Obama for President

I never dreamed I would live to see a black man as a major party nominee for president. And I am happy to see that Obama does not make a big deal out of being black. It is part of who he is but not his totality.

There are many who wonder if a black man can be elected president. That is not my fear. I wonder if someone who as intelligent as he is can be elected president. Time and again I have been impressed by his eschewing simple solutions as when he rejected McCain and then Clinton's suggestion to institute a summertime federal gas tax holiday. I was impressed by the very nuanced speech he gave on race in Philadephia. Obama's biggest liability is not his race; it is that he is not afraid of complexities, that he does not speak in political cliches or always say what he thinks people want to hear. He is a man who thinks.

Americans tend to vote for the lowest common denominator. During the primaries Obama, attracted the more educated voters, and Clinton pandered to the racism of the not so educated. Here's hoping that Obama will not "dumb" himself down in a vain effort to broaden his appeal.

There is the saying that people get the leader they deserve. We deserve a president who is intelligent, articulate, who knows that the answers to our problems will not be easy to find.

Will we get that president? Obviously I don't know, but we will if the young vote in unprecedented numbers. Their votes for Obama can offset the votes of those who can't bring themselves to vote for a black man, those who resent his intelligence and his refusal to hide or minimize it.

I used to wonder how I would feel when a younger generation came along and wanted to be in control.

I am ecstatic! I hope I will be even more ecstatic on election night in November.

TODAY'S WORD

Thorough cough: Coughing and breaking wind at the same time.

I can't recall if I have ever thorough coughed, but it sounds like it could be an uplifting and cleansing experience.