On Obama's star power

A great essay from Neal Gabler at the Los Angeles Times:

Obama has something else that all great stars have -- he embodies a theme. Every great star is a walking idea. James Cagney demonstrated the power of sheer energy early in his career, and the way that energy could curdle later in his career. Cary Grant demonstrated the force of charm and quick-wittedness. Paul Newman demonstrated the limitations of self-interest and the redemption that comes with engagement outside oneself. Robert Redford demonstrated the deception of appearances. Barbra Streisand, in the immortal words of critic Pauline Kael, demonstrated that talent was beauty. That is what made these individuals stars. They incorporated ideas that mattered to us, that resonated with us.

Obama is a star in this sense too. As he reiterates endlessly, Obama brings idealism at a time when many Americans are despairing of making any headway against the problems the nation faces. Drawing on his own personal story of disadvantage that led to Columbia University, Harvard Law School and now to the Democratic nomination, Obama in his every gesture and utterance suggests that "Yes We Can." This idealism isn't inspiring adulation because Obama is already a star. Obama is a star precisely because he is inspiring. He is the anti-Bush, and what he's selling is hope.

And in a world facing as many challenges as this one, hope is something we need.

Hope is not blind optimism. Hope is not ignorance of the difficulties of the task ahead or the hurdles that stand in your way. It’s just the opposite. I know how hard it’s going to be to pass healthcare reform. I know how difficult it will be to ween ourselves off our dependency on foreign oil. I understand that reducing poverty or improving our schools don’t lend themselves to easy repair. I know because I’ve fought for these things on the streets. I fought in the courts. I’ve watched good legislation die because good intentions were not enough. And we didn’t have the political will or strategy or numbers to beat the powerful who held sway. I’ve seen this country get led into war because of fear and falsehood, and because nobody had the judgment or courage to stand up and ask the tough questions before troops were sent in to fight. I know these things. But what I also know is this. There is nothing this country has ever achieved where somebody somewhere didn’t have some hope.

-- Barack Obama

I'm not blind. I know how much force the "way things are" will exert to remain unchanged.

But there's this: the world does change. I wouldn't have ever guessed when I was first struggling with my sexuality in those dark days of my teen years that gay marriage would be legal in my lifetime. But in several countries--and two U.S. states--it is.

In the 80's I sometimes lay awake at night wondering if the bombs would fall. The fear of the world ending via nuclear annihilation was real. The Soviet Union's dissolution wasn't an outcome that my generation expected.

If you had shared with me twenty years ago any of the particulars of my life today, I would have laughed outloud. And yet here I am.

The world is not static. We are capable of transformation.

But change requires a choice. And to choose something other than what we already have, we need a little hope.