It’s taken me a long time to decide on this, but I do think Obama is now our best bet and I intend to support him and, hopefully, to vote for him come 2008. I still like John Edwards but I don’t think he can win. A part of me was hoping Al Gore would slip into the race, but that seems increasingly unlikely. I’ll vote for Hillary if I have to, but my heart won’t be in it. (My heart will be in expunging the Republicans, not in electing Hillary.)
I can vote for Obama, however, with enthusiasm. I think he’s the kind of person who would fulfill a deep need in Americans’ souls for a moral, commanding leader, someone who can resurrect our battered reputation and recapture the respect America once enjoyed. Someone who can actually lead.
The ability to communicate ideas to the masses and inspire them is probably a president’s most important quality, which is why the presidents we remember most were those skilled in rhetoric – JFK, Lincoln, FDR, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, for example. A president is, in effect, a super-lobbyist above all else, and the ability to sell ideas and move the people to take action or accept sacrifice or consider new ideas – that’s what the president is there for. And in this regard, Obama is simply unsurpassed (though Edwards ranks a not-so-distant second). Of course, a silver tongue alone does not a perfect candidate make. But I am in tune with Obama’s perspective on many issues, like religion and healthcare and the responsibility of a government to its citizens and, yes, China. And Taiwan. And no, I don’t have the time or energy to detail what these positions are, but you can read his position paper on China here. I know it won’t please everyone, but it’s rational and clear-headed.
Finally, I donated money to the Obama campaign earlier today, and I hope others of you in China and elsewhere will do the same. Time to win the country back after all these agonizing years. Time to elect a real person back into the White House. Time to become a real country again.
1
By Dave
I just wish Ron Paul (one of the few Republicans to vote against both the war and the PATRIOT Act) had a chance at the GOP ticket.
But I could still settle for an Obama.
June 28, 2007 @ 10:36 pm | Comment
2
By The Western Confucian
I’m with Dave as a Ron Paul (榮保羅) supporter.
While I disagree with a lot of what Obama stands for and has done, like his vote for the Patriot Act, I’d rather see him in the Oval Office than either Hillary or Edwards.
“Time to become a real country again.”
Couldn’t agree more.
June 28, 2007 @ 11:23 pm | Comment
3
By nanheyangrouchuan
Richard:
The link to “Obama’s China position” is completely misleading, that paper is a list of what the US expat community wants, not what Obama’s position is. Obama hasn’t said much about China other than to describe China as “not an enemy, but a competitor”.
The expat community shuns the US, shuns American then has the nerve to make demands of a new administration. You people are not nor were ever special.
June 29, 2007 @ 12:25 am | Comment
4
By THM
Personally, I don’t think any of the candidates have much to offer the American people. I’m anticipating a run by Fred Thompson and should he actually throw his hat in the ring, that’ll be the man for me.
June 29, 2007 @ 12:32 am | Comment
5
By Arty
Personally, I say go Edwards. Fred Thompson is going to run and going to eat both Obama and Hillary alive. When would we, democrats, learn to put someone electable on general election? Of course, that’s just my personal opinions.
June 29, 2007 @ 1:33 am | Comment
6
By Bob
Al Gore’s daughter to marry Chinese-American:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06272007/gossip/pagesix/al_looks_west_pagesix_.htm
June 29, 2007 @ 2:31 am | Comment
7
By nanheyangrouchuan
Bob:
You mean “an American”.
June 29, 2007 @ 2:42 am | Comment
8
By z
Obama is the best hope to get America of the current political inertia and make the country great again.
June 29, 2007 @ 3:02 am | Comment
9
By otherlisa
Boy, I dont want to hear one more crack from Republicans about “Hollywood values” when THEY are the party that insists on nominating and electing B-movie actors.
I’m still on the fence about who I’m supporting. Anyone on the Democratic side will be a vast improvement over what we’ve had the last seven years.
June 29, 2007 @ 4:18 am | Comment
10
By lulu
Obama is a great communicator and has an inspiring personal story. He certainly has the intelligence to be the president, however, his limited experience leaves me on the fence on whether to vote for him. He was in the Illinois state senate two years ago. Until I see detailed plans on health care, education, foriegn policy, environmental policy from him, my vote stays with Hillary.
June 29, 2007 @ 4:53 am | Comment
11
By z
In some sense, the less experience, the better. One thing I like Obama is that he doesn’t talk like a typical politician in Washington. he is sincere, talks straight, and seems to be a good potential problem solver.
Look at the California governor. He was not experienced at all. And he has been fairing pretty well. That is the type of politician America needs.
June 29, 2007 @ 5:02 am | Comment
12
By nanheyangrouchuan
Maybe and Obama-Ron Paul ticket?
June 29, 2007 @ 7:19 am | Comment
13
By otherlisa
In some sense, the less experience, the better
I know how tempting this is. I’ve worked on an “outsider” campaign. There’s a lot of truth to the corrupting influence of the Beltway.
