CHILL OUT, EVERYONE! HE’S GOT THIS
Most of my friends tell me they hope that Barak Obama will be able to get us out of the various messes we’re in.
“Hope?” Come on! This guy appears to be the most prepared and competent leader to come along since Roosevelt or Lincoln. He will be the right President at the right time. Chill out! Enjoy the bumpy ride.
Last Sunday, I made it a point to watch one of those morning news shows, because Obama was going to be interviewed. As I watched the show, I thought to myself, “Why am I watching this? I’ve never been particularly interested in politics or the President (well, maybe Kennedy).”
I realized that I was watching because of who this man is. I’ve never experienced a politician who thinks, talks, and writes like this guy. He fascinates and excites me. He’s so transparent. What you see is clearly what you get. I think he transcends politics.
After every question thrown at him, and there were many, he would answer in that familiar calm manner, where you see him hesitate slightly at times, so his words can catch up to his thinking. Then out would come these crystal-clear sentences and phrases that were so unambiguous that I could follow and agree, needing no elaboration as to what he “really meant.” Every time Donna and I watch one of his speeches or see a news clip, we look at each other and say, “How could you not trust and support this man?”
I received a copy of The Audacity of Hope for Christmas. I don’t read much non-fiction, but this was a page turner. With every chapter, you can see that this is a person of substance, integrity, character, and thoughtfulness. One of the frequent complaints during the campaign was, “Obama gives great speeches, but he lacks any details or substance regarding what he would do as President.” Well, they clearly hadn’t seen this book. It was published in 2006 and it reads as though it was written yesterday. It’s a textbook on how he will address the issues that now face us as a nation. See for yourself.
This guy is a scholar. He has a historical perspective that will benefit us all as he steers his way through the Presidency. I learned more about the political history of our country from this book than I could ever have imagined. When I compare the knowledge, experiences, and understandings that Barak Obama brings to the Presidency with those of George W. Bush eight years ago, I am even more saddened about the past, but extremely positive and confident about the future.
What appeal to me most about President-Elect Obama are his values. He feels that people are basically good. (Duh!) He sees that we all pretty much want the same things: family, opportunity, freedom, connections. He wants us all to unite for the common good. He will reach out to everyone. No more polarizing. He will bring all parties and interests together to find common ground and to work out solutions that everyone can benefit from. He will do this within our own country, and he will do this with countries around the world.
This is a “win-win” problem solver after eight years of “win-lose.” I think the results of his approach will be spectacular. As President, he will certainly have my complete trust and support.
You “hope” he’ll be good? Chill out! He’s gonna be great.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Two Views of the World
Two Views of the World
Two things stood out for me when watching the Republican National Convention. One was the audience's incessant chant, "U - S - A, U - S - A." The other was Senator McCain's constant use of the word, "fight."
I don't know, maybe I've traveled too much. But I've found that people are very much the same the world over. We all want the same things. Generally, people are great.
And it's not their nationality that makes them great, it's their individual character and humanity. I just don't get the extreme nationalism of the Republicans, as if the rest of the world doesn't matter, or is somehow "second-rate," because "U - S - A" has to be "first."
McCain's favorite verb is "fight." He's gonna fight for this, and fight for that. He implores us all to "never stop fighting." To the Republicans, the world is a "dangerous place," full of evil persons from whom we in the U.S. need to be protected.
Boy, I sure don't view the world that way. Most people are terrific, and willing to reach out to each other. Yes, some get screwed up along the way. Politicians, in particular, are prone to abuse the power they are entrusted with, as we have so recently seen in our own country.
I don't want another President who has the "us versus the world" mentality, who feels he has to confront and threaten other world leaders rather than meet with them as equals, and who considers "winning" more important than finding ways to work together so that everyone can win.
I believe there is a much more positive and caring way to view the world. Look again at the words of Michelle Obama from her speech at the Democratic National Convention:
"He'll achieve these goals the same way he always has – by bringing us together and reminding us how much we share and how alike we really are. You see, Barack doesn’t care where you’re from, or what your background is, or what party – if any – you belong to. That’s not how he sees the world. He knows that thread that connects us – our belief in America’s promise, our commitment to our children’s future – is strong enough to hold us together as one nation even when we disagree."
"And as I tuck that little girl and her little sister into bed at night, I think about how one day, they’ll have families of their own. And one day, they – and your sons and daughters – will tell their own children about what we did together in this election. They’ll tell them how this time, we listened to our hopes, instead of our fears. How this time, we decided to stop doubting and to start dreaming."
I look forward to the day when Senator Obama is President, and the rest of the world once again respects and likes the United States and looks to it for cooperative leadership.
Listen to your hopes. Stop doubting. Don't come from fear.
Two things stood out for me when watching the Republican National Convention. One was the audience's incessant chant, "U - S - A, U - S - A." The other was Senator McCain's constant use of the word, "fight."
I don't know, maybe I've traveled too much. But I've found that people are very much the same the world over. We all want the same things. Generally, people are great.
And it's not their nationality that makes them great, it's their individual character and humanity. I just don't get the extreme nationalism of the Republicans, as if the rest of the world doesn't matter, or is somehow "second-rate," because "U - S - A" has to be "first."
McCain's favorite verb is "fight." He's gonna fight for this, and fight for that. He implores us all to "never stop fighting." To the Republicans, the world is a "dangerous place," full of evil persons from whom we in the U.S. need to be protected.
Boy, I sure don't view the world that way. Most people are terrific, and willing to reach out to each other. Yes, some get screwed up along the way. Politicians, in particular, are prone to abuse the power they are entrusted with, as we have so recently seen in our own country.
I don't want another President who has the "us versus the world" mentality, who feels he has to confront and threaten other world leaders rather than meet with them as equals, and who considers "winning" more important than finding ways to work together so that everyone can win.
I believe there is a much more positive and caring way to view the world. Look again at the words of Michelle Obama from her speech at the Democratic National Convention:
"He'll achieve these goals the same way he always has – by bringing us together and reminding us how much we share and how alike we really are. You see, Barack doesn’t care where you’re from, or what your background is, or what party – if any – you belong to. That’s not how he sees the world. He knows that thread that connects us – our belief in America’s promise, our commitment to our children’s future – is strong enough to hold us together as one nation even when we disagree."
"And as I tuck that little girl and her little sister into bed at night, I think about how one day, they’ll have families of their own. And one day, they – and your sons and daughters – will tell their own children about what we did together in this election. They’ll tell them how this time, we listened to our hopes, instead of our fears. How this time, we decided to stop doubting and to start dreaming."
I look forward to the day when Senator Obama is President, and the rest of the world once again respects and likes the United States and looks to it for cooperative leadership.
Listen to your hopes. Stop doubting. Don't come from fear.
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Hello everyone, and welcome to Niedy's Nest. This is Fred's soapbox. Feel free to discuss.
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