How to elect Barack Obama president by Dara

"If enough people want something, and they have the right leadership, it can happen."

How I did it: I grew up in a household of conservative Southern segregationists.  I remember deciding that I didn't agree, and that I didn't want that for my children.  Apparently a lot of other Americans decided something similar -- how else could this country have changed enough for tonight to happen?  Amazing -- and thrilling! -- that we were able to see that this remarkable leader, drawing on his experience as a mixed-race man, drawing on many other experiences in his life, was truly the leader our country needs at this time. 

And yes, I know this election wasn't about me, and here I am talking about myself.   I feel so fortunate that we were able to elect a leader inspiring enough to lead us through the challenges to come.  I'm so glad I could vote for him.

Lessons & tips: Never despair!


4 people found this helpful
 

Nov 04, 2008, 08:41PM PST | 21 comments | 23 cheers


Comments:

Kalibebti loves it all : )

cheers!

:)

Nov 05, 2008, 10:56AM PST | Respond to this 1 cheer

Happy Phantom is raising money for Shari's Crohnies

Thank you!

According to Obama, the election was all about you! Bravo for changing the world!

Nov 05, 2008, 02:31PM PST | Respond to this 1 cheer

TruckBuddy Is just trying to get home for Christmas so I can vote for Obama!

Ok, so you don’t agree with Southern Segregationists. Well, I grew up in Southern California. So, maybe I didn’t agree with everything either, but welllll… How could this country have changed that much, is the question alright. Just wait until your infatuation with the man wears off and see that he’s really not here to make it better. Can you please tell me just one of his policies that caused you to believe what you do about him? And even vaguely how he’ll help or make it better? Could you be more specific, using less emotional words; thrilling, amazing, remarkable leader, when he hasn’t led a thing. What experience does he have? How is he inspiring enough to lead us through the challenges to come? Again, all coming from a position of emotionalism.

Dec 27, 2008, 10:08AM PST | Thread | Respond to this 1 cheer

Dara Same letters, same old me.

OK, I'll be more specific.

I did a lot of reading about Obama (and not just his books, either) before I “came over” to vote for him. The primary thing that struck me about his work in Chicago was his willingness to listen to people, to look for points of connection, and to move forward from there, rather than to polarize and demonize his opposition. The community organizing that Gov Palin had such fun denigrating involved getting a place at the conference table for people who had, up to that time, no voice and less hope. He galvanized that community, got it working on its own behalf, and helped them make themselves heard.

Because President-Elect Obama has experience working with people who are “working poor” he is equipped to make policy that actually works for them, rather than against them.

The guy actually managed to rise in Illinois politics while still keeping his nose clean. That is truly amazing.

In the debates, he kept his cool. He didn’t need to grimace, or go for the “gotcha” soundbites that his opponent seemed to think were going to impress someone.

I want a return of civility to American civil life. I want people to quit talking about what “idiots” people are who don’t agree with them—instead, I want to see some movement forward on real problems.

As for leadership, he led a campaign that was funded not only by PAC money and Wall Street but also with significant funds from the grassroots: he had the brains to figure out how to really use the Internet for organizing and fundraising. He seems to attract quality talent, and he has fewer scummy friends than most politicians I’ve seen. (There is no politician alive who does not have some scummy friends. Goes with the turf.)

And as for your insults, Mr. warrentalb—yeah, it was an emotional post. There’s no rule against that. I had an emotional reaction to seeing the election play out the way it did. I’m not sure why it was important to you to leave a nasty post about it. But my vote was not emotional. I came to the Obama camp late and after a lot of careful thought.

Dec 27, 2008, 02:55PM PST | Thread | Respond to this 6 cheers

TruckBuddy Is just trying to get home for Christmas so I can vote for Obama!

Are we talking research here?

I’ll take this point by point and provide GOOGLE searches you or anybody can do.
GOOGLE: “obama community organizer”
And I won’t get into the politics of what Gov Palin countered because she didn’t bring up near the information that a simple GOOGLE search can. Your term “galvanize is an emotional term. Saying he wouldn’t demonize and denegrade the opposition is elevating him to “superstar’. Sorry, I won’t go there. GOOGLE “obama working poor”, Oh geesh…. right at the top! A Chicago Sun Times article explaining that Obama can’t remember his association with Rezko! And I’m only to your second paragraph! Why is it I have to do the research for you people!

I just can’t go on, sorry.

Dec 27, 2008, 04:18PM PST | Respond to this

jimrin

While everyone is entitled to their opinion

this also means we don’t have to put up with people who are narrow-minded and insulting. It seems your friend here can’t get over the fact that Obama got more votes than any other presidential candidate in history.

You (Adar) are being extremely patient which is admirable… but there is a limit to what a person should have to put up with…. This is what I find the “Delete” link useful for.

PS. I decided to use “your friend” simply because other nouns I was thinking would not be appropriate in mixed company. I know he was just some random person compelled to force his opinion on others.

Dec 27, 2008, 04:50PM PST | Thread | Respond to this 6 cheers

Dara Same letters, same old me.

Excellent point, Jimrin.

I’m opting out of this discussion as of now, because I don’t waste time on flames.

I really enjoy 43Things and I really don’t want to be part of trashing it up.

Thanks for the reminder!

Dec 27, 2008, 08:31PM PST | Thread | Respond to this 2 cheers

jimrin

What makes a democratic society great..

is that each person’s vote counts equally—a poor person’s vote is the same as a rich person’s vote, a less educated person’s vote is the same as a more educated person’s vote.

