4 For Obama

(Originally Posted 2/12/2008)

2 Reasons Why I Love Obama And 2 Reasons Why He Can’t Have My Vote.

Obama is good. He is very good. There isn’t a thing to dislike about him personally. Professionally he and I differ on what are right and best and moral for America. Yes, he has the Kennedy aura and appeal. He has the young and optimistic energy of John and Robert Kennedy. But until he tells the American people what they can do for themselves and their country and not what the country should be doing for them or what the country is doing to them, he hardly deserves this Kennedy coronation. (Sorry Caroline.)

He is the kind of person with whom you can disagree emphatically yet still yearn to keep the conversation going. This is no doubt the kinetic energy he is generating across racial and economic lines. I too am drawn to his easy manner of action. His charisma that sparks a motivation to change and be part of something larger than oneself is infectious. I can see how his call to action has mobilized young people into action, ready for a change.

Obama is like Reagan in that those who disagree with his political philosophy still admire him personally. Their genuine nature in their beliefs is catching in red and blue states. Not since Ronald Reagan has a politician been so controversial in his party, but, so well respected and liked by voters in both. In spite of themselves, even Democrats admire Reagan. The reasons I hold him in high regard:

Integrity - However misguided his health care proposals and tax hikes are, one has the reaction that Obama’s liberal views have integrity while other candidates’ like positions ring of self-righteous indignation full of pompous political reaching. He has an air of dignity and empathy in his beliefs that resonates. He is well intentioned, just wrong. I’ve been bitten by his sophisticated yet down to earth ways of connecting to all Americans.

Color blindedness - I hardly ever qualify any statement under the umbrella of “as a black woman” but some circumstances might justify this categorization. Obama is the first black, chief politician of my generation and time to stand on character and ideology alone. Though many have tried to pin the “kick me I’m black” post-it on his back, he has been alert, dignified, and resolute against the race card. He has miraculously quieted Jackson’s and Sharpton’s racial rhetoric that began early in the race. He has answered his liberal and racially bound critics like Cornel West not by public dispute but by quiet discourse and intimate discussion. Those who were before leery of him are now working toward his election. Putting race in the background of the first black President of the United States is no easy task. What a relief and an honor to see another black person who believes in standing on character alone – refusing the issue of race before it even knocks on the door – disinviting division and the guttural elements of racial rhetoric. He has been able to prove what many of us have been feeling and dreaming to happen so long. That the discussion of race and performance is tired and Americans are ready to move on. Yes, we can move past race even at the Presidential level.

Though he and his wife are on my short list of “who would you most like to invite to dinner living or dead if you could,” still, I cannot in good conscious vote for him. While Obama is not my personal enemy, he is the enemy of cherished rights and values I hold dear.

Personal liberty and freedom - No matter how much I adore Obama I cannot sacrifice my personal liberty and freedom. I do not want to abandon my right to bear arms and defend my family. I want personal choice and responsibility over my health care coverage. I want to bring back the responsibility of the individual for their fate in life. I want me and other Americans to have competition in the market place through choice. I do not long for a government to attempt to solve my problems only to make them worse faster. I want my government to say, “Yes, YOU can.”

Robin Hood Politics - I do not believe it is right to take from those who have more and say to them that they deserve less of their money because someone else has less. He is the friendly enemy of the middle class, not only the super rich. His vision of the economy is to even out the wealth by thieving from those who have worked hard, sacrificed, saved for a rainy day.

Yes, Obama for me is like that beautiful pair of spiked heels that are gorgeous to behold but unwise for the feet. I often ask, “Why isn’t it possible to make gorgeous shoes comfortable?” It’s too bad you can’t always get exactly what you want. Still, I dare say I find myself thinking an Obama running for President might be exactly what this country needs.