Obama Supporters: Act Now
(This is a letter I’ve recently sent to friends and family. Anyone can act now to help Obama win the Texas & Ohio primaries.)
A year ago, I was invited to attend the Texas Book Festival with my friend Rabbi Kerry Baker here in Austin. Somehow, Kerry had scored seats in the Texas Legislature main chamber for speeches and festival awards. One speaker was Senator Barack Obama, invited because of his book, The Audacity of Hope. I came home that day and told my wife Obama was “Kennedy-esque” and had a chance at going all the way. Thanks, Kerry, for giving me the opportunity to first hear the man who symbolizes a hopeful future for our country.
As you know, the Texas primaries are March 4th; the race is close between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Living in Texas, Karen and I realized our nation’s future could very well be in our own hands, so we decided one of us would volunteer for the Obama campaign. With her supporting the family, I’m spending two weeks making calls, canvassing, and talking to people to vote for Barack Obama.
I need your help. If, after reading this email, you agree that Barak Obama is the best choice for President (and I hope you do), would you please consider doing some or all of the following by March 4th:
- Educate yourself on what Obama believes in. I’ve found his podcasts on his Senate website are a great way to learn about his positions and of what’s he’s done. (http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/) Of course, there’s also www.barackobama.com, where you can find one pagers on his policies as well as his 15 page healthcare plan.
- If you live in Texas or Ohio, please vote for Barack Obama.
- If you don’t live in Texas or Ohio, please call, email, or Instant Message your friends who do and urge them to vote for Obama. This could be the single most important action you can take because if Obama wins these primaries, he’ll win the nomination.
- Vote for Obama on November 7th.
We have good choices in this presidential campaign, but let me explain why I believe Obama is the best candidate for the USA. You can use these arguments when discussing Obama with Hillary supporters, and in the fall, with McCain supporters.
Obama changes business as usual in the government. Did you know that Senator Obama co-sponsored the Federal Accountability & Transparency Act, which required the government to be more financially transparent? The result is a website, usaspending.gov, where anyone can research gov’t spending. It’s fun to type in “Blackwater,” or “Halliburton,” or “KBR” to see how much money has NOT been awarded in competitive bids. I’ve written about this on my Unmassed.com blog, here.
But what really convinced me that Obama is for real when it comes changing business as usual is one particular speech of his, which you can find here; it’s the video in the middle of the page. Please take the time to view it. Maybe it’s because he taught the constitution, or maybe it’s because he just has plain speaking common sense, he understands the fundamental problems with government and what it’s going to take to solve them.
One example: Obama wants to repeal $66 billion in tax exemptions for oil companies pumping oil out of the Gulf of Mexico, especially in a time when Exxon has announced the largest profits of any US company in history. (See Senate Bill 115, the Oil SENSE Act.)
Obama’s message is of hope, of the future. As Caroline Kennedy wrote in her New York Times Op-Ed piece, A President Like My Father, “Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility [of believing in themselves and the power to shape their own future].”
You may not know the name Lawrence Lessig, but he’s eloquent in his argument on why Obama needs to be the Democratic candidate in this year’s elections. Lessig is a Stanford Law professor and the intellectual force behind the Creative Commons copyright license “Some Rights Reserved,” which makes much of the linking, sharing, and “mashing up” that is the Internet legally possible. In a recent video titled “10 Minutes on Whether Hillary Can Win“, he argues why she can’t and why Obama is the right candidate. This is Lessig’s Video:
Lessig’s calculus goes like this: If Hillary is framing the argument that she has more experience and is tougher, she’ll lose against McCain. Why? McCain has 25 years experience in the Senate, vs. 8 years for Hillary. Tougher? While Hillary was grooving to Woodstock, McCain was being tortured by the North Vietnamese in the Hanoi Hilton. If Clinton frames the argument that she has the experience and she’s tough, she loses against McCain. Obama is not framing his argument that way, providing a real contrast, and therefore a real choice, between him and McCain. But I do like Obama’s line, “I’m a black guy with name Barak Obama running for President of the United States. You can’t say I’m not tough.”
Lessig also points out that if the campaign comes down to Clinton vs. McCain, we’ll be rehashing the arguments of the ’60′s, leaving all those under 40 to boredom and being disenfranchised.