From a Harris poll in August (I didn’t want to spend too much effort trying to find the most up to date poll. I would imagine the final poll numbers were not too much different.):

Obama leads among those with some college (+16), college graduates (+14) and has his biggest lead among those with post-graduate education (+30). However because more educated people are more likely to vote these findings are not good news for McCain

I’m not trying to jump to any conclusions based on this poll, but it is still an interesting poll. It is also interesting to hear claims from a McCain supporter that people who voted for Obama did it based on little or no reasoning…

Dec 28, 2008, 10:52AM PST | Respond to this 8 cheers

Cloudberry My content is my own, unless I tell you otherwise.

very insulting

to assume that we all voted for Obama out of some kind of emotional response to him. What is he, a Svengali, or has he put acid in our collective kool-aid? And what does that make us, idiots?

That’s what your post implies.

And what evidence do you have, on your part, to be able to say that “he’s really not here to make it better”?

Dec 27, 2008, 03:24PM PST | Thread | Respond to this 1 cheer

TruckBuddy Is just trying to get home for Christmas so I can vote for Obama!

Obama!

Obama, obama, bama bama o! Hey OB! OB! You’re a god to me! Bama! hey Obama, my Superstar!

Your vote is based upon emotion. He’s asked that we believe, and indeed people have fallen at his feet.

Talking is cheap, people want to believe!

Hummm…. I feel a song coming on!

Sorry if I’m coming on insulting, but I just don’t get this Obamamania. The Office Of President Of The United States is a stewardship position, not the god-like mania people have set him up to be.

Stewardship, in the sense he will protect and defend The Constitution Of The United States along with our venerated symbols, traditions and documents. Non of which I’m convinced he gives a rat’s ass about.

Dec 27, 2008, 03:51PM PST | Thread | Respond to this

Cloudberry My content is my own, unless I tell you otherwise.

there must be

some reason why you don’t get it, or why you don’t like Obama, or trust him. You should think about that.

If you haven’t been paying attention, it’s not my job, or Adar’s, to enumerate the policies that make so much more sense than business as usual.

Re. our venerated documents – he’s a constitutional scholar. I imagine he knows a little bit about venerated documents.

But the main thing is that he is committed to restoring the lot of the American people, at home and, more broadly, throughout the world, instead of shoving our “venerated documents” down the throats of the rest of the world, at gunpoint. That’s (in part) why he voted against the Iraq war, which quite demonstrably has not improved our lot in the world.

Gotta run… happy holidays to you.

Dec 27, 2008, 03:59PM PST | Thread | Respond to this 4 cheers

TruckBuddy Is just trying to get home for Christmas so I can vote for Obama!

Pledge Of Allegiance

GOOGLE:
“obama pledge of allegiance”

And I think you may understand why I don’t trust him. Again, I would see that our president is a protector of or venerated traditions, symbols and documents. Further, I do not see that he is a patriot.

This research can be done by anyone, very easily and in respect to the below post, I will leave it at that because I have made my point. Thank you very much.

Dec 27, 2008, 04:29PM PST | Thread | Respond to this

Hey, Warren! - Uncle Enore
Uh huh... - TruckBuddy
Well, now, Warren, let's talk about this just a bit. - Uncle Enore
Yes the sky is falling - TruckBuddy
Well, Warren, I understand that YOU think it is. - Uncle Enore

wren "I will not be reconstructed..."

Warrentalb

I see that you are new to 43 Things. Welcome. Let me direct you to the Community Guidelines, which can be found here Please take a few minutes to read them so that you can be a responsible member of the 43T community. In particular, I’d like to point out to you these guidelines:

YOU SHOULD
Be supportive
43 Things is a site about people’s goals. The site has been created with a positive intent and we ask that you help further that intention. Cheer on someone you admire or share words of encouragement. As your mother may have said, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”.

Be respectful
43 Things is a community of many types of people who may not think what you think, believe what you believe or see what you see. So, be polite and respectful in your interactions with other members.

In other words, if you’re looking for a place to pass the time trolling around for heated political debate and slamming other people’s opinion’s, this isn’t really the place for it.

Namaste.

Dec 27, 2008, 04:16PM PST | Thread | Respond to this 9 cheers

Uncle Enore

And yet, Wren...

...there may be those of us who, while generally supporting what you’ve said, might carry attitudes and opinions that differ a meaningful degree.

I didn’t see anything Warren wrote that struck me as insulting or disrespectful. What I saw was someone with a point of view that differed and he simply spoke about it. The insulting and disrespectful attitudes seemed to me to be coming from the “43ers with seniority” who just didn’t like what he was saying, rather than the new guy.

Differing opinions don’t bother me at all, and I think people should be encouraged to voice them. Neither “respect” nor “insulting” mean “don’t differ in your opinion.” Further, 43 Things doesn’t seem to be to be set in stone. Many of us have political and religious and social discussions here that become strong and loud, and I think that’s just fine. The site was crawling with these sorts of discussions for weeks and months before the election.

I think Warren was chastised, not because he was insulting or disrespectful or forceful, but because his opinion is not the popular one. I may or may not hold the same opinions he does, but I’m happy to listen to them.

Dec 28, 2008, 05:21AM PST | Thread | Respond to this 1 cheer

The whole election process, - Shelly's been cast out by God
I agree almost completely. - Uncle Enore
well, - wren
(This comment was deleted.)

Dec 27, 2008, 04:17PM PST

(This comment was deleted.)

Jun 18, 2009, 08:16AM PDT


Dara has gotten 23 cheers on this entry.

 

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