candidate in the race for the 2008 Presidential Election. Oprah spoke for a little while, but she kept her comments brief. “I love books, but I ain’t here to talk about no books,” she said, referring to criticism that she expects her endorsement to work just like her book club where she recommends something and people follow. “I got some sense,” she commented (or maybe she said “cents”. Of course both are true, but “cents” would be an understatement). Undoubtedly many were there to see Oprah, but they probably couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by their second round of O-mania–Senator Obama himself.
Oprah introduced the Illinois senator to a raucous and inescapable din that probably violated Columbia’s noise ordinances (if they have any). But what do you expect? People were excited to be there to see the first African American presidential candidate who actually has a shot at winning. One lady standing next to me when Obama came around to shake hands exclaimed, “I just touched his sweet ebony skin!” But the true testament to Obama’s ability to unite our country was evident in the make-up of the audience: young and old, black and white, rich and poor, and probably a few other dichotomies were represented too (maybe smart and dumb?). They all wanted to catch the O-Factor (not to be confused with the O’ Reilly Factor). Hopefully some of them are voters. See you at the polls!
Posted by Colin on Dec 10th in News, Politics | 2 Comments |
