Obama: A new hope?

I stood on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol waiting for him, the man many call “the new hope for America.” There were 3,000 others just like me; we didn’t know what to expect, but we hoped that all the hype about this man was true.

Barack Obama introduced himself to Arkansas last Saturday with the same charm and brilliance that has made him famous throughout the United States. For a junior senator from Illinois, Obama is making huge splashes everywhere he goes.

He spoke at the capitol on behalf of Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Mike Beebe, the Democrat many predict will be the next governor of the Natural State.

Obama clearly stole the crowd’s enthusiasm from the very beginning, as hundreds of people chanted “Obama! Obama!
Obama!” and waved his latest book “The Audacity of Hope” in the air.

Wilma Donley, 52, of Little Rock, was one of the thousands who voiced support Saturday for the Democratic party’s shining star. She said that she’s been following Obama since his famous speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, an event that put him on the political radar across the nation.

“That was a wonderful, beautiful, revealing speech, and he is on tap with what we need for our nation, and not only for our nation, but around the world,” Donley said. “His time is coming, and when it happens, it will be just right.”

Like so many others around the country, Donley can see that the United States is facing a broad internal crisis that begins with partisan bickering and ends with Americans being caught in the middle.

She said that Americans are under an “umbrella of frustration,” and most everyone is fed up. “A lot of things are happening that are dividing this country,” she said. “I have been following politics for a long time...I never thought I would live to see the day when we would be facing so much illness in our nation.”

Donley believes that Obama could be the cure for that illness, and she pledged to support him in whatever office he decides to seek; there are countless more who feel exactly like her.

I haven’t seen this much excitement surrounding a political candidate since Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992. Then, Clinton was the new kid in town — he brought a new face and fresh ideas to stodgy Washington D.C., and people ate it up.

So, too, are people feeding from the hand of Obama.

What’s impressive about this man is that he’s truly knowledgeable about issues that matter to America — ending the war, bringing more dollars to those who actually need them, healthcare and education for all.

He spoke about the divide in America today, and how everyone needs a voice in this great political experiment called democracy.

It was refreshing to hear someone sharing ideas about how to make our nation better rather than attacking the other party with aimless lines about how “they” can’t get the job done.

Everyone in Washington today is bickering back and forth, and that’s precisely why nothing ever gets done. It’s time for a change.

I think more and more people are beginning to realize that Obama could be one of the most viable presidential candidates in 2008, at least on the Democratic ticket. Some say he’s too green, that two years in the U.S. Senate isn’t enough time to run for president.

I say why not? Obama can’t do any worse than what other administrations have done over the years, and he’s already gaining plenty of political capital that can be spent in 2008.

But like any candidate whose eye is on the White House, Obama has at least one major obstacle that stands between him and the presidency: He’s half-African-American. Obama’s father was Kenyan and his mother was a white woman from Kansas. I think this could be an issue for many unprogressive voters, and that’s sad.

It’s sad that this country may ignore a brilliant political mind simply because he appears different than most of the stiff suits that line the beltway.

But maybe, just maybe, America can look past someone’s skin color for once and realize that it’s what’s inside that makes the person. I sincerely hope that Obama will be just as warmly received as the man from Hope was, and surely America will realize that he’s just what this country needs.