Oh Bama! “The belief in things not seen.”

The National Review.Com ^ | 7-28-04 | Rich Lowry

[hope]

Boston, Mass — Barack Obama's keynote speech at the Democratic Convention here has gotten a rapturous critical reception, justifiably so. Here are a few more follow up points about it:

NATIONAL UNITY. His litany in which he made the simple phrase "there's a United States of America" a rallying cry of unity and togetherness was simple and powerful. Most of the unity rhetoric this week has had a false ring, especially coming from people who have done more than their share to divide the country. Obama's call seemed more deeply felt and was more resonant, wrapped in patriotism: "We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America." Subliminal message: We are not the party of Dukakis — we like pledging allegiance.

HAWKISH NOTES. He made this week's best, most trenchant criticism of the Iraq war, saying we should "never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect the world." The criticism reflects a hawkish attitude: We need more troops. It invokes the opinion of the world but also with a hawkish tinge: The world should respect us, because when we confront an enemy we do it right.

"AN AWESOME GOD." The emotional high point of the speech may have been his declaration that "We worship an awesome God in the Blue States." He thus rebutted the notion that the Democrats are the secular party, and did it in authentic, unashamed language. The theme of faith was woven throughout the speech, from near the very beginning when Obama talked of "a faith in the simple dreams of [America's] people, the insistence on small miracles." This is language that Democrats often can't muster, and it gives added oomph to two other key themes from the speech.

"MY BROTHER'S KEEPER." Democratic social programs often seem mushy or purposeless or pandering. Obama connected them with one of the deepest of all ethical imperatives — to love our neighbors as ourselves: "It's that fundamental belief — I am my brother's keeper, I am my sisters' keeper — that makes this country work." This is a liberalism with some emotional depth, and a meaning much more profound than the dollar signs next to line-items in a federal budget.

"THE AUDACITY OF HOPE!" We've heard a lot of talk of how important it is for the Democrats to be optimistic. But the optimism of forced smiles and focus-grouped phrases can be a wan thing indeed. Obama's optimism was expressed in the language of faith. When he talked of "the audacity of hope!" he was reaching for something inside the breast of every religious believer, and connecting with the audacious hope that has fueled heroic American projects, from the nation's very founding to the civil rights movement.

For all of these reasons, by the end, when Obama said "the people will rise up in November," and "this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come," it seemed more than garden-variety political rhetoric. Because it was.

	http://www.nationalreview.com/lowry/lowry200407281612.asp

[BenLurkin]

Look, lefties are not and never will be "patriots" no matter how much they posture.

[NCPAC]

"There was not a single thing in his speech which virtually anybody disagreed with,which basically means that he didn't say anything."

Bingo. Obama epitomizes the term "empty suit": All rhetorical flash with no depth.

[hope]

His speech does not echo his party's ideas..Makes you wonder about it's authenticity.

[X-FID]

Unfortunately, Bama is a distinct minority in the present day Democratic Party. A man who actually believes in God is sadly out of place over there.

Don't believe the tripe!

[rwfromkansas]

This is the National Review...

[rwfromkansas]

Tell that to Jesus. "I am the way, the truth, and the life..."

"the truth will set you free..."

Since helping your neighbors is a truth of God, it seems to me that that is the very epitome of freedom sir.

Of course, Obama was using these lines for gain...he doesn't actually believe them.

[Theresawithanh]

Right. If he's elected to the office he's running for, they'll just bring him out for "speechifying". The only Blacks that get anywhere with the dems seem to be the race-baiters like JJ and Al.

[Iam1ru1-2]

"But a Democrat Party with a moral center, wouldn't that be a concept?"

It's not a concept, it's an oxymoron......more moron than oxy however!

[twgiles]

The intellectuals of the younger generations, of which Obama is a member, are more dedicated to truth and less to rhetoric than their forefathers, on average. Obama and Harold Ford are less likely to agree with total nonsense than Ted Kennedy and Barbara Boxer. Anderson Cooper and Bill Hemmer are less naive and partisan than Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite. Even Ben Affleck is less shrill and nonsensical than Richard Dreyfuss and Barbra Streisand.

In the information age, bad information is shunned by those who know millions are watching and fact-checking. With any luck, the rhetoric will die down with the old guard.

[Iam1ru1-2]

The "blue states" do worship an "ah, some god". Under Klinton, these states were called the "blew states". It only became "blue" when the stained dress appeared."

[atomicpossum]

Obama is now the shiny new toy. Once you've played with it, the novelty fades.

Once he gets to Capitol Hill, he'll be told to fall in line.

(Remember Cuomo's 'speech' and how it signalled his greatness???)

[mewper]

You're right. There was nothing in his speech that can be disagreed with -- which, as my husband says, is typical of a Democrat's style. But he delivered it with an evident idealism and with such a passion that makes you think he will really do what he can to make these things come true.

In that, he was effective. He might be able to swing some undecided voters to their side. MIGHT. Because it's still hard to connect his passion and idealism to John Kerry. It's not effecive enough to cover Kerry's "vagueness" -- or should I say "fakeness"?

[French-American Republican]

"You are exactly right. White liberals will never vote for a black man for President, or even the Senate. Never."

I don't know if you're being sarcastic, but if you're not then I disagree. I think there's a collective white guilt in the US about blacks. Just look at how some CONSERVATIVES (!!) here on this board are softening up to him in this thread! Think they'd do that if Kerry or Edwards invoked God in their speeches?

By the way, there's nothing in his platform http://issues2000.org/Senate/Barack_Obama.htm that sounds potentially Republican. The speech is just shameless pandering to the center-right crowd.

[Warrior Nurse]

You know the Democrats call black conservatives house Negroes for the party. But we already know that white liberals will not vote for black liberals. There are enough black people in Chicago to vote for Obama while the other two white Democrats split the white vote. This is how Harold Washington got elected mayor. This guy is dangerous he is getting money from George Soros and that makes him a socialist or quasi communist.

[Steven W.]

The thing I noticed about Obama's speech was that he left out "endowed their creator" from his quote of the Declaration of Independence.

[Doctor Stochastic]

That's what I heard at work today. Lots about Obama and what a wonderful speaker and human being he is.

[Rakkasan1]

I thought it was:
love the world,hate your neighbor.

[WorkingClassFilth]

"We worship an awesome God in the Blue States."

Molech? Ishtar? Dagon?

[jwalburg]

I think you're right there. Much easier to love a vague, amorphous ideal than the woman down the street who only shops at Costco and buys large jars of mayonnaise.

[L.N. Smithee]

Obama may be the Democrat's version of Alan Keyes.

Which is why it's a shame that Keyes -- as a social conservative -- can't get any air time.