IMG_4056
Originally uploaded by Zach Rosing
There I am….right in the middle of a total stranger’s photo, at the last Obama rally in Indy before the Indiana primary.
Not only did I manage to get within about 100 feet of the stage, but I got to see Stevie Wonder perform, and most importantly, I got to hear Barack Obama live and in person.
He spoke for nearly 45 minutes, more or less covering all the same ground that any presidential hopeful does on the campaign trail. In other words, I didn’t hear anything new. And that’s not a bad thing.
I support Barack Obama not just because I think he’s equal to the task and a better option than any other recent or current candidate, but because of what doors it opens for the future of US government in 2012, 2016, 2020 and beyond.
As the first black president of the US, it would be a miraculous step forward. And I’m certain that’s been covered to the nth degree. And maybe it’s a pipe dream for me to think about the state of things in this country improving across the board. But trying to improve beats caving to the momentum of a very flawed system.
Stanley Kubrick said, “The cliché is the context.” It always is. But if enough people tire of the surroundings, a major makeover is bound to happen or else you get the hell outta Dodge.
In spite of the critical differences I see between Obama and other options, he’s still a member of the Democrat Party, which is roughly half of our tired and contrived political system. So, I see Barack working within the cliché. Trying to start an Exodus to some place new and fresh.
Such efforts always meet opposition. Even when Obama locks up the nomination (soon and very soon), and the in-fighting amongst the Democrats quells, there’ll be a litany of reasons why he’s purportedly not fit for leading the country. I just can’t fathom it being any contest between him and McCain.
I respect McCain, and marvel at what he’s endured. But at his core, I sense a LOT of anger, bitterness, resentment, and other curmudgeonly plaque.
Whereas, with Obama, I find HOPE. The man not only talks of an idyllic America, but has the chutzpah to point us towards the right bearing on the horizon.
Hope is something we can’t work hard enough at chasing. I’m convinced of it. As a magnet for cyncism, I need all the hope I can get. I can’t help but think that Kubrick was also once told that you can’t polish a turd. He replied with, “Ah, but you can if you freeze it first!” I’m just naive enough to think that this one guy and the team he brings around him can put creative thinking and integrity behind our governmental processes.
And that’s why I’m getting behind Obama. As he was leaving the platform, I meandered closer and as Barack was waving to the crowd, I caught a glimpse of him from about 20 feet away. He had a set to his jaw and slight furrow in his brow that said he meant it. I recognized it as the look of a leader that’s got game. Serious game. And we haven’t had that in a long time.
Eric Nentrup 