On Wed, January 28, 2009 1:52 pm, Stefano Mori wrote: > And that's the sad/cynical feeling that lingers for me as I watch all > the enthusiasm about Obama: there is not going to be a great deal of > change.
I completely disagree. As much as I was cynical about Obama early on, I find him now to be inspirational and I'm more hopeful than ever - he knows how to communicate, and in this age that is golden. Sure, not everything will change - dogs will still chase cats, Democrats and Republicans will still lock horns. But everything doesn't have to change for their to be important change - I do believe in the power and importance, if only symbolic, of the US and the importance that we reclaim our legitimacy as symbolic leaders in the cause of freedom and equality. I believe if we stand for anything as a society, we ought to be promoting that around the world - I don't see human rights as relative, peace as quaint, reason and intelligence as elitist, and I think we need to use our power to promote our values through all peaceful means. I think Obama gets this - he has stated it far more clearly and believably than I have seen any other major leader in this era of political cynicism. To top it off, not only do I dig his values and ideas, but I think his gift for communication is potent, the sign of true leadership. If anyone can put words to action I think it's him. One thing I've often remarked to my friends about is - all my dislike about Bush aside - as a leader I think Bush was exceptionally poor, perhaps with the exception of September 12, 2001. He failed, almost entirely, to connect with the nation for most of his term - he shied from the press instead of using them; he rarely confronted Congress, rarely made unscripted appearances. I don't see Obama having this problem at all - and since I happen to largely dig his politics, I'm excited to see the combination in action. > > I wonder what he'll say to Iran. > > Stefano > > _______________________________________________ > OSX-Nutters mailing list | [email protected] > http://lists.tit-wank.com/mailman/listinfo/osx-nutters > List hosted at http://cat5.org/ > _______________________________________________ OSX-Nutters mailing list | [email protected] http://lists.tit-wank.com/mailman/listinfo/osx-nutters List hosted at http://cat5.org/
