2008 Woodie Awards
Obama's integrity can bring the change we need
Michelle Haynes
Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: Opinion
Originally published: 2/14/08 at 7:09 PM EST
Last update: 2/14/08 at 7:08 PM EST
The Democratic U.S. Senator Barack Obama announced last February that he would be running for president in the 2008 election. Obama was not reminiscent of any other presidential candidate in history, which very likely shocked the public. He was born in Hawaii to a black Kenyan father and a white American mother, making him the first multiracial presidential candidate in U.S. history.
Evident in his voting records, Obama is always standing strong behind what he believes in, much unlike his opposition who changes her policies according to popular interest (Clinton voting yes for the war in Iraq, for example.) On the other hand, Obama has always opposed the war, and in his campaign he emphasizes ending it. He also boldly addresses other key issues including increasing energy dependence and providing universal health care.
Now, more than ever, our country needs an individual like Barack Obama in the Oval Office.
Not all people see it this way, however. Some people see how Obama exudes qualities never before seen in a presidential candidate, which makes them uncomfortable and leads them to petty accusations that he is too young or too inexperienced. Well, he may be young and politically inexperienced, but at least he isn't a corrupt product of upper class America like some of this country's presidents and presidential candidates.
Individuals with diverse backgrounds like Obama are what our country is founded on. He is a real person who can relate to the issues that every American citizen cares about. So what if he is different? To me, his differences are just another aspect of what makes him so appealing. Besides, look where our country is today. Isn't it kind of obvious that we need a change?
America needs someone who can carry this country through any situation, someone who can make people listen. Since Martin Luther King Jr., this country has never seen a more charismatic speaker. Obama carries himself in such a strong, sophisticated way that it's nearly impossible to ignore him, let alone feel inclined to. It doesn't even matter so much what Obama is talking about, because when he opens his mouth, people listen.
That is the type of person that we need running our country, an honest individual who has the capability to captivate our country and inspire people to make a change.
Despite inaccurate accusations of Obama's place in the Anti-Hillary movements, he has remained true to the statements he made regarding negative campaigning. Obama feels that every presidential candidate owes it to the country to run a clean, fair campaign. Focusing on the issues at hand and an individual's qualifications for the presidency are far more important factors than past mistakes and slip-ups on the campaign trail. Now if every presidential candidate saw it that way, we wouldn't have to fight so hard to get the ONE honest man into the office.
Until that happens, however, we will have to fight, or at least vote, to see Barack Obama become our 44th president. America severely needs some honesty and, as Obama's campaign would say, he is a change that we can believe in.
Evident in his voting records, Obama is always standing strong behind what he believes in, much unlike his opposition who changes her policies according to popular interest (Clinton voting yes for the war in Iraq, for example.) On the other hand, Obama has always opposed the war, and in his campaign he emphasizes ending it. He also boldly addresses other key issues including increasing energy dependence and providing universal health care.
Now, more than ever, our country needs an individual like Barack Obama in the Oval Office.
Not all people see it this way, however. Some people see how Obama exudes qualities never before seen in a presidential candidate, which makes them uncomfortable and leads them to petty accusations that he is too young or too inexperienced. Well, he may be young and politically inexperienced, but at least he isn't a corrupt product of upper class America like some of this country's presidents and presidential candidates.
Individuals with diverse backgrounds like Obama are what our country is founded on. He is a real person who can relate to the issues that every American citizen cares about. So what if he is different? To me, his differences are just another aspect of what makes him so appealing. Besides, look where our country is today. Isn't it kind of obvious that we need a change?
America needs someone who can carry this country through any situation, someone who can make people listen. Since Martin Luther King Jr., this country has never seen a more charismatic speaker. Obama carries himself in such a strong, sophisticated way that it's nearly impossible to ignore him, let alone feel inclined to. It doesn't even matter so much what Obama is talking about, because when he opens his mouth, people listen.
That is the type of person that we need running our country, an honest individual who has the capability to captivate our country and inspire people to make a change.
Despite inaccurate accusations of Obama's place in the Anti-Hillary movements, he has remained true to the statements he made regarding negative campaigning. Obama feels that every presidential candidate owes it to the country to run a clean, fair campaign. Focusing on the issues at hand and an individual's qualifications for the presidency are far more important factors than past mistakes and slip-ups on the campaign trail. Now if every presidential candidate saw it that way, we wouldn't have to fight so hard to get the ONE honest man into the office.
Until that happens, however, we will have to fight, or at least vote, to see Barack Obama become our 44th president. America severely needs some honesty and, as Obama's campaign would say, he is a change that we can believe in.
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