Rooting for Obama

Why Obama?

The 2008 election year is one of relief to many. Not just in the US but around the world people started to hope for an end to eight years of ennui. Like every US election year the world has started to wonder will the war end, will we see world peace? Can we actually go back to feeling like we can all live together, in harmony and not become a terror suspect anytime, anywhere? Maybe we could all be "with" the US and yet agree to disagree on many issues at the same time?

I became especially excited! Unlike the 2004 election when I wanted 'W' to take responsibly for the war like he owed it to us, this year there was no doubt the job needed someone else. Maybe the world needed a woman after all. Maybe Hilary would prove that a world where everyone felt secure didn't need war to bring that about. Maybe people would, albeit an unequal chance, have a chance to live again without fear. Her presidency would show that the fortune 500 companies in the US had been wrong all along – women were not just smart enough to lead but they were required, they were the solution. I was pumped; it was time for America to put their fate where their mouth was, time to prove they mean it when they say gender equality really does exist.

I became the cynic when my mother mentioned Barak Obama – who I said? What? You mean a black man is running for president against the Clintons? Wow I was impressed that the Democratic Party was so cunning! What could make a woman look better as a candidate than putting her next to a black man? My admirations of Hilary increased immediately, "so you're gonna play to win"? Smart. Very smart – you go girl.

'Don't be so sure Hilary is the right candidate', my mother said. The presidency is her ambition, her career, her resume. You need to listen to Obama. He is coming to Austin she said, and I want to go see him. Her mind was made up and for the first time in my life I attended a US presidential nominee rally, even though I could not even vote. I walked five blocks from my parking spot to make it into the crowd. Little did I know I was becoming a part of a movement, I had only heard about such things. Ghandi, JFK, MLK --- these names were only for the history books, not to be seen in real life at least not in my era?

I was not overly impressed. I listened, the man had good things to say, he was charming for sure, but I felt I could have written a better speech. He didn't have the confidence I was looking for in my President – well not yet. I wished I could have been part of his campaign -- coached him to be a better orator. But this was just the beginning and Obama knew it too. Looking back I don't think Obama realized that the turn out in Austin would be so huge and that big things would be expected of him. We needed him more that he needed the presidency, and he would know that soon enough.

Slowly I was wooed, away from Hilary, I found myself listening intently to Obama. He was not black to me, he was not a man to me; he was my voice. The voice I had lost over the course of the last 8 years.

What Obama means to me.

Obama characterizes himself as a black man, I disagree. He is as black as he is white. His ancestry is African as much as Caucasian. To call him African-American implies an ancestry that was perpetually oppressed, discrimination that exists to this day – it is a misnomer. Obama carries no such subjugation on his back. Being the son of an international student, in my world he is the epitome of an American. He exemplifies the definition only one step less than an immigrant. Why? Because America owes it self to immigrants looking for a better life, looking for justice, looking for a dream, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it, and in the process creating a better America. Who better to lead America than someone who is close to that definition as they can get and run for the presidency?

Over the months it started to become apparent why America needs Obama more than Obama needs the white house. He means more than a Democratic Party candidate. He is capable of being a democrat and yet "fire up" hardcore republicans. This is not because he is reaching over the party lines, not because he is in the center, and not because he can reach middle ground on republican policy. It's because for the first time a politician is speaking to our hearts and expressing our minds, whether a democrat, republican or independent. No matter the race, religion or color for the first time in a long time we all feel liberated.

Obama realizes the damage done; he knows it will be long hard road to re-build the reputation of America. He knows he must rise above the politics and pre-determined 'set in stone' US foreign policy. He knows he must do things never done before. Maybe he needs to sit down with the leaders of the axis of evil to discover how change can be brought successfully. He is open to doing whatever it takes to achieve goals and this is what makes people swoon, not just his smile.

An election is not about the issues, it's not about the economy and it's definitely not about immigration or the Hispanic vote, like the political analysts would like you to believe. That's what it used to be about. This election is about leadership and leadership alone. The US President doesn't need experience; he has at his disposal all the best ideas in the world and all the best people to make those ideas come true. He doesn't need to be seasoned either, no amount of experience can prepare you to lead. You are either a leader or you aren't.

Leadership requires 1) vision, above the political norms, 2) wisdom beyond what age can bestow, and 3) strength to do what's needed no matter what the status quo.

Obama has already changed the rules, defied the critics, won over the skeptics -- he has single handedly proven he can take on any challenge and that the Clinton dynasty is not as formidable as we imagined.

Obama has given us a reason to dream of an America where people of all nations can be equal, where borders are non-existent – the melting pot and where anyone can get real justice. It's the America that not only harbors idealism, but makes it a reality. It is the America which all other countries look up to, not because of just a better life but because it can give us the life we all want for ours selves, and for our fellow humans, no matter where we are physically on earth. To me it's either Obama or the world as we know it today. You choose – what would you rather have?

copyright d.i.