Truer Words

Even with CNN’s torturous, continuous, and unrelenting election coverage, the artificial sensationalism of Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room, and the limited coverage of worthy presidential candidates like Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul (who should have ran as independents), one cannot still help but focus their attention on the screen when Barack Obama articulates his views in his own charismatic fashion.  If it is a battle of personality politics, Obama is the clear-cut winner.

Fueled by the mantra “Change we can Believe in” and “Yes we can”, Obama’s largest voter base primarily consists of young professionals who want a refreshing new alternative to the old dinosaur neo-con fascist mentality of the Bush regime.  Obama’s critics argue that his inexperience in the political arena is a cause for concern, however inexperience does not always translate into incompetence.  The American public has already witnessed enough incompetence over the past eight years and has absolutely nothing to lose. 

The fact that the two remaining democratic nominees include an African American and a woman definitely strengthens the party’s image, but can also be its biggest handicap.  How would either of them fare against the experienced, patriotic war hero, alpha-male in Senator John McCain?  How much as the United States progressed as a nation in terms of race and gender issues?  Are Americans still prone to the fear propaganda and false hysteria that led the country into two failed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?  A great deal still depends on how much the electorate has learned from the past.

Obama is unique in that his climb to the forefront is relevant in today’s political climate.  Partly raised in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim state, Obama may have an understanding of the Muslim world his counterparts lack.  With ever-increasing anti-Americanism in the Muslim world, Obama could serve to bridge tensions, thereby creating a mutually workable solution.  The Muslim world may also identify more with a visible minority leader who has overcome all odds.  However, his tacit association with Islam and his foreign-sounding name could very well facilitate xenophobia and divert voters to Hillary instead.

Even if Obama wins the nomination and the presidency, how would he deal with the military industrial complex and the variety of corporate and special interest groups that do not always act in the best interests of the state?  Is his rhetoric of unilaterally going inside Pakistan to round up Taliban an attempt to attract Republican votes, or is it something he really intends to do? 

Regardless of who wins, you will still have corporate media deflecting the real issues, A U.S. Congress beholden to right-wing lobby groups, and corporations ready to sponsor wars in the Third World.
I for one will only believe in the change when I see it.