Politics and Poetics (not Aristotle's version)

I'm back again...still trying to get back in the habit of posting regularly...

Did you watch the primary coverage on Tuesday night?

I didn’t watch it all night, but as I finished the chapter I was reading in an ecology textbook, I decided to flip to CNN and see what was going on. I was shocked to see that Barrack Obama completely dominated Virginia, Maryland, and DC…I was not shocked to see that John McCain continued to add to his delegate count.

Something I would like to talk about are the differences I observed between the speeches of Obama and McCain….

As I watched Barrack Obama, I was once again caught up in his spirit…given he uses a lot of rhetoric and all of it must be scrutinized. But it is also refreshing to hear a politician that can actually motivate…it was both uplifting and inspiring. I paid attention to the demographics of the crowd…Who does this guy have standing around him? Here’s what I observed…students, women, young adults, working class people, normal people…people like us, and they were all AMERICANS…and they were fired up.

In contrast…

When CNN switched over to John McCain I immediately noted the differences…suddenly my mood sunk (that in itself doesn’t really hold any weight with me though). The first few minutes in the speech were dedicated to bashing the other side…mostly with worn-out rhetoric commonly used to attack democrats. I also noted the demographic population surrounding McCain…middle aged to older (can I say elderly) “businessmen” and GOP politicians decked out in their suits and ties standing shoulder to shoulder with the candidate…I suddenly had a sour taste in my mouth…it was the epitome of elitist wealthy bureaucrats. I also noticed the difference of passion…whether Obama is sincere or not, I don’t know (and I wouldn’t venture to guess anybody else knows either), but he sure is convincing. McCain on the other hand spent most of his time reading a teleprompter. It seemed like he was trying to be passionate (already trying to compete with Obama?), but he just can’t sell it very well (with me at least). Maybe it’s just that he’s too old?

I’m really trying hard not to critize too much here…I’m just offering my subjectively objective (if that exists) opinion…

I voted for Obama in Alabama…my part in my state is done for now…

Things are getting interesting and I have a lot to say…I’ll do my best to jot it down and put it up when I have a chance.

Peace

--JF