However, there’s also a lot to be said for knowing how things work and how to get things done. To quote The Sopranos, we “are standing at the crossroads of a precipice” here. We need to fix an awful lot of things in the US, and pretty damn quickly.
That’s why I, like Richard, hope that Gore will get into the race, though I don’t think it’s likely. If you read accounts of the Clinton Presidency, he was the guy who could usually break through the logjam and get things done. And he’s been right on so many issues in recent years, particularly the war, our Constitutional and political crisis (and of course global warming).
June 29, 2007 @ 10:00 am | Comment
14
By snow
no offense Lisa, but dont you think quoting the sopranos is one of those problems that should be solved, ha, just my understanding, thanks for the great blog you guys,
Peace
June 29, 2007 @ 10:33 am | Comment
15
By Graham
nanheyanggrouchuan is being unnecessarily snotty about expats, but indeed, I think you ought to correct your post to reflect that that’s not an Obama position paper. It’s a word file created by someone called richard.burger … oh, wait. That’s you!
Anyway here is a post I had a while back on what Obama’s said so far on China. Nothing major. There’s a little more I think in his Foreign Affairs piece. I will have more on that when I get a chance.
Graham/Transpacific Triangle
June 29, 2007 @ 12:35 pm | Comment
16
By otherlisa
I just love that line, Snow. It cracked me up. And it does sort of get the point across.
June 29, 2007 @ 12:36 pm | Comment
17
By Janus
I don’t agree with a lot of Obama’s positions on issues, nor do I think I would like him very much as a person.
But Richard hits it dead on when he talks about the importance of a President as the eloquent, passionate, moral, and just face of the our just nation–the biggest singular failure of the Bush Administration in my opinion.
June 29, 2007 @ 2:19 pm | Comment
18
By Matt Schiavenza
I’m a tentative Obama supporter, though like some of the others here I also wish Gore would enter the race. For me, Hillary and Edwards’ support for the Iraq War removes any chance I could support them in the primary. After all, it’s easy now in 2007 to say that invading Iraq was a mistake, but where were they in 2002? I recall Edwards’ vociferous endorsement of the war, later revealed to result from political expediency.
June 29, 2007 @ 3:37 pm | Comment
19
By canrun
“It’s a word file created by someone called richard.XX”
Aha! So…we have a first AND a last name of our fearless leader! I had no idea he dated Carrie on Sex and the City! 😉
(Slightlyt edited by one of the keepers of the gtaes)
June 29, 2007 @ 9:09 pm | Comment
20
By Sam_S
Ha! “crossroads of a precipice”. Good line….WHAT?! GORE?! Lordy, I’m a’gonna have to clap my hands over my ears and sing “La-la-LAA” for the next year and a half.
I think they’re ALL empty suits except maybe Hillary. Could we hire Tony Blair now? Man, now THAT guy can talk.
June 29, 2007 @ 11:01 pm | Comment
21
By THM
Sam, I thought you were a recovering Democrat? Have you fallen off the wagon again? 😉
June 29, 2007 @ 11:28 pm | Comment
22
By Sam_S
Well, I have my pride, you know! To get my vote, somebody has to show a little evidence of leadership ability. The ex-mayor of New York might qualify….he did a great job on crime, but Hillary has national political experience galore, though I don’t like much of her politics and she’s a dull speaker. We don’t get any GOOD choices this time, just less bad ones. Sorry to the obama-thumpers–he’s pretty and fresh, but not a leader, and probably not the brawler who will be required for the next several tough years. And don’t get me started on Gore…..I think he’s got – er – “issues”.
June 30, 2007 @ 1:20 am | Comment
23
By THM
Sam, is that the same thing the Chinese refer to as “Face”?
Surely you see where I’m going with this….
June 30, 2007 @ 11:33 am | Comment
24
By canrun
“It’s a word file created by someone called richard.XX”
But as they say, knowledge is power. I’m always the last one to know things, but not this time! Google sure returned some interesting hits… 😉
June 30, 2007 @ 11:44 am | Comment
25
By t_co
I support Ron Paul–he’s basically my dream candidate (except for that annoying bit about the gold standard–while I did study at the monetarist school of UChicago, it still irritates the econ major in me to no end).
July 1, 2007 @ 3:51 pm | Comment
26
By Raj
So what is it that exactly Obama believes in? Currently he seems to be standing on the platform that he is a well-educated black man. I don’t mean to be nasty, but that is currently the only thing that comes across about him from what I see.
I am not accusing him as using his ethnicity as his platform, though. But I do find him vacuous.
July 4, 2007 @ 3:55 am | Comment
27
By Neil
About Raj’s comment-
Obama has laid out his positions and policies as much as any other candidate. He has very clear and detailed positions on Iraq and health care. Some of his other positions are less interesting, but he has them. You say that only his ethnicity stands out ‘from what you see’. The key is to do some reading as well.
July 5, 2007 @ 9:54 am | Comment