Why Obama?
In a recent email conversation with alazrael about Obama and his speech on race, he asked me to list the reasons that I personally find him different than other politicians, and why I'm particularly supportive of him.
So, during my lunch hour, I decided to put together a little list... which quickly became a pretty hefty list.
I figured it might interest some of you, so I'm posting it here. Also, because I think the idea of an LJ-content strike is dumb.
A quick list of the traits about Obama that make me especially dedicated to supporting him:
Unifying
On multiple levels, Obama's shown that he is interested in unification rather than the increasingly divisive attitudes we've seen in politics for the last decade or so. His strategy of campaigning in every state, (in sharp contrast to Clinton's "only big states" campaign strategy) shows that he's interested in representing a wider crowd of voter than just "the bluest of the blue." His speeches don't dismiss out of hand those that disagree with him, but try to meet them halfway and explain his point of view so they can understand it (we had this discussion on DPB about his pro-choice answer to a pro-life questioner). In these ways and more, he's shown tangible evidence of communicating with and working with those who disagree with him for some sort of common ground - and after the disastrous results of Bush's presidency, I think the most important thing is that our leader be an *actual* uniter, which Obama has proven himself to be.
Brave
Obama's proven he's willing to take risky steps to do what he thinks is right - whether it's being a politician who opposes the war at a time when it's considered political suicide to do so, or addressing the race issues brought up by Wright's comments head-on rather than simply taking the safe route of rejecting him and saying the same feel-good race statements that every politician says. Don't underestimate how much of a risk this speech was, either - it was a
challenge to people to deal with the issues, and there's no shortage of ways that his sharpest critics can take it out of context to make him look bad. He's shown more courage than other politicians on campaign trails as well, like how he addressed and accepted atheists (as discussed here on DPB) in his speeches on faith - even though they are by far the most prejudiced-against group in America.
Intelligent
Many of his speeches and policies have dealt with issues on intelligent levels, and have treated the listeners as if they're intelligent as well. It's a nice change to see a politician that isn't afraid to be smart, and that isn't anti-intellectual in an attempt to be "the common man." Furthermore, his intelligence also has also lead him to going about legislation in intelligent ways: see how he pursued and passed a law to ensure that interrogations in Chicago were videotaped - the goal was to ensure that confessions were voluntary, rather than coerced, and the bill was opposed by police, and it was easy for his enemies to use this to portray him as being "weak on crime." However, he pursued the bill by working with the police, demonstrating how the bill was in their best interests, and taking their suggestions into account when making adjustments to it (see the "unifying" trait above). Here's a link to the whole story about that bill.
Eloquent
A leader doesn't just have to make difficult decisions - a leader should also explain to people why they made those decisions, and help them understand and appreciate the reasons. This requires the ability to explain their arguments well and convincingly, for wide audiences. Obama's eloquence as a orator, debater, and speechwriter are all quite obvious (remember, he didn't just give the recent race speech, he wrote it himself).
Furthermore, the president must also be a diplomat - our current one's failure as one and contempt towards the diplomatic process notwithstanding. Again, a case where Obama's eloquence is an excellent trait for the case of his presidency. People may (incorrectly) claim there's no substance behind his inspiring speeches and charisma, but in diplomacy, that oratory and charisma *are* substance. And as we've seen recently, his speeches have inspired people to talk about race and confront racial issues in a way that I've never seen done by any politician before.
Forthright
Obama's been remarkably forthright about issues: he's been extremely open about the fact that he's used drugs, he's always gone out of his way to say that he isn't without flaws, and even when confronted with the Rezko situation, he held a massive conference for all of the Chicago newspapers to ask him any question about it, and he answered the all to their satisfactions, rendering the entire issue inert. Obviously, he presents things in the best possible light (since, y'know, he does have to get elected), but I haven't seen a situation where he's appeared dishonest.
Identification/Change
These are now getting to things that appeal to me on just a personal level, but I identify with Obama much more than any other politician out there. He's closer to my age than anyone out there. Compared to most politicians, he's far from rich (Erik's pointed out that apart from having a house in Chicago, his net worth is surprisingly low, a fraction of Clinton's or McCain's). And he displays the same sort of frustration that I (and many others) have with the current state of politics. Considering how little of his donation money comes from large corporations, I actually see him as being remarkably free from corporate influence.
Strengthening to the Political Landscape
(note, after some thought on this particular topic, I've modified it from the version in the original list)
On a personal level, I feel the Republican party (or at least, the particular politicians that have been in charge of it for so long) no longer deserves to have much control of government. As such, I'm quite happy with the fact that Obama's campaign of running in every state means that the Democratic party will make inroads into areas that Republicans have considered safely theirs for a long time. Obama's support has already helped Democratic candidates win in traditionally Republican areas, as recently as special elections in what used to be Dennis Haster's precinct in Chicago, and area that had had a republican representative for over 20 years.
Obviously, I don't want the Democratic party to hold total control over the government, lest they become as corrupt as the Republicans did when they took it, and as parties tend to be when they're the only ones with the power. But right now, the old guard of the Republicans need to lose it and their current leaders need to be cast out and rejected, so maybe it'll turn into a respectable party again. And Obama's campaign offers the sort of inspiring message of new politics that can lift up other campaign races that aim for that kind of housecleaning - no matter what party they're in.
Historic
Yes, on a certain level, it feels good to route for a candidate that would make a historic change. It's the least motivating of the things that encourage me, but I won't deny that it feels like I'm making a contribution to a historic change.
