Obama and Great Expectations

Yes, the guy can give you goosebumps while giving a victory speech. Yes, it seems like he is speaking to everybody. His landslide primary victory in South Carolina gives him a lot of momentum going into Super-Duper Tuesday on February 5th. I haven't figured out who I'm going to vote for on February 12th yet, so this is my way of fleshing out who stands for what and why I should care.

Obama isn't heavy on specifics. He's trying to do one of the hardest thing in American presidential politics: create a cult of personality--or more specifically--a tidal wave of "hope" and "change," whatever those things mean.

So far, he's given three speeches that were incredible. The first was at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, when he introduced himself to the nation as the "skinny kid with a funny name," and vaulted himself into the talk of 2008 Presidential politics. The second was when he won in Iowa, saying "You'll be able to look back with pride and say, that this was the moment when it all began," and the third happened earlier tonight, when he declared this election to be ". . .about the past versus the future."

It's no secret this guy has skills. He is an amazing orator, and a pretty great speechwriter as well (he wrote his 2004 DNConvention speech). But what about the issues?

I went to his online site to see his positions. It turns out, he's pretty moderate in a lot of areas, as far as I can tell. For instance: he's down with Clean Coal and Nuclear energy. Now, I wouldn't have any problem with nuclear energy as long as the companies who actually run the nuke plants did so with the same discipline as the military, who maintain their nuclear powered vessels with an amazing concern for the sailors on board the ships, and are constantly making sure everything is running in optimal tolerances. If the civilian nuclear industry ever got that conscientious, I think we'd all feel much better about our nuclear power plants.

As far as clean coal goes, I guess I need to read more about it. To be honest, I'm looking for a presidential candidate to present an Apollo-type solution to our reliance on oil and other fossil fuels. I know a few of them have talked about it, but whether or not they are serious remains to be seen. Maybe it will take longer than 10 years, but I want to see the US putting some real money into developing alternative sources of energy. With our innovation capability, and the productivity of Americans to achieve our collective goals, I know we could fix this problem, and then be able to sell it to the rest of the world. With all of our resources and technical problem solving ability, and given that whoever comes up with the technology to solve this problem will be instantly rich, I can't see this lingering more than 4 years if we get a president who fully commits to ending the problem.

I guess that's the key. I've heard Giuliani mention it, but I don't think there's any way he wins the Republican nomination. However, Edwards is becoming more and more interesting to me. I know he's very protectionist when it comes to trade issues, but on the environment and climate change, I think he has the right idea.

Of course, he has the same problem as Giuliani: he's not going to be elected.

So, then, who do I vote for? I know the primaries are about voting for who you *really* want to win, and damn the consequences (at least, that's how I view them). I don't know yet. They all kind of suck. I realize I haven't talked about Hillary yet, but that is only because I am totally biased against her.

Allow me to pause here, and give you my drive-by take on the '08 Presidential political scene, specifically as it relates to Hillary:

I can't stand another Clinton. I can't stand another Bush. We fought a war to get away from (among other things) familial rule and Roman numerals after leaders' names. You can tell me about the Adams', the Harrison's, or even the Roosevelt's, but the simple truth is, since 1980, there has been either a Bush or a Clinton on the ballot for POTUS or VPOTUS every single election (this could be the 8th straight election). I abhor that idea, and hope it doesn't end up continuing.

Anyway, let me get to the title of the post. If Obama wins the presidency, he will have the greatest of expectations on his shoulders. He will be expected to work legislative magic on almost a weekly basis. Indeed, throughout his entire first term, he will be expected to be above the partisan fray that has plagued DC since this great experiment was started.

In short, he will be expected to turn the miraculous into reality. Whether or not that is possible remains to be seen, but the idea that it could happen was strengthened a little bit tonight. Yes, the speeches are powerful, but will they be enough? Will his vague message of change be enough to topple the formidable power of the Clinton Machine in the February 5th states? We can only wait..

I for one, will wait with breath that is bated...The turnout for the Democratic party has *far* outstripped the turnout in the Republican races, which means that in the end, the Democrats are pretty much nominating the next president. Who they nominate is very important to me, and I hope it is important to people in the February 5th states as well.

New Blog

Let me be the first to officially welcome myself to the vast wasteland of internet blogging. Yay!

This is where I'll be posting stuff that interests me. Or maybe annoys me. Or is just funny. Or it's a place I'll be using to put off homework...who knows. Senryu:

There are already
Millions of bloggers online.
Now there is one more.

Procrastination.
My homework won't do itself.
I should go do it.

I'm going to re-post my last myspace blog next, so this space won't be completely empty. Don't worry, it's only from last night, it's not old.