ELECTION 2008
Barack Obama strives to give America "Reason to Believe"

By Thom White

January 27, 2008 -- According to the electronic voting machines used for the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, Sen. Barack Obama stomped Sen. Hillary Clinton in the state with 55% of the vote. Lady Clinton earned 27%, while Ex-Sen. John Edwards picked up 18%.

In celebration, Barack Obama gave a victory speech before an excited crowd in Columbia, S.C., where at one point, he advocated for a "politics of common sense, of innovation. A politics of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity."

Sen. Obama's campaign slogan is, "Change you can believe in." His message does not operate in a vacuum, but is clearly tailored toward the voter who is against everything the U.S. government has been doing since 2001.

"Change" can be a vague term. "Change" (as this writer understands it) should be a means to an end. In Sen. Obama's campaign, "Change" is now the end in itself. But shouldn't "Change" be more clearly defined for voters, so we know what we're really getting into?

Barack Obama has given some hints about what his "Change" will be like for us. Some of the modest rewards that will result from "Change"? "Health care, good schools, decent wages." And regarding the U.S. occupation of Iraq (where big change is overdue), Sen. Obama aims to "put an end to a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged."

An emerging sub-theme in Barack Obama's heralded "Change" message is that we Americans are going to have to sacrifice -- a lot.

In a somewhat mournful tone, Sen. Obama said, "The Change we seek has always required great struggle and great sacrifice … The Change will not be easy. Change will take time. There will be setbacks, and false starts. And sometimes, we'll make mistakes …"

During his victory speech, Sen. Obama made an oblique reference to critics of Barack, critics of "Change." "There are those who will continue to tell us that we can't do this; that we can't have what we're looking for; that we can't have what we want … that we're peddling false hopes…. Don't tell us Change can't happen! Yes, we can Change!"

Many of the details of Barack Obama's life remain a mystery, and unfortunately, much of his political program appears to be just as fuzzy. I still have the "audacity to hope" Barack Obama would make a better president than Lady Clinton, but before I cast my vote, I hope to see a more detailed summary of the particular "sacrifices" that Sen. Obama has in store for us to effect this much-vaunted "Change."

Contact Thom White @ CITIZINE@CITIZINEmag.com

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