Barack, The Response

Tonight, I attended the Barack rally. Although some people paid $2300 to be there, b/c it was held on campus, there were a lot of tickets sold at $23. Maybe Barack didn't raise a lot of money, but I think he got a lot of young people inspired. He was treated like a rock star with the chanting and the shouting and the shaking of hands afterwards. It was, in a word, inspiring.


I'm not solidly in his camp. I was certainly swayed by his charisma, but I don't want to align my allegiance with him prematurely without investigating the issues and making a substantive decision, instead of a gut one. Yeah, I might think that Hillary is too divisive to win, but is that really fair and educated?

Barack presented serious ideas for change. Get out of Iraq, period. Universal healthcare. Invest in early education instead of prisons. Close Guantanamo. Lead, and be leaders in the world once again. And lead by changing our policy.


He also said some interesting things. To paraphrase, he admitted that he would make mistakes and that he would get weary. He called on us, as citizens, to keep the movement going forward. That probably struck me the most. I mean, at first, I was like, hmm, I don't know if I want my president to admit that he will make mistakes and will falter. But then, I found it refreshing and so truthful. Just because a guy gets to the top and is surrounded by the best advisors, does not mean that he's not going to make mistakes. And I think it's a sign that Barack is from a new generation, a different generation, than the one that gave us George W. and Clinton. I'm not sure they would ever admit to making mistakes. I don't think they ever have. Bush has his WMDs, and Clinton has his I did not inhale.

Barack's speech also made me realize just how much shit there is going on in this world. Darfur. Iraq. Global warming. Not to mention the Virginia Tech "massacre" and now the guy who killed himself and a hostage at the Johnson Space Center. I'm not sure we're any more evil than generations before us, but these are heavy times. But these are also times that are ripe for change. I have never been so inspired to participate. Even if it's not with Barack, it's got to be with something. Someone. I hear that there will soon be a "lawyers for Obama" group forming. Sign me up??


After the rally, I went with some friends to a bar and had some pitchers of beer and some wings. It was so fun. The conversation was so fun. And intelligent. It was last night, too. I feel old.