One of the big buzz topics today is Barack Obama's speech on race in America. What struck me is that he also lighted on some economic concerns. I think it interesting that he does understand how many Americans are feeling. And it really resonated with me because I grew up white and middle-class, and Barack Obama addressed some of the concerns that I hear from my relatives and acquaintances:
They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense.Some of the ideas I like in Barack Obama's economic plans for the country include the following:
I saw a commercial from Obama's campaign a week or two ago that was basically his running stance. It's time to pull together, it's time for a change, we can do this together, and so on and so forth. It was a great commercial and anyone whether republican, democrat, or liberal would have paid attention to it and thought "wow, this person would be great!" However, then reality sets in and you realize that these commercials and these speeches are all written by people who are paid, and paid well to come up with things Americans want to hear and things that Americans long for. The problem is how you would get there. I don't think the press is even doing a good job this election term on getting the truth out. I think every one loves the thought that we could be one nation, united, to stand together and create a better world. If you tell someone that enough, they may just believe it. Me personally, I like to look at voting records, and the candidate?s life itself and what they have done or said about that. Actions are much louder than words. The simple fact is, this country only unites together when a tragedy occurs. On any other day, a democrat can say the sky is blue and a republican will disagree and vice versa. I wish there was a way to pull Washington and the rest of the politicians together, but people have been promising that for years and it just never happens. If one party wants one thing, the other has to go against it. Isn't that a new law now?? Speeches and commercials are great, but beware of what's behind them, on all candidates.
Comment By: Kim Shuford | 3/19/08 at 11:30 PM Barack Obama Speech Addresses Economic ConcernsOf course, everything must be taken with a grain of salt. But, honestly, we don't have a lot to go on beyond what candidates tell us, and what they did in the past. In terms of economic plans, I like what Obama and Clinton offer best.
The trick, of course, is making it work in a real-world situation where partisan bickering comes in (don't get me started on the issues I have with our two-party system). The other trick is getting regular, every day citizens energized enough to voice their opinions and hold politicians responsible for their promises. Too many of us sit back and insist that nothing can be done. They do nothing, and then nothing is, in fact, done.