blog @ xanatos.ca

Obama

With the U.S. presidential elections finally here, I thought I might as well throw my opinion into the mix. After all, there's a microscopic chance that some Americans out there want me to tell them who to vote for. And for the rest of you...well, maybe you can leave me a comment or something.

I've been in favour of Barack Obama for a while now, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. People who talk about current events with me already know that I'm a kind of a socialist at heart. And while Obama is a far cry from a true social democrat, he's still the closest thing to it that the Americans have.

Which isn't really saying much, given that they only have two choices.

My support for Obama was lukewarm at first. It was mostly tactical--kind of a default position, based mostly on the fact that he was a democrat who seemed like he'd have broad appeal. At the time I was more interested in other candidates with a much lower chance of making it past the primaries, although I did say from the start that Obama was the best realistic choice.

Over the last twelve months, however, I've become increasingly impressed with the man. His public charisma is astounding, for one thing. It's led his political opponents to make fun of him for being a "rock star" or a "celebrity"...as though his popularity was a bad thing.

Actually, I think the most striking thing about Obama's public presence has more to do with his sincerity than his rock-star appeal. He never acts cynical or petty, and he always seems genuinely optimistic about the future. Those are fine qualities in a politician--although I can't deny that he's a very good public speaker, too:

The other appealing thing about Obama is his level-headedness. You can see it in the modest way that he's handled himself throughout the election campaign, and you can see it in his reactions to the global economic crisis that's unfolded over the last few months. He's managed to come across as thoughtful, intelligent, and reasonable--and his polling numbers have reacted accordingly, soaring much, much higher than they've ever been.

When their financial system began to melt down, I think perhaps American voters finally realized just how much their nation has deteriorated in recent years. And suddenly, they don't want a president who's just a "war hero", or someone that "you'd want to go have a beer with". Suddenly, the idea of a "hockey mom" sitting in the White House doesn't seem kinda cool--it just seems scary.

The simple truth is that America is in a lot of trouble right now. And when things are bad, people stop looking for a president who's "just like them" (i.e. completely unqualified.) When things are bad, people look for a president who will actually be able to fix things.

Remember this silly beer ad from a few (eight) years ago?

It's been redone as campaign ad for Obama--one of the best I've ever seen:

It kinda reminds you of better days, doesn't it?

Which brings me to the best thing about Barack Obama.

Hope.

Americans rally behind this man because he gives them hope. And after eight straight years of non-stop disaster, you can't blame them for wanting a little of that.