Because of Hope -- the Words of a Great Communicator
Hillary says words are not enough, that they may be eloquent but insufficient. Words alone are insufficient, but as Ronald Reagan demonstrated the ability to communicate a vision is important. The ability to inspire hope, which is what a great communicator can do is important to our future.
I don't know about you, but when the current President -- who is not a great communicator -- speaks you kind of wish he'd stop. But when one is able to stir a soul (and yes demagogues do this as well) action will follow.
Barack Obama, more than any other candidate, has the tools to do this. He knows how to speak to the heart and to the mind. He may not be the master of the soundbite or be the best debater, but when given the opportunity his voice soars and the listener is inspired to do something great.
If you don't believe, then listen as he speaks today at a rally in New Hampshire:
I don't know about you, but when the current President -- who is not a great communicator -- speaks you kind of wish he'd stop. But when one is able to stir a soul (and yes demagogues do this as well) action will follow.
Barack Obama, more than any other candidate, has the tools to do this. He knows how to speak to the heart and to the mind. He may not be the master of the soundbite or be the best debater, but when given the opportunity his voice soars and the listener is inspired to do something great.
If you don't believe, then listen as he speaks today at a rally in New Hampshire:
Comments
http://www.thestatewerein.com/2008/01/02/documentary-hope-for-change/
But I have been one of those who have bemoaned the decline of great political oratory. Because we DO need to be inspired in order to struggle for progressive change. And Obama combines the oratory of the great civil rights preachers with the political speeches of a John F. Kennedy--or, even more, of Bobby Kennedy.
I have known that since his keynote in '04 and I took my daughter to see him here in Louisville in '06 (before he was running for president) when he helped my new Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) get elected. He's electrifying.
But it is not just oratory. He got the young to caucus in Iowa by using his skills as a community organizer. I saw this yesterday watching C-Span (I know; I'm a nerd). They covered an event with Michelle Obama. She's also a good communicator (they met in Yale Law School, after all), though not in his league. (I think she's as good as Hillary is, if not better, but she'd probably lose a debate with Elizabeth Edwards!) But I watched Michelle Obama with teens who were under voting age--and she got them to agree to bring 2-3 eligible voters apiece to the polls on Tuesday!
She also got the adults to promise to bring friends, drive people--it's a standard campaign tool. I have worked on campaigns and know the Get Out the Vote strategies. But I looked in the star-struck eyes of those children and youth and I saw commitment--and they don't have jobs. You can bet they will DRAG their parents and older sibs, etc. to the polls!
If the Obama team can use those same community organizing skills IN OFFICE, then he might truly accomplish the sweeping change that he promises--the creation of a new majority, a new center. THAT has the GOP running scared. I will have no problem supporting him as the nominee--but I still wish he'd adopt Edwards' healthcare plan and climate change plan and a more progressive foreign policy outlook. I want SUBSTANCE and style to go together.
As we both know campaign promises are simply that -- the reality is what comes later when the boots are on the ground.
I think there are two things that Obama brings to the table -- I focused on one and you brought up the other -- that can make a significant difference in the next 4 to 8 years. He has the ability to inspire -- like the Kennedy's (and remember that Bobby Kennedy had been in the Senate for only 2 years when he ran) -- and to organize people. That latter gift may be his biggest asset, for to move forward and make change you have to organize people -- not just boss them around.