As Obamania epidemics stir this nation and the world beyond, perhaps I am one of the few blacks, if not many, who haven’t been gripped by the fever yet. Consequently, I have been in conflicts with some of my relatives, friends, and my girlfriend who are African descents. And my Caucasian friends, when talking politics, would try not to offend me by talking favorably of Obama knowing fully well that I am a native African (expect me to be very proud, uh?). I usually waste no time to tell them that I am not a big fan of Obama – but, thoughtfully, I appreciate what appeared to be their sense of solidarity nonetheless.
Don Imus has a point when he called Senator Hillary Clinton “The devil.” Yes, at least, she is a devil that we know. On the other, Imus loves Senator John McCain who has been on his radio show many times; and he regards the war hero as a good friend. But to many Americans, John McCain is another devil they know so well. If either of these two devils becomes the U.S. president, we could predict what to expect within the next 4 years – partly because the two senators are well-seasoned politicians who know the real problems and issues facing the country, and they have spent more time on campaign trails to hammer issues and resolutions. As for Senator Barack Obama, all we know so far are: his book “Audacity of Hope” and the mantra “Yes We Can.” We can what? It is no news that Obama can win the nomination/presidency but he hasn’t been specific on exactly what will happen after that.
One of Senator Obama’s selling points is that, unlike the experienced senators, he is not a Washington insider. Therefore, he is more suited to change things in Washington to politics as unusual. Well, we heard this cliché many times 8 years ago when George W. Bush capitalized on his Washington-outsiderness to portray Al Gore as “same-old same-old” DC insider. We all know what has been going down ever since.
Now, the question is: Are Americans ready to make another unanalytic gamble on leadership this time in the mist of two wars and a looming or potential recession? So far, the most conspicuous thing about Barack Obama is his oratory; he sounds more of a spiritual leader than execution leader. No doubt, Obama’s epidemics could be strongly contagious. At times, I have to think straight not to fall under his spell, but some folks are not that fortunate. Nevertheless, there is still time for the tranced voters (represented by “Obama Girl” above) to think deeply and put their sentiments aside for once. As the master-of-words talks make his way to the White House, hopefully some of us will wake up from hallucination and see the “devil in the detail” before it’s too late.
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“Hope is good companion but poor guide.” – —-John Mauldin
