21 February 2008

On Obama's Record

Now that Obama has picked up steam apparently lost by the Clintons, I'm already hearing the BS lines of attack starting up. "What are his accomplishments? The guy has no record!"

My stock answer for this is "Name one GOOD accomplishment under George W. Bush." That usually shuts them right up.

Still, it's true that Obama does not have a terribly long legislative record. This is in part a good thing, as part of his appeal is that he doesn't have a parade of baggage big enough to choke an airport. On the other hand, as we all know, rhetoric is one thing and actions another. Obama has the oratory down pat, but where are the clues as to how effective he'll actually be?

Well, in point of fact, they're all over the place, but of course the liberal conservative (and lazy) media can't be bothered to go and actually look. Good thing citizen journalists (soon to be known as "real" journalists) can pick up the slack.

A diary from Daily Kos called "I Refuse to Buy Into the Obama Hype" provides an exhaustive record comparing what Barack and Hillary have actually accomplished in their time in the Senate. It's an outstanding overview that goes beyond dry stats and really gives you a lot of insight into how they'd govern. Suffice to say it bolsters the case for my support of Obama.

You may not agree with Obama's political philosophy or views, but after reading this I think most people would admit that it's clear he has a consistent vision and the ability to work with (and govern) those who do not agree with him. Added to his other plusses, I think it's obvious he's the best person to embody the change of direction America so desperately needs.

I hope somebody can teach Hillary how to lose gracefully, it's not part of the Clinton DNA but it needs to be, and soon. I might also add that Grassroot Mom's feelings about Hillary -- both her plusses and minuses -- match my own exactly, which is why I'd prefer not to vote for her (but I will if I have to).

I have to admit that eight years ago, John McCain could have won my vote ahead of Bill Clinton. I didn't like Clinton for the same reasons I now don't like Hillary that much, and McCain (though Republican) had the cahones to stand up to the rising tide of fascism within his party. Apparently he gave those cahones to some nice-looking lobbyist friend of his back then and they're nowhere to be seen in at least the last four years, so he's off the list.

This year, it looks like the matchup is going to be "Yes We Can" versus "Oh No, You Can't." That makes it easy for the uninformed to figure out, which is why the Republicans had better get used to the idea of at least four years of Obama.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately
POWER TO THE PEOPLE is already being used by the McKinney campaign for President.