It was a 10+ hour flight, and I stayed awake to read Obama's book cover to cover. I really enjoyed it, especially the chapter titled,"Opportunity." I can see why the masses like this guy. Aside from his fresh perspective, he seems kind to those who arrive at different conclusions than his own. This is something that most other Democrats in and out of the public eye need to be more gracious in. A multi-faceted society with different belief structures only seem to be praised if you agree with the proposition, whether abortion, gay marriage, etc. It's not often that liberal folks are willing to acknowledge that there are other valid viewpoints besides their own. This often frustrated me in political discussions with friends and reading pieces in the media. There's little point in talking with someone if they already have the you're-an-idiot-if-you-believe-that mentality. And honestly, I feel that in my experience as a conservative, that it often the place where the conversation begins.
Perhaps it's a simplistic reason to support a presidential candidate, but I liked that perspective from Obama. His book seems to have that openness that many do not. I think that openness of that sort is the marking of a good leader and a good person. I wish that some of the people in my life would show similar willingness to find out why I believe in a tenet that they do not. They do not have to accept, agree, or even like it, but there should be a desire to know more about a topic simply because someone they know believes it.
Of course, this applies to politics, religion, or liking a particular movie.
1 comment:
He should have titled the book, "The Audacity of a Jr. Senator on the job less than 150 days running for the highest post in the land on a platform of meaningless feel good statements and vague promises of change."
Whatever the book title, though, it's going to give him the Presidency, thanks to McCain's lack of actually trying to appeal to his voting base.
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