Obama more than any candidate past or present is who we need in 2008. Here's why:

[Political Heretic]

What we need in 2008 is not a true progressive. We may "need" it, but the political culture of American will not sustain a Kucinich or a Nader or any other genuinely progressive candidate you can name. And I say that as a person who's values would be characterized as "radical" or "leftist" - not liberal, not Democratic. (I am a member of the Democratic Party, but my values put me far, far to the left of my party.)

The reason I believe Obama is the exact right choice for President in 2008 is because while my "ends" may be radical, my "means" are pragmatic. I am a practical idealist. I am in touch with the realities of America today. All substantive change is incremental - even if it sometimes contains very dramatic chapters.

What we need now is a leader who can help re-frame political discussion in America, and who can inject the inspiration and passion into the American public that has been tragically missing for so long. Barack Obama is the George Lakoff candidate. His message of unity is not about moving the center-left to the right. His message is about moving the entire scope of political debate two steps to the left. Or think of it another way, he is bringing the "left" into the mainstream not by changing core values, but by teaching America new frames for traditional liberal ideas.

It is a good thing that Obama isn't wrapped up in partisan rhetoric, its a good thing that he celebrates cross-over conservatives and speaks to them in an open way. I know its discomforting for some of ye olde party guard, but its what we need.

He is deftly teaching an American public that ideas that have been so successfully framed as "evil libruhl nonsense" by the Republican Party in the past are in fact not "conservative" or "liberal" ideas - they are simply American ideas reflecting of real American values. In this way Obama is giving Americans permission to accept the reasonability, validity and necessity of democratic ideas in government again. He is, as I said, re-framing the scope of political discourse in America.

It takes a phenomenally gifted speaker at visionary to do this. What an Obama President can do, is continue to reform the american political climate making it more fertile ground for the next stage of liberal or even progressive politician to become viable. He can use his charisma, inspiration and vision to build the Democratic Party to compete in the 21st century, with the help of another visionary - Howard Dean. Together they can help put democrats into positions of party power and political office that share that same ability to effectively frame the issues in a George Lakoffian style. And this will all lay the foundation for a real shot and electing a genuine, full-fledged liberal President in 2016.

It may not all work according to plan. But its a good plan, and its the reason I support Obama.

[corkhead]

1. Agreed! It is going to take great, unifying leadership to help steer us out of the mess we are in.

there is only one candidate remaining who has that ability.

[H2O Man]

2. I agree.

Obama represents a move in the right direction. His presidency will not be our final destination, but rather a place we pass through on our way to that destination.

Nominated.

[ecdab]

3. Thanks for a well reasoned and positive endorsement. n/t

[cascadiance]

4. I agree, in a way he's my candidate of "hope" too...

For many of the reasons you cite as well as someone who can make a start with the currently damaaged system as it is.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, since with the global warming crisis and many others, there is a limited time for us to "get it right" and put in place the right changes so that we don't suffer a lot of devastation.

But when you look back at similar times in history, when we elected FDR at a similar crossroads, there were a number of options to the left of FDR (the communists, etc.) that were also running for office and being considered as a reaction to the horrible mess that the country was in then. The country wasn't ready to go to those options then, but in going with FDR, they certainly didn't make the same mistakes they'd made earlier that would have doomed us then.

FDR, when given the chance, did piece together the "New Deal" and many other actions that put this country back on course then for a nation that was ready for change but not sure how it was going to be done before he started it. Our country was lucky that we put someone like him in power to do these things.

I'm "hoping" that Obama has that potential that FDR did too. I would like to hear him verbalize some heavy aggressive changes that would be like what FDR did so that I know what I"m signing up for, but perhaps the system won't allow him to say that and still get elected, and that's why he's being nebulous and not overly specific about many of his plans, which could be a "good thing" even if it's not the way I'd like to see us elect someone. But if that's what it takes for us to get the "right" person in this broken system to fix it, perhaps its whats needed.

I want someone who's outside of the current recent track record of history enough to know that we're going to try some newer things, and not continue a lot of the status quo, that both of the other two options (McCain and Clinton) appear to be offering us, to varying degrees of what we feel is damaging to us. I want someone who at some point will take on the corporate influences of our government and completely change the system of power so that those using it now are transitioned OUT of having power claws in it. That will be no simple challenge, and make two terms to do so. But we need someone that hasn't been overly a beneficiary or leader in creating this system to hopefully find a way out of it in the next eight years. It IS essential to get a new New Deal in place.

I want the system so that once Obama leaves office, those running for office will no longer have to worry about hiding a true agenda that serves the people offending those "in power" (aka the corporate financiers), since they won't have power at that time to push them out of the system if the people want them running. Once we get to that point and have things like instant runoff voting and public campaign financing, that's when we don't have to take this sort of risk again. America will have clearer choices for its future then. Nader would be BEST served by lobbying for a single issue right now being on the Democrats platform (either substantive propositions for public campaign financing or instant runoff voting), probably preferring the latter from his point of view, and then drop out and support the Dems in exchange for that. That way, Obama is seen then as a negotiator right off the bat, without having to take the extreme positions himself. Also, with something like instant runoff voting in place, it becomes both a means for other voices to be heard if they put up the right candidates and messages, and a check on both of the main two parties so that they have to provide more comprehensive and better solutions for the people where they aren't "gamed" by political contributions that go to both of the two parties of a traditional two party system not to deal with something the special interests don't want dealt with, which has been killing us on so many fronts lately.

I think also who's his running mate is going to be very important too, as that person, assuming we have a successful two terms from Obama, will likely have to be along with Obama, the two sets of individuals that save this planet from global warming, etc. We can't afford another hiccup. That's why even a joint ticket with Clinton isn't something that should happen, unless we think a Clinton 8 years from now will be the person that helps us build on and solidify our new "revolution". I'd like someone like Edwards, but might consider Richardson too (who might be more of a pragmatic choice at this time to help Obama get elected with the added hispanic voter support).

[Political Heretic]

5. kick because I wrote this at 4am

:)

[The River]

6. I "Hope" He Will Use the "Bully Pulpit"

of the Presidency to speak to all Americans about
topics which concern all Americans.

Imagine a "Community Organizer In Chief" with a national megaphone.
Imagine Obama using the Saturday morning radio addresses
the same way FDR did. To inform Americans of the issues,
to ask them to act on behalf of those beliefs and to cheer them on.

Imagine a bill for Single Payer National Health care being
just 3 votes shy of passage. If Obama urged citizens to write
to Senators X, Y & Z to ask them to stop blocking its' passage,
how many millions of faxes and letters might get sent? Enough
to burn out their fax machines and fill their offices?
By 2010 I doubt many "bought and paid for" congress critters
will bother to run again once they realize corporate dollars
can't compete with overwhelming citizen insistence.

Obama supporters have been called a "cult" by many. If it's a
"cult" of participatory democracy, I'm in. I really think this
is what he is talking about when he says the we, the people, have the power.
He could give new meaning to "United We Stand".