Yes we can…..
I am inspired by his speaking. I admire his stated goal of bringing the country together. The idea of moving beyond red states and blue states was eloquently stated as Obama said”…[I] stood on the steps of the old state capitol to reaffirm a truth that was spoken there so many generations ago, that a house divided cannot stand; that we are more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and always will be the United States of America.” Obama
As we face critical issues in the next 1-20 years I am excited that a candidate has proclaimed that he wants to unite vs divide. More to come on this election process.
And as he said in 2004 “The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States….”(Senator Obama)
3 responses so far ↓
1 Kurt // Feb 11, 2008 at 9:39 pm
No We Can’t.
I fully agree Obama is an excellent speaker and I too jive with the America that he is talking about. HOWEVER…what can you point to that Obama has done that ensures us that he will follow through with all his grandiose promises? I wanna believe it…obviously many are…but don’t ALL candidates over-promise and under deliver when they arrive at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave?
All that too say, my party didn’t have a strong candidate this year (aside from Romney) so I think the Democrats are sure to win the White House. Can’t wait to see where that goes!
2 Paul Frazier // Feb 12, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Kurt you bring up a good point. But that is what I think I find so appealing about Obama. He is not afraid to hope. I think he answers your question here.
“We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will
only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We’ve been
asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against
offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been
anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible
odds; when we’ve been told that we’re not ready, or that we shouldn’t
try, or that we can’t, generations of Americans have responded with a
simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.
Yes we can.”
Could we beat the British?
Could we write our own constitution?
Could 13 different colonies come together?
Could we survive a civil war?
Could we bounce back after Pearl Harbor?
Could we stand strong after 9/11?
Yes.
Can 50 states move beyond red and blue and get back to being the red, white and blue?
We will see. But I have to hope that we can.
3 Kurt // Feb 13, 2008 at 11:04 am
I find it simply hilarious that my core issue is that candidates will always SAY a lot and do very little and your response is to quote more Obama? Definitely doesn’t convince me, nor should it anyone with half a brain. (thats like only talking to the CEO of Walmart about whether or not Walmart is a good place to shop)
This “lack of experience” and just being an amazing communicator wouldnt work in getting any other job…why should it work for the presidency? Think about it…what if he was trying to become a doctor. Hadn’t been through med-school or seen many patients, but had read a lot of books on it, said all the right things and promised to have a 100% success rate with all his patients. Would you see this sort of doctor? Seems to me if I had to have a major surgery or diagnosis I would take someone with experience over someone who looked great and talked great.
There are many who share my concerns…I will quote not Obama or some right wing nut-job…but Newsweek.
“Many voters did believe in Obama’s message, enough to propel him into a dead heat with Clinton on Super Tuesday. People of all kinds, but especially the young and upwardly mobile and African-Americans, have thronged to rallies. Others, however, have been unmoved. Some, particularly older, white, women voters—the kind who turn out in large numbers in Democratic primaries—look at Obama and see someone who appears vaguely alien. They are less interested in ringing calls for change than specific promises to provide health care or child care. Some are just plain skeptical that Obama can deliver change.
They know that presidential candidates have been promising to change the nation’s capital as long as they can remember. In 1952, Dwight Eisenhower swept to power promising to clean up the mess created by Harry Truman. Eight years later, in his speech accepting the Democratic Party nomination, John F. Kennedy made essentially the same promise to transform Eisenhower’s Washington. “Dry rot, beginning in Washington, is seeping into every corner of America,” he said. “It’s time for a change.” Jimmy Carter promised to sweep Washington clean after Nixon-Ford; Ronald Reagan promised to fix things after Jimmy Carter … and so it has gone in almost every election cycle before and since.
Voters are almost invariably disappointed by candidates promising to straighten out the mess in Washington. Presidents come and go; lobbyists and special-interest groups, it seems, are forever. That doesn’t mean, of course, that the presidency is somehow inconsequential or that change does not happen. It’s just that the change rarely has much to do with campaign promises, and everything to do with unexpected events, from Pearl Harbor to 9/11.”
From “The Expectation Gap” in this weeks Newsweek. Check out the whole article here;
http://www.newsweek.com/id/109588
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