Obama, Mybama

Throughout the primary campaign, I supported Hilary Clinton because I believed that she would be the strongest candidate against John McCain. Were it not for his inexplicable choice for vice president, I would still believe that. More on that is a subsequent blog.

As a result perhaps of my support for Clinton, I had not paid a lot of attention to Obama. Of course, I would vote for him and support his campaign but perhaps with a bit less enthusiasm than I would a Clinton campaign. Thus it was with great interest that I watched Thursday night. I must say that I was tremendously impressed, not with the style of his speech, but with its content. More than anything I learned more about the person, his history and commitments. Despite the obvious differences of race and color, I found that Barack Obama and I have much in common. Because of his background I believe that he has an emotional as well intellectual grasp of the major issues of the economy and the war. He can connect with the experience and struggles of ordinary citizens and in that connection finds his energy and commitment. Joe Biden re-enforces that dynamic.

The week before the DNC convention I listened to a portion of Harry Truman's 1948 acceptance speech. he spoke of the issues of education, jobs, Social Security, minimum wage, civil rights, and health care and the failure of the Republican congress to act in these areas. For more than six decades the democrats have focused on these issues that matter to ordinary people. Obama continues this tradition with a newly energized electorate.