He’s not experienced. True, that. The question is: How much does experience matter? George W. Bush is experienced. Before he got all that experience, he was much less experienced, especially in international affairs. To compensate for his lack of experience, he brought in Dick Cheney and an experienced set of advisors. Want four more years of “experience”? Bill Clinton, on the other hand, was relatively inexperienced when he took office. So was Kennedy (another first term Senator at the time of the election) and Jackson and, of course, Washington (Reagan too, if you want a Republican example). It comes down to trust again, trust that Obama will be the kind of President he makes himself out to be. A lot of skeptics say they don’t have enough data to tell, that there is nothing in his past to indicate what kind of a President he would be in the future. I disagree – for a variety of reasons.
For one, he is a Democrat. There are many similarities between the two parties, but there are substantial differences too, and Obama chose long ago to cast his lot with the Democrats. This means something. It says something fundamental about how he sees the world and how he makes sense of social problems. Second, it means something that he does not come from a privileged background. To get to where he is, from where he started, defies all sorts of odds. No doubt there was a little luck involved (there always is), and I'm sure someone opened this door for him, or that. But you have to figure that given his background, he probably earned more of what he got through some combination of intelligence, work ethic, and people skills than did most of his peers and predecessors. This means something too, especially on the heels of Bush II.
Moreover, the campaign itself speaks volumes. Like Kennedy before him, Obama is focusing on hope, on change, and on trust in the judgment and values of the American people. Mere words? Perhaps. But as Kennedy’s longtime speechwriter and confidante Theodore Sorenson recently wrote in The New Republic:
“On civil rights, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the race to the moon, and other issues, President Kennedy succeeded by demonstrating the same courage, imagination, compassion, judgment, and ability to lead and unite a troubled country that he had shown during his presidential campaign. I believe Obama will do the same.”
Still skeptical?
Ok, me too. After all, the very fact that Obama has the Democratic nomination is an indication that he is, in many important ways, a typical politician – one who is not above playing the same political games as everyone else in Washington. I expect him to have to make some tough compromises, and I am skeptical about his ability to keep all his promises. In this way, I am as skeptical about Obama as I would be about any other candidate – no more and no less. The future is always uncertain. The promise to rid U.S. dependence on Middle East oil within 10 years is the perfect case in point. I don’t know if Obama can deliver. The skeptic in me says “no way…no how”. But I absolutely love the ambition, the vision, and the hope that the promise inspires -- that Obama inspires. Don’t like his vision? Fine. Don’t agree with his politics? I can respect that. But the skepticism about his character…it’s time to let that go.
" target="_blank">click here
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
