Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Unlikely Comparisons
Two posts in one night! I can't help it. There's just so much to say.
My husband and I just had an interesting conversation and I had to write about it. He is Mexican and can't vote and for the most part doesn't engage heavily in politically charged discussions.
He told me about a coworker who is also a Mexican native but now a U.S citizen. She brought up the subject of the elections and asked him who he was voting for. He can't vote but asked her the same question. She said Obama and my husband asked her why. She really couldn't come up with a qualified answer and her pressed her on it. He wanted to know what she saw in him. My husband offered that he liked listening to Obama and actually found himself quite engaged hearing him speak. He agreed that he is very charismatic and is able to energize large crowds. But, once he is done my husband said he asks himself "wait...what did he really say? What conclusions did he come to? What was the purpose of his speech?" and then realizes how empty his words were. His coworker listened but my husband could see that she wasn't convinced. He reminded her of President Vicente Fox of Mexico.
Vicente Fox ran for president during a time in Mexico in which people were downright weary of the ruling party, the PRI, which had been in power for 76 years. Fox energized the people of Mexico and brought them together. He was charismatic, a phenomenal public speaker and was able to move masses with his words. For the first time in 76 years a new party came into power and the people were excited, emotional, optimistic and hopeful. CHANGE was the ongoing theme of Fox's campaign. He promised change. Change from the current administration. Promises to move forward into a new time and new era. Change, change, change! He was able to accomplish something outstanding by being elected. Voters waited in line for hours to be able to vote. In spite of widespread corruption and voting irregularities (putting it mildly) Fox won. It was an amazing time to be a Mexican citizen. It was a new era. The problem was, Fox never really said anything substantial all those months of campaigning. He repeated his mantra of "change" much like Obama is doing now.
Many today regard Fox as a weak, ineffective president whose administration was as corrupt as any previously. I can't mention his name in our home without seeing smoke rise from my husband's head.
I won't go into details here about Fox's administration but if you are interested there is a great article about Fox's unfulfilled revolution at the link below.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/26/AR2005062601235.html
As my husband was relaying this conversation with his coworker to me I started to feel so proud of him. Like Glenn Beck my husband is a thinker. I appreciate his points of view because they are so well-formed, well-founded and unforced. He is able to support all of his opinions with sound arguments and he tends to be unemotional.
I think if Obama becomes president he will walk into the White House his first day on the job and think "oh shit, what do I do now?" I suggest he have McCain's number on speed dial.
My husband and I just had an interesting conversation and I had to write about it. He is Mexican and can't vote and for the most part doesn't engage heavily in politically charged discussions.
He told me about a coworker who is also a Mexican native but now a U.S citizen. She brought up the subject of the elections and asked him who he was voting for. He can't vote but asked her the same question. She said Obama and my husband asked her why. She really couldn't come up with a qualified answer and her pressed her on it. He wanted to know what she saw in him. My husband offered that he liked listening to Obama and actually found himself quite engaged hearing him speak. He agreed that he is very charismatic and is able to energize large crowds. But, once he is done my husband said he asks himself "wait...what did he really say? What conclusions did he come to? What was the purpose of his speech?" and then realizes how empty his words were. His coworker listened but my husband could see that she wasn't convinced. He reminded her of President Vicente Fox of Mexico.
Vicente Fox ran for president during a time in Mexico in which people were downright weary of the ruling party, the PRI, which had been in power for 76 years. Fox energized the people of Mexico and brought them together. He was charismatic, a phenomenal public speaker and was able to move masses with his words. For the first time in 76 years a new party came into power and the people were excited, emotional, optimistic and hopeful. CHANGE was the ongoing theme of Fox's campaign. He promised change. Change from the current administration. Promises to move forward into a new time and new era. Change, change, change! He was able to accomplish something outstanding by being elected. Voters waited in line for hours to be able to vote. In spite of widespread corruption and voting irregularities (putting it mildly) Fox won. It was an amazing time to be a Mexican citizen. It was a new era. The problem was, Fox never really said anything substantial all those months of campaigning. He repeated his mantra of "change" much like Obama is doing now.
Many today regard Fox as a weak, ineffective president whose administration was as corrupt as any previously. I can't mention his name in our home without seeing smoke rise from my husband's head.
I won't go into details here about Fox's administration but if you are interested there is a great article about Fox's unfulfilled revolution at the link below.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/26/AR2005062601235.html
As my husband was relaying this conversation with his coworker to me I started to feel so proud of him. Like Glenn Beck my husband is a thinker. I appreciate his points of view because they are so well-formed, well-founded and unforced. He is able to support all of his opinions with sound arguments and he tends to be unemotional.
I think if Obama becomes president he will walk into the White House his first day on the job and think "oh shit, what do I do now?" I suggest he have McCain's number on speed dial.
Consider this
cult
Pronunciation: \ˈkəlt\ Function: noun Usage: often attributive
1: formal religious veneration : : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
2: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
3: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
4 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work; b: the object of such devotion c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
Does the last definition remind you of anyone?
Ask any Obama devotee/follower/worshipper what Obama stands for or what he plans to do if he becomes president and they will struggle to provide an answer beyond repetitions of the sound bites and rehearsed, mindless phrases we have heard over and over again. Ask the same person to name one single political accomplishment of Barack Obama... They won't be able to do it. He has NO record. Ok, well, he has a record. But it's a record of not voting on important issues. Barack Hussein Obama has not voted more times than he has. That's the equivalent of never participating in class. He is supposed to be the voice of the people of Illinois who elected him to office and yet he has neglected to adequately represent them by failing to show up and vote. Shouldn't his constituents be angry? If my representatives, who I elected, fail to show up and speak on my behalf I would be justifiably angry.
I end this post with a comment by one of my foreign students who is for all purposes an unbiased onlooker of this election year in the U.S. Without knowing my views (as a teacher I stick to the curriculum) he made this observation about Barack Obama; "He speaks in slogans".
Well put.
Pronunciation: \ˈkəlt\ Function: noun Usage: often attributive
1: formal religious veneration : : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
2: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
3: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
4 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work; b: the object of such devotion c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
Does the last definition remind you of anyone?
Ask any Obama devotee/follower/worshipper what Obama stands for or what he plans to do if he becomes president and they will struggle to provide an answer beyond repetitions of the sound bites and rehearsed, mindless phrases we have heard over and over again. Ask the same person to name one single political accomplishment of Barack Obama... They won't be able to do it. He has NO record. Ok, well, he has a record. But it's a record of not voting on important issues. Barack Hussein Obama has not voted more times than he has. That's the equivalent of never participating in class. He is supposed to be the voice of the people of Illinois who elected him to office and yet he has neglected to adequately represent them by failing to show up and vote. Shouldn't his constituents be angry? If my representatives, who I elected, fail to show up and speak on my behalf I would be justifiably angry.
I end this post with a comment by one of my foreign students who is for all purposes an unbiased onlooker of this election year in the U.S. Without knowing my views (as a teacher I stick to the curriculum) he made this observation about Barack Obama; "He speaks in slogans".
Well put.
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