May 8, 2008...3:26 pm
Thursday Thirteen: Looking toward the future in America.
That is Barack and Michelle Obama, with their two beautiful daughters. I apologize in advance to anyone who has a different view of politics, but I need to gush today about the hope I have for our country at this transcendant moment in American history.
1. Barack Obama embodies the “American dream” in ways that usually only get exposed in fiction.
2. He had a black father from Africa and a white mother from Kansas.
3. His father left when he was two years old.
4. His mother raised him to participate in the world, changing his community for the better, and he was always an inspirational leader to the kids around him.
5. For a while, the family was on food stamps.
6. He struggled against the racism of the times, just like the rest of us. He was born almost exactly one month after me, in 1961.
7. His father died in 1982, in an automobile accident.
8. His mother died in 1995, of cancer.
9. He worked his way through college, graduating from Columbia University and Harvard Law School.
10. He became a United States Senator.
11. He decided to run for president, against all odds.
12. He inspired a huge movement in America, most of it arising on the interwebs and then spilling out into the actual cities of each and every state. His background as a community organizer taught him that people are willing and able to build America back up from the ground floor. He currently has over 1.5 million individual financial supporters, with an average donation of $96 each.
13. He is on the verge of winning the nomination of the Democratic Party, and proving that nothing is impossible in America. He has started a New Voter Registration Drive in all 50 States, which we will be attending this Saturday. He gives me real hope for the future, and I thank you for allowing me to share my excitement for this historical moment with you today. No matter what your political perspective, it is a glorious time to be an American.
8 Comments
May 8, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Nice biography. I’m very impressed with his dedication and enthusiasm.
May 8, 2008 at 6:18 pm
It’s nice to see people overcome adversity and strive for greatness.
I am concerned with his charasmatic speeches about “change” all the time, without a lot of specifics. Not all changes are good. I think a lot of people get caught up in his enthusiasm only.
With that said, I will vote, although I am not a particular fan of anyone that is running.
May 8, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Adena, I understand that perspective and I thank you for your opinion.
As the campaign goes further into the future, you will see more specifics and you will see what kind of good changes that our country will enjoy, thanks to the active local communities that Barack Obama is creating in America. The grass roots are about to flourish again.
Our country has not been this politically energized for a long time, and it is thrilling to be a part of it.
May 8, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Happy TT!
May 8, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I hope that Obama or whoever comes next as President can restore the glory of being American. We could use some better PR lately…
May 8, 2008 at 10:18 pm
I love his line, “We can’t afford to let John McCain serve out George Bush’s third term.”
I feel inspired hearing him talk. I think he represents so many of us.
May 9, 2008 at 6:44 am
Lovely TT. You’re the second Obama themed TT I’ve seen this week and both were worth reading.
May 9, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I was originally a Hillary fan because I got caught up in the line, “It took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and it will take a Clinton to clean up after the second one.” Lately though, I’ve become an Obama fan. Not just because he’s winning, but because of all the young people he got interested in politics for the first time. If he loses, all the newly inspired youth will be turned off of politics completely. Obviously that’s not the only reason to be a fan of a candidate, but it is important!
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