Mr. Obama

OBAMA AND THE PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST

Obama supporters: be advised. The following may upset you. I dislike Mr. Obama’s arrogance- not in that he dares run for president. I have found him to be arrogant, lofty and complacent. In spite of the blessing conferred upon Mr. Obama by Caroline Kennedy, he has none of the charm and charisma of JFK. I am also tired of liberal Democrats invoke the sacred memory of the former president, and cloak themselves in the mantle of JFK. Clinton did it. Kerry did it (ad nauseum) and now we have Obama doing it.

This just in from CNN: Barack Obama plans to take a page from the JFK political play book and have a Cecil B. de Mille ceremony for his acceptance speech near the end of the Democratic National Convention (Monday, July 07, 2008). I understand inspiration and the potent, seductive nostalgia for the Camelot era but please! Be your own man! Create your own era. Don’t borrow so shamelessly. It is troubling to think that so many people are lining up behind Barack Obama for president, because he is black.

I am completely opposed to voting for or against anyone because of race, religion, gender or sexual persuasion- especially when the office in question is Oval, and especially when the stakes have rarely if ever been higher for us as a nation. Of course many of Hillary’s supporters were lining up behind her, because she is a woman. We have never had a woman president. We have never had a black president. We have never had a transvestite as president, but I would refuse to vote for one empowered by the fact that, “We have never had a transvestite as president.”

I say that if the most competent, qualified person running for president happens to be an elderly black, Jewish woman- vote for her! I would do so with great enthusiasm. But we are not “collecting” interesting, diverse people for some sort of political menagerie. In the case of Mr. Obama, he was elected to the US senate in 2004, and started serving his term in Washington in January of 2005. We now know that 2007 was pretty much a write off, as far as experience in the Senate chamber is concerned, because Mr. Obama was focusing on his bid for the Democratic nomination.

One has to wonder about how focused he was on his senatorial duties as far back as 2006, as well. So in terms of executive experience, at the federal level Mr. Obama is a light weight. This does not render the 7 years he spent in the Illinois state legislature invalid or irrelevant. His work there qualified him to run for the US senate. A few terms as a US senator or as a governor of a state would be much more solid credentials on which to build presidential aspirations. As to the argument that he is new, and untainted by the toxins of working within the Beltway- this is flawed reasoning.

If anyone of you reading this blog entry believes that “Sir Barack” will canter into Washington on a white stead, clad in immaculate armor with a plume in his helmet, lance in the air and slay the 3-headed dragon of legislative grid-lock, lobbying and money politics you are dreaming. There is nothing wrong with dreaming, but do not whine if and when those dreams are dashed on the rocks. Washington is, as Wall Street is, an exceptionally tough place to do business. It is the ultimate arena. You need more than dogs as friends to make a difference there (no disrespect to President Truman and his memorable observation).

And when courting “friends” in Washington you need to be prepared to collaborate. This invariably means compromises and alliances. Ultimately this involves deals struck with lobbyists. Remember! We are a nation of disparate, competing interests. Clearly much reform is needed in Washington and in / of our political system. I think Washington DC was far less a swamp back in the early 19th century when it really was a swamp than it is today. Campaign finance and lobbying are two obvious areas in dire need to reform.

But this will not change overnight any more than drilling for oil and gas offshore or in protected wildlife refuges will make much difference in what we pay for gas anytime soon. And while it sounds nice when someone says, “One person can make a difference!” as President Mr. Obama will either observe Washington’s protocols and play by the rules or leave the field a beaten, disillusioned man. I wish Colin Powell had run for the Democratic nomination. I can see solid presidential material in him. As for Mr. Obama?

He is still in Pampers, politically speaking. If he is elected I will line up behind him as our president and hope and pray for the best. As usual our choices and alternatives are less than dazzling. One final concern: would a President Obama be tested in the same way as his hero, JFK, was tested by a cynical and unscrupulous adversary (Nikita. Khrushchev), who seek to take advantage of someone seemingly young, inexperienced and vulnerable? Would a President Obama look to play tough guy, or to make some kind of demonstration to prove these potential adversaries wrong?

I shudder to think of the consequences. I look forward to the day when we have a woman president, a black president, a Jewish president, a Muslim president- as long as they have the resume, experience, credibility and gravitas to be the chief executive.