Barack Obama

5 days to go to US general election and i have to post about Barack Obama.

I do not have a right to vote and so does many of my Indian friends in US but over the past 12-15 months we have followed US elections, observed it from a distance and felt it. And without a doubt, the reason for our sustained interest has been Barack Obama.
Before i reason it out for myself, here is a thing shared by my roommate Aninda:

"Watching Barack Obama, I feel like i should be able to vote. I have never voted in India, but just seeing this man, i want to vote"



Why i like Barack Obama:
1. He is an exceptional orator. His speeches inspire many including me. His speeches connect with me, addresses the main points and he delivers them brilliantly.
2. He openly says that he is not going to be a perfect president. He is going to be a good president. He looks calm, and even if he does not have an answer, he is ready to work with people who know the correct answer.
3. His health policy. Economic crisis is new and transient (hopefully!). But health care has been a concern since ages and still is. His view has been correct since beginning.
4. His foreign policies - willingness to sit with third world countries, correct attitude towards Pakistan (namely to ask questions and demand answers), ending the war etc.

The charm about Obama is he is dynamic, energetic and willing to adjust to new things. His use of technology is excellent. I have no experience in past US political campaigns but still his campaign so far looks decent. It has not been a perfect one but considering the things that has happened, i think it has been good.

One thing that Obama understands that if you point one finger, there are many fingers that point back at you. He has criticized McCain but mostly on policy issues. He has not given one single negative word against Sarah Palin (when asked about Palin, he brilliantly answered - let the public decide). He has not used race at all in his speeches (which gave Larry Willmore from Daily show to present two exceptional pieces). Moreover, he use a very effective website, and his use of technology has been amazing (all credit to his team).

Lastly, during his campaign, there have been his speeches acting as milestones. Genesis happened at 2004 Democratic National Convention, then his "Yes we can speech" after winning New Hanpshire primary, then the one given after Jeremiah Wright controversy, and then after clinching the democratic nomination at the convention . And today, an hr earlier, there was the 30 minute obama infomercial on tv across 7 channels (video not available at the moment). Each one has been special and inspiring.

Things that i don't like:
1. I think one blot that will remain on Obama would be his decision to take public financing after pledging that he will not do so. I do not know the exact reason but still something is unexplained.
2. Giving tax benefits to middle class, first it was a million, then 500K, then it became 250K and today 200K. He still does not explains how he will prioritize between thousand promises that he has made.

Before i end, some words about his opponent:
McCain should be respected for not bringing Wright in final elections. He should be respected as a U.S. soldier, as an experienced man, as a man with good fundamentals till 2004 election. But his performance during this election has not been good at all. Bringing Bill Ayers,, suspending campaign over economic crisis, calling him a socialist, giving 5000$ for health care were all very bad moves. But the worst would be his VP choice.

And that brings up to Sarah Palin. One thing that Sarah Palin did was to energize an old, dull republican campaign, but the question will always be - at what cost? Frankly, i thank Palin and McCain for his choice for giving me some of the best comedy shows in recent past. Tina Fey's imitation had been spot on, she nailed Palin over and over again. But all credit should go to Palin alone, as her interview were so damn hilarious that my jaws dropped out. Foreign experience because you can see Russia from home will go in annals of history as the best joke of 2K8. Palin has not only degraded the republican campaign but her attacks on Obama made her reach new lows. Bottom line - she is not ready/capable.

So, with 5 days to go, i do not know who will win. No points in guessing to whom i am backing. But the important point is that whatever the result is, it matters to me, to us and to many. I am no longer saying - i do not care. I care and i want to care, because it matters.

Finally, a big thanks to Jon Stewart for giving good shows over the past 10 months. You really rock!