Barack Obama – The Inspiration Factor

Why I support Barack Obama

Barack Obama represents a rare opportunity for Americans to elect a President that will bring hope and inspiration to a nation that has been riddled with the politics of division, scapegoating, and blame. His vision of America is one that we can all get behind.

I was eleven years old when John Kennedy was elected President. I have vivid memories of the all-too-brief period that he served as the commander-in-chief. His intellect, his humor, his charm, and his presence made him quite the perfect character for this role. I and countless others were always interested in what he had to say, what he was doing, and, amazingly in retrospect, we even paid attention to reports of his press conferences. But what made JFK so very special—in many ways a once in a lifetime leader—was his ability to inspire Americans to come together, to engage in community service, to be better persons, to strive to do great things in the interest of  humankind. His call to “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” became more than an inaugural catch phrase. It set the tone for his administration and his generation, as well as a new generation of which I was a part. His idealism was infectious.

Like any human being, JFK was not perfect, however, his inspirational mark on the psyche of the nation was unmistakable. Certainly, other great Americans have come along in my lifetime with the presence and ability to inspire us in similar ways—Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Yuri Kochiyama, but none with the advantage of the presidential bully pulpit to take center stage on a regular basis to lead the nation to do the right thing.

As the presidential primary season has progressed, it was hard not to realize that something very special was happening. When Barack Obama announced his candidacy last February in Springfield, Illinois, a crowd of 15,000 gathered to cheer him on. Why, I wondered, until I heard his opening words:  “We all made this journey for a reason. It’s humbling, but in my heart I know you didn’t come here just for me, you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that’s shut you out, that’s told you to settle, that’s divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what’s possible, building that more perfect union.” His presence and his speech on the tube were awe-inspiring. But I had to see for myself. So a month later on St. Patrick’s Day 2007, my twenty-something kids and I went to hear Barack speak in front of Oakland’s City Hall where thousands more gathered. His dynamism and charisma is for real. His appeal to an old generation (me) and a new one (my children) is for real. The similar crowds that have gathered across the country to hear Barack are for real. The potential for a new Kennedy-esque President is for real.

Like others, I have parsed through the different positions that the presidential candidates have taken, paying close attention to issues of particular interest to me (and no doubt others): the economy, the war, health care, immigration. Truth be told, on the Democratic side, similarities between Barack and Hillary Clinton on most of these matters are evident, although I continue to be troubled by Clinton’s defense of her vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq and her failure to understand immigration issues in a nuanced manner. Barack Obama has demonstrated the courage to stand up to do the right thing in spite of political danger such as his support of drivers licenses for the undocumented.

The huge difference and overwhelming factor in my decision to support Barack is his potential to lead and inspire the country beyond the politics as usual that we have lived with since the Nixon Administration. As much as I admire Jimmy Carter, he was unable to move the nation to higher aspirations even before his administration was de-railed by the hostage situation in Tehran. Ronald Regan was transformative, but in a negative manner that put us years and steps behind in our nation’s progress toward economic, gender, and racial justice. And while Bill Clinton was a masterful politician, he did not inspire us to greatness and ended up agreeing to compromises that ended up hurting the working class (NAFTA), the poor (welfare reform), and immigrants (1996 legislation and Operation Gatekeeper). I cannot see Hillary breaking out of the leadership morass that has deepened since 1968. But Barack has the special qualities to do so.

I am not so naive to believe that every single policy that a President Obama might support would be great, from my perspective. But I do believe that unlike any other candidate, he can inspire all of us to rise above our differences. I have now spoken with individuals who have known Barack growing up, in high school, in college, in law school, and on the streets of Chicago. To a person, they all attest to his honesty, integrity, openness, and most importantly, his ability to lead. He is special. So special, that while he may be a once-in-a-lifetime President for my children, this could be the second time in my life that I truly can be inspired by the President of the United States–a President who has the ability to inspire Americans to come together, to engage in community service, to be better persons, to strive to do great things in the interest of humankind. A President who is not afraid to share his inspirational idealism.

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