The following is an opinion peice in todays paper from one of this nations true centrists. Jack Uldrich may not be known in many parts of the country, but I began voting for him when this third party was quite small indeed.
Here is his commentary:
Last weekend my neighbor offered me four tickets to attend the Barack Obama rally in Minneapolis. Although I'm a longtime member of the Independence Party, my wife and I took our two children and joined 20,000 people to hear the dynamic young presidential candidate.
In terms of rhetoric, we were not disappointed. My spine tingled as Obama began his speech by recalling the legendary words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and framing his candidacy in terms of the "fierce urgency of now."
I was even more moved when he told the audience that he would tell people "not what they wanted to hear, but what they needed to hear."
"Yes," I said to myself, "that's precisely what's required."
Obama then followed this statement by claiming that he alone had the courage to go into Detroit and tell the automobile industry that it needed to increase fuel-efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon.
"Perhaps Obama is different," I thought. This was in spite of the fact that earlier in his speech he had already promised that by the end of his first term, every American would have health insurance, every child under 5 would have access to early education, and that he would successfully cap America's carbon dioxide emissions.
I could hardly believe it, but I was on the verge of being swayed by Obama.
Now, I figured, he was going to tell us that if his administration hoped to accomplish these goals, we -- the citizens -- needed to be part of the solution.
Unfortunately, no great call to action came. Not one of his promises was followed by a concrete example of what we could do to help address these enormous challenges. In short, Obama told his audience only what we wanted to hear.
To be fair, none of the candidates has yet leveled with the American public about its culpability in contributing to the health care crisis and global climate change. But I sense Obama is setting up himself and his supporters for failure unless he gets serious about confronting the American public with the costs and personal sacrifices required to achieve his compelling vision of the future.
I remain open to voting for Obama -- just as I am open to John McCain or Michael Bloomberg (should he decide to run) -- but I want a leader who doesn't simply inspire me, but calls me to action. I suspect a great many other independents feel the same.
Jack Uldrich is former chair of the Independence Party of Minnesota.
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Comments: 11
Well, last night he did say he would give college kids $4,000 stipend and they could pay it back by working for volunteer services...I thought that was great - I found his speech full of HOPE - more than I can say for any of the other candidates - Senator Obama has run his own life pretty well - and has beat many odds, I would think he'd do the same for the country - he's truly an organized man, you can tell that from his speeches and his past record...I definitely will vote for him. Salud.
Check out Jack's new book (pictured). Good stuff.
I would agree with you that many of the specifics on what we can do have not been a big part of the conversation, but let's face it. This country is in crisis and there is SO much that has to change, why would Obama be so arrogant as to think he has 'the answer' now? His entire campaign has emphasized his belief that the problems in this country can only be surmounted if the American people have a voice and our best people gather and brainstorm before the execution of anything so profoundly progressive.
Ask yourself, Tim, and Jack should too, is there any other candidate who can and does listen to the people as opposed to the pollsters? These solutions will require our greatest minds to refine and must work for all Americans, not just the Democratics.
I admire that Barack doesn't claim to have all the answers or solutions yet. What kind of arrogance would it be if he did? I'm a decade older, and I don't have all the answers either. Obviously what has been going on, however, isn't working for the majority of Americans.
Are we hurting enough and concerned enough about our children, grandchildren and the future of mankind to sacrifice? I am. As long as I know there is one child in America with agonizingly painful cavities or parents unable to obtain needed medical treatment for their kids, their parents or themselves, my own children and grandchildren are not safe.
As 'they' say... but for the Grace of God go I... and mine.
Perhaps Obama grasps how desperate our situation has become. Perhaps he understands that we're going to need all the "hope" we can muster as we swallow the bitter pills of 8 years of neo-con rule.
Will the media demand real answers from Obama? How long can he live with the "rock star" persona and not really give any solutions to his vision. Will the media treat him with kid gloves because he is black? Because he is very liberal? Because he's the media's choice?
Watch how the media covers Obama, they may ask him tough questions but they don't press him for real answers.
Did Kennedy know how we would get to the moon? Or how we would pay for it? No. In fact, his advisors told him it couldn't be done. He simply said that our potential was so great, that if we turned our attention to it, we could accomplish it. The goal was set, and THEN a plan to get there was created.
Somewhere alone the way, we began to get infatuated with plans, and now we have to see the plan before we commit to the goal. I think we all need to listen more to what our politician's goals are, and our leaders in turn need to listen to our goals. The ones who inspire the people to act will ultimately get the most loyal support.
Without knowing where the goal line is, even the most well-crafted game plan is likely to fall short.
This is what we are now used to in Minnesota. Answers.
As it happened we have been doing plenty for this campaign and we are motivated to do more in the future...that is what leadership feels like to me.