I’ve talked to a number of voters, having made over 400 phone calls in my precinct in the past week. A number of them are Hillary Supporters. Many of them are Boomers and they tell me they support Clinton because “Obama doesn’t have enough experience,” to which I think to myself, “You’ve got to be kidding me. You, of the generation who’s motto was ‘Don’t trust anyone over 30;’ you, of the generation that originally defined youth culture; you are arguing about the experience of a 46 year old man? Puh-lease!”
A Clinton vs. McCain race is a boomer’s race. Neal Howe, the guy who coined the term “The Millenials”, brought up the difference between Obama and boomers when I interviewed him last year:
“We define Gen Xers as starting in 1961 and ending in 1981, which makes them a 20-year generation. People born in the early 1960s, although it was still the tail end of a demographic boom, are — in their location in history, their attitudes and behaviors and their self-identification — not boomers. In fact, Doug Copeland, who wrote the novel “Generation X,” was born in 1961, and he dedicated the book to people born in the early ’60s who always knew they weren’t boomers and needed someone to acknowledge that fact. Another great example is when you go down the list from Jodie Foster and Tom Cruise to Michael J. Fox and Quentin Tarantino, a lot of these sort of Gen X icons culturally are all early ’60s babies; they were all born 1961 to ’64. The most interesting recent example, sort of corroborating this awareness, is Barack Obama, who was born in 1961 and has a very Generation X life story — you know, sort of a childhood in the ’60s and having to choose about parents and religion among other things — not a boomer story of childhood at all, but a very Gen X story. He defines his whole candidacy in terms of bringing postboomer politics to America, moving beyond the baby boom. He really regards that whole set of issues — you know, the culture wars, going negative and thinking of everything in terms of values…he defines that as belonging to a generation that he is not a part of.”
Because of who he is, Obama represents a real change, especially against McCain. If you agree, and I hope you do, join me in reaching out to friends, family, and business associates, especially those in Texas and Ohio before March 4th, to vote for Barack Obama. We can affect change, now.
Did you see the Ohio debate between Clinton and Obama? Clinton swiped after Obama time and again. Obama did not respond in kind; he refrained from embarrassing her. In short, he acted like a Mensch. Isn’t it time we have a Mensch in the White House?
Finally, ask yourself this. Who would be better representing ourselves to the rest of the world? Hillary and Bill Clinton, or Barack and Michelle Obama? Seriously. Close your eyes and imagine each of them at a state dinner. Addressing the United Nations. Comforting the nation after a national tragedy. As a symbol for bettering our lives and the lives of those in the rest of the world, who would be more effective at bringing about positive change? I believe it’s Barack and Michelle Obama. In your heart of hearts, I hope you feel the same way, too.
Yes we can!
Joel Greenberg
I’m living in Australia where full and excellent private health, dental, and optical is costing me a whopping $140/month….no questions about pre-existing conditions, no blood tests, and I’m overweight! Oddly enough, I’m paying that much because I’m not a full-time resident or citizen…yet!
Oh, and don’t worry, I in fact did vote for Obama on super Tuesday (Int’l Dem voters have a couple dozen deligates for an Internet election!)
Hope life’s great!
You’ve got a well-written piece here, and I support Obama, and your efforts to get others to support Obama. My one point of contention with this piece is the absolutely incorrect assertion that Obama is part of Generation X.
Yes, It’s true that Obama isn’t a Boomer. But that doesn’t mean he’s an Xer. The truth is that Obama is part of Generation Jones– the long-lost generation between the Boomers and Xers. I recently heard a panel of generations experts discussing this on a radio show, and four of the five experts concluded that Obama is part of GenJones, not GenX. Big media has also been weighing in on this issue in recent weeks: The New York Times, USAToday, and Newsweek have all run pieces in the last few weeks arguing specifically that Obama is a member of GenJones, not the Boom or X.
Generation Jonesers were born 1954-1965, leaving Obama almost exactly in the middle, and those born toward the middle of generations tend to most personify them. Obama’s bio and political strances shout GenJones, not GenX. Neil Howe has a vested interest in selling his books and speeches which try to sell the idea that generations still last 20 years, and that GenX lasted from 1961 to 1981. He is in the minority, and increasingly so, among generations experts, who generally argue that generations these days are closer to 10-15 years, not 20 years, partly because of the acceleration of culture.
James A: Thanks for your comment.
The most important point is he is NOT A BOOMER. Indeed, I think much of this election will be Boomers vs. the younger generations. To me, the GenJones vs. GenX distinction is way more secondary than the Boomer vs. non-Boomer distinction.