So, during my lunch hour, I decided to put together a little list... which quickly became a pretty hefty list.
I figured it might interest some of you, so I'm posting it here. Also, because I think the idea of an LJ-content strike is dumb.
A quick list of the traits about Obama that make me especially dedicated to supporting him:
Unifying
On multiple levels, Obama's shown that he is interested in unification rather than the increasingly divisive attitudes we've seen in politics for the last decade or so. His strategy of campaigning in every state, (in sharp contrast to Clinton's "only big states" campaign strategy) shows that he's interested in representing a wider crowd of voter than just "the bluest of the blue." His speeches don't dismiss out of hand those that disagree with him, but try to meet them halfway and explain his point of view so they can understand it (we had this discussion on DPB about his pro-choice answer to a pro-life questioner). In these ways and more, he's shown tangible evidence of communicating with and working with those who disagree with him for some sort of common ground - and after the disastrous results of Bush's presidency, I think the most important thing is that our leader be an *actual* uniter, which Obama has proven himself to be.
Brave
Obama's proven he's willing to take risky steps to do what he thinks is right - whether it's being a politician who opposes the war at a time when it's considered political suicide to do so, or addressing the race issues brought up by Wright's comments head-on rather than simply taking the safe route of rejecting him and saying the same feel-good race statements that every politician says. Don't underestimate how much of a risk this speech was, either - it was a
challenge to people to deal with the issues, and there's no shortage of ways that his sharpest critics can take it out of context to make him look bad. He's shown more courage than other politicians on campaign trails as well, like how he addressed and accepted atheists (as discussed here on DPB) in his speeches on faith - even though they are by far the most prejudiced-against group in America.
Intelligent
Many of his speeches and policies have dealt with issues on intelligent levels, and have treated the listeners as if they're intelligent as well. It's a nice change to see a politician that isn't afraid to be smart, and that isn't anti-intellectual in an attempt to be "the common man." Furthermore, his intelligence also has also lead him to going about legislation in intelligent ways: see how he pursued and passed a law to ensure that interrogations in Chicago were videotaped - the goal was to ensure that confessions were voluntary, rather than coerced, and the bill was opposed by police, and it was easy for his enemies to use this to portray him as being "weak on crime." However, he pursued the bill by working with the police, demonstrating how the bill was in their best interests, and taking their suggestions into account when making adjustments to it (see the "unifying" trait above). Here's a link to the whole story about that bill.
Eloquent
A leader doesn't just have to make difficult decisions - a leader should also explain to people why they made those decisions, and help them understand and appreciate the reasons. This requires the ability to explain their arguments well and convincingly, for wide audiences. Obama's eloquence as a orator, debater, and speechwriter are all quite obvious (remember, he didn't just give the recent race speech, he wrote it himself).
Furthermore, the president must also be a diplomat - our current one's failure as one and contempt towards the diplomatic process notwithstanding. Again, a case where Obama's eloquence is an excellent trait for the case of his presidency. People may (incorrectly) claim there's no substance behind his inspiring speeches and charisma, but in diplomacy, that oratory and charisma *are* substance. And as we've seen recently, his speeches have inspired people to talk about race and confront racial issues in a way that I've never seen done by any politician before.
Forthright
Obama's been remarkably forthright about issues: he's been extremely open about the fact that he's used drugs, he's always gone out of his way to say that he isn't without flaws, and even when confronted with the Rezko situation, he held a massive conference for all of the Chicago newspapers to ask him any question about it, and he answered the all to their satisfactions, rendering the entire issue inert. Obviously, he presents things in the best possible light (since, y'know, he does have to get elected), but I haven't seen a situation where he's appeared dishonest.
Identification/Change
These are now getting to things that appeal to me on just a personal level, but I identify with Obama much more than any other politician out there. He's closer to my age than anyone out there. Compared to most politicians, he's far from rich (Erik's pointed out that apart from having a house in Chicago, his net worth is surprisingly low, a fraction of Clinton's or McCain's). And he displays the same sort of frustration that I (and many others) have with the current state of politics. Considering how little of his donation money comes from large corporations, I actually see him as being remarkably free from corporate influence.
Strengthening to the Political Landscape
(note, after some thought on this particular topic, I've modified it from the version in the original list)
On a personal level, I feel the Republican party (or at least, the particular politicians that have been in charge of it for so long) no longer deserves to have much control of government. As such, I'm quite happy with the fact that Obama's campaign of running in every state means that the Democratic party will make inroads into areas that Republicans have considered safely theirs for a long time. Obama's support has already helped Democratic candidates win in traditionally Republican areas, as recently as special elections in what used to be Dennis Haster's precinct in Chicago, and area that had had a republican representative for over 20 years.
Obviously, I don't want the Democratic party to hold total control over the government, lest they become as corrupt as the Republicans did when they took it, and as parties tend to be when they're the only ones with the power. But right now, the old guard of the Republicans need to lose it and their current leaders need to be cast out and rejected, so maybe it'll turn into a respectable party again. And Obama's campaign offers the sort of inspiring message of new politics that can lift up other campaign races that aim for that kind of housecleaning - no matter what party they're in.
Historic
Yes, on a certain level, it feels good to route for a candidate that would make a historic change. It's the least motivating of the things that encourage me, but I won't deny that it feels like I'm making a contribution to a historic change.