TALK TO THE DADDY

Hello. Come on in. The daddy writes about current events, literature, music and, once in a while, drops something on you from back in the day to make you pause and ponder, stop and stare, and begin to wonder. Who knows? You may start to pace the floor, shake your head from side to side, then fall down on bended knees in a praying position and cry, "Lawd, have mercy! What is this world coming to?" Check yourself! But this blog is NOT about the daddy. It's about you: your boos, your fam, your hood, your country...our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. So let's make a pact: the daddy will put it on the track if you'll chase it down and hit him back. Together, we can definitely take it to another level. Shall we?"

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Could Obama Be The Cure?

History says, Don't hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime,
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up.
And hope and history rhyme."
--from "The Cure for Troy," quoted by Ted Sorenson

1. Did you hear Senator Clinton's speech last night? Celebrating her victory in Kentucky? She said she will continue the campaign. That was expected. But did you see her falsely claim that she has more popular votes than Sen. Obama? Of course, she's counting Florida, whose numbers don't count, and Michigan, where Obama wasn't even on the ballot. Sticking this campaign out til the end may enhance Senator Clinton's resume as fighter. It may also support those who see her tendency to exaggerate or lie to win, such as the day she lived in Bosnia under sniper fire, when the cameras showed her calmly walking down a rap with a little girl waiting to give her flowers and to sing her a song.

2. Yes, by securing a majority of pledged delegates, presidential candidate Obama moved closer to securing the democratic nomination for the presidency. But did you notice what he didn't say? He didn't say, "I got the pledged delegates, I got the popular votes, I got the superdelegates. So,baby, it's all over but the crying for Hillary and her people!" No. He was humble and deferential. There are two reasons for this, one political and one personal.

The political reason is that he simply doesn't want to alienate Clinton's supporters. He knows that, despite blaming the media for the way Senator Clinton was treated, despite claiming that Obama is a sexist, Obama knows that most of her supporters will vote for him in the general. And he's right. Research shows that Americans who say they will not vote for a candidate from their own party in a primary almost always vote for that candidate from their party in the general. Obama knows that Clinton supporters will be no different. He was only trying to ensure that as many as possible vote in the general.

The personal reason is that Obama doesn't appear to be a mean-spirited politician who would unnecessarily make another person, even a candidate of a mean-spirited campaign adversary like Clinton, look small. He appears to be genuine about the notion of pulling all Americans together. This is at least, in part, the reason he was deferential to Senator Clinton last night, saying she has run a tough campaign, that she has, in his words, "shattered myths and broken barriers and changed the America for my daughters and your daughters."

This characteristic is one of the reasons he has won a majority of the pledged delegates, has superdelegates endorsing him in droves, and will probably be the next president of the United States-- In Obama, people see more they don't see a power-grabbing, self-self-serving politician, they see the positive attributes of a good leader, a good man.

3. Did you hear that Ted Sorensen, John Kennedy's adviser and speechwriter, endorsed Obama. He said great leaders rarely come along in one's lifetime. He said he's seen two in his: John Kennedy and Barack Obama. And by quoting Irish poet Seamus Heaney (see above), he clearly suggested that Obama is the John Kennedy of our times.

The daddy thinks Sorenson may be right.


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Doesn't it seem quite rare to have a leader in the public's eye who's willing to rise above the fray? Who eschews name-calling and mud slinging? We're probably starved of this as a society. We're confused too. We think strong leaders can stay in there and fight. Go in an take out Sadam Husein. Fight the Republicans in congress. It's all about the fight. But what of the ability (rare ability I should say) for someone to come in and say "wait a minute, do you see what's happening here?" This seems to be a crux of who we need as president. Someone who can essentially give us all a "time out" -- so we can step back and say, "is this who really want to be as a nation?" Ok, nation. Time OUT! Now. Go Obama!

SagaciousHillbilly said...

A Hillbilly thinks so too.

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

Anon: What a giant step up an Obama presidency would be, huh?
sagacious: Thanks. An update about the guy that was trying to preach to me and the fellas about how great Bill Haley was. Three things. He felt bold enough to sit with us and preach because he was trying to fit in, as you said. Two: He's a teacher. So he's used to playing Mr. Know-it-all, even when he's wrong. Third, several friends of mine, who have taught themselves, say the younger generation don't much about American history, including American music. So I shouldn't be surprised.

They make good points. Be well.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mac Daddy,

This nun in the 'Hood has resorted to PRAYER over this whole political mess....The Creator is in charge of this 'once in a lifetime' chance to reclaim the American Dream! It says somewhere in Scripture that only Prayer can cast out some demons...Now I am not suggesting that Billary has a demon....Maybe the American people have the demon of ignorance...WHY CAN WE NOT SEE AND HEAR A PROPHETIC VOICE in the person of Senator Obama....So....I am praying for us, the American people...We ARe speaking, and we need to continue to speak the TRUTH.....Perhaps you and your readers could join me in making a chain of prayer by whatever name you/they call God.

Jonzee said...

I think what bothers me most about Senator Clinton and her supporters is that they seem to lost faith in the hope of the future for his country. They seem to believe the only way to get things done is the old mud-slinging way and that anyone who believed any different is a naive "kool-aid" drinker.

On the other hand, a number of very politically minded very politcally motivated Obama supporters rub it in and I think that makes Clinton supporters seem like sore losers.

After all, at this point the data is the data. Her actions have been recorded and memorexed. Those who want to see it do. Those who don't won't. And Senator Clinton has proven two things--1) If you don't take your opponent seriously he/she just might win (Tortoise and the Hare, anyone?) and 2) If you tell a lie, tell it well, and keep on telling it until it might as well be the truth--because it might just keep you in the game.

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

nun: I agree. It's a mess. Maybe the next time I come over and visit you, our prayers can join together. As you know, this is not about Hillary (although she doesn't seem to think so) or Obama. It's about this country: Putting back on some sense of political and economic stability or normalcy. I fear the democratic party is going to blow its chance to do some great work for America. Love you, Sister.

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

jonzee: Welcome. I find this point of yours very intriguing: that, if you lie, and keep lying, it can keep you in the game. Surely, Hillary is the perfect illustration of that theory correct. But what the theory has me wondering is this: at what point do the lies begin to catch up with a person? At what point do cumulative outcome of all the exaggerations, misstatements, spin about leading in the popular vote, the white working class, and lies come together and people say, "Not only do I not want this person to be my president, I don't even want this person to be my neighbor?"

When is enough enough?
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I'll be in touch.