I think the GenJones vs. GenX shows how easy it is to define a generation for the years in the middle of the generation, but how difficult it is define a generation near the boundaries. For me, I’ve always felt that if you were born under Eisenhower, you were a Boomer. If you were born under Kennedy, you were a GenX’er, which places us both at odds with the census bureau, who defines GenX’ers starting in 1964.
I am hurt that anybody in American would vote for Obama. He really is a blank page. He has been campaigning all of 2007 and 2008. He has men in congress carrying him on their backs, doing all the work and lending his name to bills. Where is your investigative ability? Obama is a figment of Oprah’s racist imagination. The white people proved they are not racist by boting for him. But statistics tell us black people have not evolved and vote 97% black. What are you thinking. Obama allows Hillary to give answers on debates and he agrees and then goes off on his stump speech.
He makes us very nervous about his lack of experience under pressure. We feel comfortable that Hillary will stike a peaceful chord throughout the world. She is a workaholic. If you do your research on candidates yourself, not depend on what Obama says instead what has he actully done. Gonna do and has done are two different premises.We do not need a wind bag at this time . I have hired these types who boast what they can do and later I fire them. Years absent in his resume are suspicious. He was “getting out the vote for 2 years. My Grandmother did this, should she be President. I bet you are more qualified that Obama. Did you ever hear of ghost writers? They did a good job of embellishing his(BO) book. If you like sermons, maybe you could go into some of the Christian churches on Sundays and you will leave with the same feeling. No you need to star over. Divide feeling from rational sense. Dirvorce yourself from his web site. Write down what he is saying instead of listening to the tone Read history about Willaim Jennings Bryan , a great orator, without the Republican owned media, the people decided without pundits input, he lost the race 3 times for Presidency. Begain your research. again and I believe you will remake your calls in apology because you have been made a fool by Tom Haden and company. Read about him and his wife Jane Fonda if you want to know what kind of American you are following. Please realilze what is at stake, you wouldn/t hire him to lead a billion dollar company let alone trillion dollar budget. You would not play him in a football game when you are playing the finals. He is a freshman. The Country needs to win with a President that has the capacity to work for us and suceed to get us out of Iraq in a reasonable methodical way.
Good Lord, I am old, then I must vote for Hillary? I am an Obama supporter and I found this piece offensive. When did this become a fight/argument between old and young? I am saddened by this piece. Very sad. Believe it or not boomers have something to offer, so forgive me if I am not ready to head to the retirement home. Boomers fought for civil liberties. Boomers marched for peace. Before you criticize the boomer generation, find out about it because it wasn’t just about The Beatles.
Mary, after making 750+ calls in my precinct on behalf of Obama, I have found most Hillary supporters are women over 50. Many times, the woman supports Hillary, but her grown children support Obama. Part, not all, of what’s going on here IS generational.
Boomers did a lot, no doubt. But as a generation, you’re used to being the center of attention. You are the “me” generation. Sorry, if you’re offended that others have something to say. But thanks for voting for Obama. Please do strike up conversations with your friends about voting for Obama as well, especially if you have friends in Texas or Ohio. Please pick up the phone call and tell them why you’re voting for Obama instead of Clinton. Boomers are great organizers. Organize calling parties to Texas and Ohio. We need you’re enthusiasm, your sense of community service, and your energy to sway voters in Texas and Ohio. Now’s the time.
Willa. Assuming you’re sincere–and that’s a big assumption–huh? You’re personally hurt that someone would vote for Obama? What a statement. Why?
In this post, I have provided direction for you to do your own research. Have you actually listened to any of Obama’s podcasts?
I’m not looking for a CEO, I’m looking for a President. Two different things. To confuse one with the other is to misunderstand the requirements of the job. The government is not just another company. It’s much larger.
“Black people have not evolved” ?!?! Do you have any idea how offensive you are? Or is evolution your thing. Citing William Jennings Bryan, the prosecutor in the Scopes Monkey Trial, leaves your motives suspect. Are you sure you’re supporting Hillary, or Huckabee? Being from Nebraska, I know about Bryan. Maybe you heard he practiced law there.
You asked me, “What are you thinking?” I thought my post was pretty clear. But to repeat, what I’m thinking is this: Obama is the best choice because he has the greatest potential to bring much needed, positive change to the US because of how he thinks; his record as a legislator; and his ability to articulate a vision that’s inclusive.
Willa, you and Mary should talk.