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  • From: "Don Rua" <rua AT mindspring.com>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] Barack Obama speech
  • Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 01:26:56 -0400

Obama was charismatic, intelligent, invigorating, and had the TigerWoods
cloak of cultural unification. Two of the comments I heard afterward on the
MSN commentary were (best I can recall): "He came off better than Bill
Clinton, how's that for potential", and "You're looking at the first black
president, in 12 years."

We each have our own filters and perspectives, but I didn't find his speech
particularly democratic, as it was unifying and nationalistic. When Watts
spoke at the Rep convention four years ago, I believe he talked about many
of the same values (equality, opportunity, etc.) which I believe is spread
across the bell curve of American voters.

I was enchanted at first, with his youthfulness, powerful speaking style,
and message so easy to embrace. However, after reflection, I feel he gave a
decent feel-good nationalistic speech, with two key differentiators: 1) that
he embodies a re-newed faith in the American dream, where a mixed race son
of a Kenyan immigrant can become a Harvard standout, and rise in politics.
and 2) that he believes Kerry and the Dem party is the best course for
America.

Here's an example of his message reaching out to all voters:
"Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the
spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything
goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a
conservative America - there's the United States of America. There's not a
black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America;
there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our
country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue
States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome
God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our
libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and
have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war
in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging
allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States
of America."

Don

PS- I heard that he had more cash in his election campaign than any other
senate hopeful in the country. I haven't verified that yet. Odds are people
are showing him love now, to ride his coattails if he continues to rise.





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