Obama-nation

Some thoughts on Barack H. Obama and what I've been seeing and hearing regarding the presidential race.

It seems the country has fallen- and fallen hard- for this charming and inspirational speaker. People write songs about him, praise him as the savior of the world, and faint when they are in his presence. When most people are asked why they are voting for him, it's because he's a good speaker, young and exciting, or just that he represents change. I'm hoping the infatuation is coming to a close and people will awake from their love drunkenness and look at who this is that may become our President.

* I should note that I am not completely anti-Obama, I don't know much about him, but I think he has become a national obsession and most people jumping on the bandwagon don't know any more than I do. I don't think that is a good thing.

I think Obama was smart enough to know that running for president would cause people to talk about a variety of issues, namely religion due to his name, and race. I think he was also smart enough to know, by looking at the current climate in America, that people are so afraid to say anything about his religion and his race in particular, he could reach an almost untouchable status without doing much more than showing up and mentioning 'hope' a few times. He has come at just the right time and said just the right things to utilize this opportunity, no one can disagree his campaign has been near perfect.

Any time a doubt in his experience is raised, a question of his ability to protect us in the face of foreign threats is asked or how he will change and unite the world as one happy family, the person in doubt or seeking information is immediately called out as a racist or some kind of fool for doubting the Great One. Obama can keep himself above most of it and not even address any questions asked, others surrounding him shoot those questioning down, they will nurture America's fear of being called a racist or discriminatory and shield Obama from any kind of meaningful and healthy scrutiny. And I'm sure he foresaw this landscape and is now basking in it.

At first I thought that it would be fine if he were elected. I wouldn't go out and vote for him, but I also think it could actually be a historic step for the country and maybe he could do some good. But when I take some of the little things and add them up, I begin to wonder whether he really would be the positive force for change he makes himself out to be. I recognize that I do not know everything about him that I could if I researched more, but for now, with what I have, here are some observations:

- Wearing a flag pin is a small and fairly generic thing, but stating that you won't because you're above the need to because of your patriotic living coupled with not acknowledging the flag when the American anthem is sung while standing next to others who do acknowledge it seems a bit odd.

- Telling parts of the country that an element of the great change you will bring may require adjustments in NAFTA, and if Canada and Mexico don't want to work with your new plans you will get the U.S. out of it, is a great plan to gain the vote of people who may have lost their job. Learning soon after that some top aids had contacted officials in Canada and explained this was all campaign rhetoric and not to worry about anything sounds a little sketchy.

- When your wife says things that make people question whether you love and respect the country you're running to be president of and then the leader of the church you attend for 20 years, who married you and your wife, baptized your kids and who you call your mentor and is like a father, is found to be preaching things that sound completely racist, hateful and in many ways anti-American- it makes me wonder what YOU really are thinking inside.

- It seems Obama is slowly learning that people won't give him a free pass anymore, too much has caused need for explanation. But he continues to give vague and generalized answers to avoid any trouble. When Obama said he had never heard such things while sitting in the pews as Reverend Wright has been heard saying I couldn't believe how blinded by his greatness he must think people are. To hear a person preaching with such passion and conviction, it doesn't take an expert to hypothesize that these are things the speaker deeply believes, and thus, must make mention from time to time over the years. For people to believe that Obama heard these outrageous things for the first time after he began his campaign and just completely rejected it all is gullible to say the least. I love the quote by Obama that he doesn't think his church is all that controversial. AIDS was created by the government and the white man as some type of tool to destroy black people- that seems pretty reasonable to me too, Barack.

Obama, it seems, has taken the human form of a movement, and people will say anything they want about him, and it becomes so. A mythical creature no one can fully understand because fact is so blending together with fiction. And, for the most part, I think Obama has believed the myth himself, making grand statements like 'We can change the world!' with himself as president. Is it just me or is that a bit lofty?

Rev. Wright explains in one of his fiery sermons that Obama essentially knows what it's like to be raised by a black parent in the ghetto, knows what it's like to grow up with racism, and be called a n_ _ _a. But wasn't Obama raised by his white grandparents in the multi-racial state of Hawaii where he attending one of the most prestigious private schools in the state?? Later, he went on to Columbia and then Harvard and became a successful lawyer. I don't claim to know Obama's life experiences, but it seems Obama has enjoyed many great opportunities and successes. For his preacher friend to whip up the congregation into a frenzy, saying Obama knows the hard life and struggles of all minorities in this country, it seems like layers are being added to the mythical hero's story. As people begin to look into who Obama really is, hopefully the layers may be peeled back, showing the man without all the fluff, legends and lofty speech. Then, as a mere human, we can see him against the opponents, and decide between the candidates.

Getting people young and old excited to participate in our democracy is a great thing, but I hope that people will not join in the celebrity worship for superficial reasons like appearance or inspirational oratory. To me, integrity, honesty and what a person stands for and plans to do in actuality (and 'changing the world' doesn't count) are most important to me.