Nathan, Obama’s Got What It Takes
Posted by Alice Chasan on June 4, 2008
Nathan—
You’re talking about attachment to a particular candidate, the kind of personalization of the process that’s led Hillary Clinton supporters to vow they’ll vote for McCain now that their candidate has lost. That kind of love sickness leads to distorted thinking.
You don’t need to love Barack Obama — although millions respond to him on a very deep emotional level. You just have to recognize that he’s got what it takes to govern in a profoundly different way than the one that’s led the country to a pretty frightening place.
It’s simply not true that there’s no exit out of the messes we’re in. Obama’s got a perspective on how to execute that most American of all maneuvers, but with a progressive twist: lifting ourselves up by our collective bootstraps.
Let’s focus on what gifts Barack Obama brings to the table. And they are manifest if you study his background as an organizer.
From the perspective of those who work to reinvigorate disinvested communities, redress social and economic inequities for America’s poor and marginalized populations, and infuse young people with a passion for democratic engagement, Obama embodies the characteristics the country needs in a leader.
About the author more »
Alice Chasan served as editor and associate publisher of Shelterforce magazine, nhi.org, and shelterforce.org through 2008. During 29 years as a journalist, Chasan has won awards for her investigative and political reporting and public-policy analysis. Her magazine posts have included the chief editorship of World Press Review magazine, executive editorships at Tikkun and The American Prospect, and the chief editorship of New Jersey Reporter, a monthly magazine of politics and public policy. She also served as program and editorial director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, the New York City-based international press freedom advocacy organization.
National Housing Institute
There are no comments on this article yet. Start the discussion below.
POST YOUR COMMENTS register or login