As a white voter, I've got something to say. I just can't get past the fact that Barack Obama is black. And I unequivocally and unabashedly am extremely PROUD OF IT...Obama does stand for change and hope, that we have finally surpassed the bigotry that once shamed our nation, degraded our very Constitution and what it means to be free and have rights. It is the very brand of that bigoted, limited thinking that has destroyed our diplomatic relations with other countries, caused the terrorists to turn their malice toward us, caused the economic and class breakdown to favor "the rich". Are we ready to show the true colors of our flag, our souls, and our skins, that Americans and their President are substantive people of integrity who stand together and united in the dream and aim for greatness, not mediocrity.
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To Dream a Little Dream of Us
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In the longer version of that interview, McCain dutifully noted that the nation's great economic progress was of "no comfort to families now that are facing these tremendous economic challenges." Only after that caveat did he add: "the fundamentals of America's economy are strong. We're the greatest exporter, the greatest importer, the greatest innovator, the greatest producer, still the greatest economic engine in the world." He also acknowledged that times were tough and that families in small Pennsylvania towns were aware of that. To McCain, he was not out of touch, as Obama said, but very much in sync with the feelings of the public. The larger point was that the Dream was strong and that his policies would make it even stronger.
Like all campaigns, this one will be not just about competing dreams and proposals. It will be about character, maturity and leadership, and how those things are measured; about ground operations in battleground states, and who has the strongest. It will feature all matter of attacks and counterattacks, and smears by surrogates careful to keep a certain distance from the candidate they favor. And it will induce endless debate about that which arguably should not matter at all—race, age, depth of religious beliefs and feelings about subjects ranging from bowling to gays.
But in an interesting way—and for all the noise in the background—this may be the purest election since 1980, when Reagan reduced the essence of it to a simple question: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"
McCain and Obama have fundamentally different takes on how to keep the Dream alive for the millions who are hurting and fearful of the future. In Denver Obama made his best effort to date to explain why he is right. This week McCain has his chance. In the next two months, political operatives will blow a lot of smoke in voters' eyes in an attempt to distract us from what is truly important. The way out of such confusion now, just as in 1980, is to do what Reagan did: make the contest about which candidate can best help Americans realize their defining dream. Then everyone votes accordingly.
© 2008
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