Yes we can
Well, the night in New Hampshire certainly didn't end the way that I and so many pollsters expected! But in a way, not a surprise. When I was canvassing today I spoke to a couple of women who were leaning strongly towards Obama, but now that he was "the front runner" they were taking a closer look to make sure they were certain.
So Obama's close second place finish behind Clinton in New Hampshire will, as the campaign progresses, surely make him a better candidate. And I still believe that he's the best candidate in the race and ultimately the next occupant of the White House.
Interestingly, when I saw coverage of Hillary's "emotional" moment at the diner yesterday, I immediately texted my mother to say:
I don't know how much of an effect that moment had on the voters of New Hampshire, but I think it's a positive thing if we get to see the best that Hillary has to offer. It may mean that we have a more substantive campaign that fully vets the Democratic nominee for the final run to November.
Why do I believe that Obama is the best choice? One reason has to do with what I learned in Landmark Education's Self Expression and Leadership Course. One of the ideas they present is that we are only partially responsible for who shows up when we walk into a room. Who we are is also shaped by how people listen to us.
A simple example: the woman who led the course had our full attention; we knew her as someone with a lot of knowledge and wisdom that we were eager to tap. We were on the edge of our seats as she spoke. She took note of all of that but told us that in her daughter's school she was "just another mother." She wasn't active in the PTA; she didn't volunteer there. When she walked down the hallway at the school she didn't have the stature that she had when she walked into our seminar. She was the same woman in both situations, but how we listened to her and how the people at her daughter's school listened to her was very different, and that difference in listening shaped the potential impact that she could make in each environment.
And so while Hillary has skills and experience that have surely prepared her for the Presidency, there is also a huge contingency in America that has made up their minds about her, and they aren't going to change their minds. For far too many, the case on Hillary is closed. And that will limit her ability to lead the country down a path that doesn't resemble the polarization of the past 15 years.
Perhaps I am wrong... but I am likely more optimistic and willing to hear a change in Hillary than most Republicans.
What I am certain about is that Obama is already admired and respected by not only Democrats but also Republicans and independents. He doesn't carry any baggage that will weigh him down as he leads all of us who are so hungry for change down a road to a rejuvenated American spirit.
And I will tell you this: just as Obama has the ability to draw out the very best in America, I think he did the same for Hillary Clinton in the past few days...
And if he can do it for her, tell me why we shouldn't all get behind this man?
So Obama's close second place finish behind Clinton in New Hampshire will, as the campaign progresses, surely make him a better candidate. And I still believe that he's the best candidate in the race and ultimately the next occupant of the White House.
Interestingly, when I saw coverage of Hillary's "emotional" moment at the diner yesterday, I immediately texted my mother to say:
Did u see the "clinton gets emotional" video? it's a tough tightrope to walk but it was moving to see her in an unguarded moment.
I don't know how much of an effect that moment had on the voters of New Hampshire, but I think it's a positive thing if we get to see the best that Hillary has to offer. It may mean that we have a more substantive campaign that fully vets the Democratic nominee for the final run to November.
Why do I believe that Obama is the best choice? One reason has to do with what I learned in Landmark Education's Self Expression and Leadership Course. One of the ideas they present is that we are only partially responsible for who shows up when we walk into a room. Who we are is also shaped by how people listen to us.
A simple example: the woman who led the course had our full attention; we knew her as someone with a lot of knowledge and wisdom that we were eager to tap. We were on the edge of our seats as she spoke. She took note of all of that but told us that in her daughter's school she was "just another mother." She wasn't active in the PTA; she didn't volunteer there. When she walked down the hallway at the school she didn't have the stature that she had when she walked into our seminar. She was the same woman in both situations, but how we listened to her and how the people at her daughter's school listened to her was very different, and that difference in listening shaped the potential impact that she could make in each environment.
And so while Hillary has skills and experience that have surely prepared her for the Presidency, there is also a huge contingency in America that has made up their minds about her, and they aren't going to change their minds. For far too many, the case on Hillary is closed. And that will limit her ability to lead the country down a path that doesn't resemble the polarization of the past 15 years.
Perhaps I am wrong... but I am likely more optimistic and willing to hear a change in Hillary than most Republicans.
What I am certain about is that Obama is already admired and respected by not only Democrats but also Republicans and independents. He doesn't carry any baggage that will weigh him down as he leads all of us who are so hungry for change down a road to a rejuvenated American spirit.
And I will tell you this: just as Obama has the ability to draw out the very best in America, I think he did the same for Hillary Clinton in the past few days...
And if he can do it for her, tell me why we shouldn't all get behind this man?
Labels: election2008
posted by michael at 8:02 PM
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