I Want to Believe

I want to believe so badly; in a truth beyond our own
hidden and obscured from all but the most sensitive eyes...
-- Fox Mulder, "Closure," The X-Files



I've borrowed this video from friend Tara's blog. It's an amazing testament to the power and appeal of this candidate.

I feel the country has become cynical in the last eight years. We've been classified, separated, and divided. Red State, Blue State. Top 1%, Vanishing Middle Class. It's like a poor pastiche of a Dr. Seuss book.

The economy is in crisis. Each day, the price of oil rises higher and higher while the value of the dollar falls freely. And how do our leaders respond? They give us checks so we can hit the malls to "stimulate" the economy.

Pardon me for asking about the white elephant in the room, but why isn't anyone talking about the biggest drain to the American economy? According to some sources, we are spending roughly $275,000,000 (US) per day. (Or rather, we're racking up "credit card" debt in order to finance these "wars.") How can any economy absorb that kind of reckless spending without some consequences?

In looking at the campaign being run by Senator Clinton, one wonders if she's capable of any authenticity whatsoever. She's changed tactics so many times, that it's really hard to see any message from her as anything but an artfully contrived, Madison Avenue production. (I gotta tell you, I found this spot to be more than a little creepy.)

Were Senator Clinton to ask for my advice, I would suggest that she drop the theatrics (and the histrionics), stop the dirty tricks, and simply run a respectful campaign based on the issues and her plans to address them. Let the voting public choose the candidate with the most thoughtful and effective plans.

Now, I fully realize that each candidate's message is focus-grouped, tested, tweaked, and polished to appeal to the widest possible audience.

Senator Obama, though, is charming, charismatic, and smart. His positions seem to be as nuanced as John Kerry's, but without the qualifying...and confusing...jargon. Senator Obama seems convincingly compassionate in a way that a certain other political candidate never did.

Some have compared the Senator's appeal to that of John F. Kennedy. I can't directly compare the two, in part because I was born weeks after he died. However, I see parallel themes between Kennedy's inaugural address and Senator Obama's stump speeches. In addition, the Senator's recent success is building on itself.

Some talk about Senator Obama's lack of experience. However, Kennedy was a one-term senator before becoming President, as was Abraham Lincoln. Clearly, it's occasionally useful to bring a fresh eye to the problems of governance. Given the shenanigans of the last several years, fresh eyes are more than welcome.

I genuinely hope that Senator Obama is being honest when he speaks of change. I want to believe that change is possible. I want to believe to there are honest politicians who put the country's needs above their own. I want to believe that politicians want to serve the majority of their constituents, not just the elite. I want to believe that rule of law is possible and that companies that break the law fulfilling illegal requests from the government are held to the same standards of Justice that the Watergate co-conspirators were held. I want to believe that these wars can be ended quickly and gracefully. I want to believe that we can tackle the problems of terrorism, unrest, and cultural differences with something other violence and coercion.

I genuinely hope that the American people are tired of being lied to; that they've learned to recognize a steaming pile of rhetoric. I want to believe that we've grown up a little bit during the current Administration.

I do know one thing...if *I* were running for office during this election, I would borrow a phrase from a previous generation and ask, quite simply, "Is the country better off now than it was seven years ago?" If so, vote for the status quo. If not, then look at the leading candidates for change...and let their actions demonstrate the truth of their words.

I want to believe Senator Obama is all he says he is. There is, however, a part of me that is afraid he isn't. I sincerely hope that, should he win the nomination, he senses that cynicism and addresses it.

Video credit: DipDive