Yes, we can!
No, I'm not writing about Bob the Builder. It was a surprisingly lopsided victory tonight for Barack Obama. While Hillary still has the upper hand, this gives me some hope. I think criticisms of Obama being policy lite are off mark--he can talk policy fairly well, though it's not particularly inspiring. He really needs to work on his debating skills. But the man can give a speech! A couple of favorite lines from tonight's victory oratory:
We're up against decades of bitter partisanship that cause politicians to demonize their opponents instead of coming together to make college affordable or energy cleaner. It's the kind of partisanship where you're not even allowed to say that a Republican had an idea, even if it's one you never agreed with.
Take that, Billary!
Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire, from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we will hope.
Despite the talk about race, the hope of the Obama campaign is it's message of unity. I told Sarah that the difference between these two is that Hillary talks about what she can do, but Obama talks about what we can do. Their policies may not differ significantly, but to me, Obama has the potential to create the kind of grassroots empowerment that spurs more significant reform. Government programs alone won't do it. The state ain't the church, but Barack has me believing nonetheless. Politics doesn't have to be the toxic power struggle of the last fifteen years. We can focus more on problems that partisanship. Sure, I'll be disillusioned someday, but a little bit of hope never hurt anyone.