What Obama is Tapping Into

It is far from over, this exciting and important Democratic primary. Full of twists and turns, momentum stops and starts, at the moment Senator Obama has taken the momentum and just driven the length of the field for a lead changing touchdown as we head into the 4th quarter. Senator Clinton still holds out hope for an Eli Manning style comeback by winning in Ohio and Texas in just under three weeks, which would swing the momentum, and likely the unpledged superdelegates back in her favor. An Obama win in the Lonestar and Buckeye states however would most certainly put the nomination to rest. So what is it that has given the momentum to Obama? And make no mistake, he is clearly taking the advantage. According to exit polls from the Potomac primaries last night, Obama won among Blacks, White men, across all income and education levels, young people, and even among Latinos in Virginia. A majority of women voted for Obama too, which doesn't bode well for Mrs. Clinton. What are they seeing and sensing, and is it real? The last question will be answered over time, the first is becoming clearer as the campaign season rolls on.



In short, Mr. Obama is tapping into hope and desire. The hope is that we can move away from the bitter partisanship and orthodoxy of the last 20 years of the Bush-Clinton-Bush era. A period that not coincidentally has seen the rise of talk radio and cable news shows that pit the liberal on one side shouting down the conservative on the other, while the host tries his best to pretend to be an honest broker. You get the sense that as soon as the cameras stop rolling, the two sides shake hands, have a good laugh at our expense, then go out for cocktails and steak at some swank politico diner. While we may not be sure what a post-partisan system will look like or how it will work exactly, we have hope that it will be better than what we've been fed for the last two decades.



There is a genuine desire to be a true United States, not a series of red and blue states on Tim Russert's political whiteboard. We have a yearning to breathe free, and to be free from artificial divisions that only serve those already in power while keeping the common person cynical, disinterested, and apathetic. One need only look at the high voter turnout in each state to see that Americans want to be active in their democratic republic, the desire is there and may only have needed the prodding produced by nearly eight years of unresponsive governing and a candidate who can inspire.



The presidency is not merely the sum of all policy stances, it is much more than that. When our founders came up with the idea of a president, they had no clue as to how it would work, so they chose George Washington for the job and basically let him make up the rules as he went along. To a certain degree, all 42 men who have followed in his hallowed footsteps have continued this trend. Leadership and ingenuity are more important for a president than his or her legislative white papers. We never know what events will occur during a particular presidency, or what new legislative priorities will crop up, so it is best to have someone in office in whom we can place our trust to do the right thing, even when we're not sure what that may be. Barack Obama is a person that I for one am willing to entrust with such a great and important task, and from the looks of it, I'm not the only one who feels that way.