Superfat Tuesday

Four years ago during the Democratic National Convention, I stood face to face with Senator Barack Obama. As he walked through the lobby of The Colonnade Hotel, he exuded charisma and confidence. He had a presence that you could feel and a smile that was contagious. I shook his hand and told him that he was going to do great things for this country. I knew then that he had the potential to transform the country I just didn’t know how quickly he would make an impact.

* * *

Superfat Tuesday was a long awaited day, and a historic day at that. As everyone in New Orleans geared up for another alcohol induced stupor, twenty-two states prepared to vote to see who would represent each political party. And amazingly, despite the fact that this charade will continue for several months, I think that we determined not only who the candidates will be, but who will win this battle.

We all know that politics is a game of rhetoric. Politics is a game that the media, lobbyists, campaign managers, and voters play to see who will be the President of the United States. Each interest group tries to swing the votes in its favor as the voters desperately try to determine fact from fiction. Interestingly, the democratic political landscape is largely determined by these few and is tangentially determined by the people. Name recognition, party affiliation, and access to information play a larger role than we sometimes wish. And yet, because it is a game, everyone can play. This is a game that we can join in and a game that we can win. It’s not going to be an easy road, nor should we expect it to be, and that is what makes it so much fun to play.

* * *

Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee showed that despite their good intentions, the Republicans wanted one candidate to get behind. John McCane is the old man whose depends they want to hold as he desperately hobbles his way towards the finish line. Perhaps Huckabee will earn the Vice Presidential nomination, but McCane’s old school values, lack of religiosity, and hundred year war provide them with the best chance to unify the majority of the country behind the status quo. Why change what’s not working?

As for the Democrats, although it is still too close to call for the networks, I think that the tide is shifting in a positive new direction. As Hilary paraded up in her yellow jumpsuit and read her canned speech, it was clear that this motherly figure appealed to a motherly and grandmotherly crowd. She had swayed the votes of baby boomers and their parents, but the younger generations were not wooed or swayed by her political jargon. They were instead inspired, excited, and hopeful for the prospect of changing the face of the country.

* * *

As CNN cut away from John McCain’s “victory” speech to cover Barack Obama’s speech, I could sense that the tide was beginning to turn. The Obama campaign decided not only that they were going to interrupt the McCain speech, but also that they were going to be the very last speech on Superfat Tuesday. Obama’s speech, geared towards a bipartisan national audience at the end of the biggest primary day of all time, let America know that he had the edge over Hilary and over the Republican Party. It was at that moment that I knew this was a time to hope for change.

Barack Obama represents the future of this country. He provides not only a fresh new set of values, but also a passionate fervor to implement these important changes. Obama knows that the task of transforming this country will not be easy and in some cases will not be accepted. Maintaining the status quo always seems to be easier than changing the status quo regardless of the atrocities perpetrating this country. Living in a dysfunctional reality never seems dysfunctional until you alter your perspective. Bush believes that he is plotting a functional course as he continues to lead us down a dysfunctional path. But the time for change is now! We must transform our image and our priorities if we are to survive in this rapidly shifting world. Our policies towards education, healthcare, the environment, and the economy are in dire need of change and we need a charismatic leader to take the reigns of this country! Obama is that leader and our next President!

* * *

I made the joke about a year ago that McCain would be the president of this country and that we were not ready for a woman, a Mormon, or an African American. I said that the majority of this country would not stand for a change that drastic. I firmly believed that we were stuck in the past and preaching a set of values that were incongruent with the reality in which we lived. I truly believed this sentiment until just this week.

On Superfat Tuesday, I was finally able to be hopeful, excited, and inspired for the first time. I was finally able to believe that this country has the capability to transform. Yes, we can make a difference in our own reality, our own country, and our own world! Yes, we can bring about the necessary changes to become functional once again! Yes, we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!