The New Hampshire Speech

Another Obama YouTube (go ahead, roll your eyes).

The speech (a CONCESSION SPEECH, btw) which inspired the "Yes We Can" song/video.

Please watch and listen to this and then tell me that this man is NOT inspirational. Seriously, this speech kicks ass. And before you ask, no, it's not a policy speech.



People are saying (and it has become a buzz in media and on the streets) that there is some sort of over-enthusiasm in the Obama crowd. It's bizarre to frame that enthusiasm negatively. Could we also not say that there is a decided (or comparative) *lack* of enthusiasm in other supporters? Or even less controversially, say there is a different kind of enthusiasm? I think we could fairly say that.

Trust me, I am no more in the market for a saviour than I am... I dunno, a motorcycle. Although people keep accusing Obama of aspiring to be a saviour, I don't hear that in this speech or in other things I've read about his campaign or policies.

He's not saying anything that other politicians haven't said about working together or whatever, but he has the heart and voice of an organizer. He *gets* people, and although I've heard little about them (which, I think is a good thing), his campaign managers are doing an amazing job.

I feel oddly that I want to write about this, but I really do. I want to say that I, a person who has felt so hopeless in so many ways, has been, if nothing else, inspired by both the candidate Barack Obama and the reaction to his candidacy (although some of it depresses me, the shaded racist stuff I'm beginning to hear, for one).

The Boyfriend brought up a good point about Sen. Obama's policy, that he has pledged to raise the military budget, and what occurred to me (and what I said in response) was that *any* president will raise the defense budget. I am personally against both militarization and defense spending which outstrips domestic, but I understand that on that count I'm likely to remain disappointed for the rest of my life. I'm dealing with the reality of that.

Anyhow, I don't agree and won't agree with EVERYTHING that candidate (then President) Obama says or does. I've never found a regular human being that I feel that way about.

But I believe in him, in his ability and talents and "electability" (despite my grave misgivings about racism, which, admit it, takes a place in this race along with sexism). And even if he is not the Dem's choice for presidential nominee (which, I would point out to Democrats, is a bad idea), I'll still be believing in what his campaign and what his words have brought to me this year.