Obama's Victory

Obama has won the Democratic Presential Nomination and history is in the making as he may be the first Black American President.

The goodness of heart, the audacity to be courageous and decent, to be inclusive and not divisive, to hold back anger and to forgive, to take responsibility instead of pushing blame, to never "divide and conquer", to never manipulate the crowd but to let logic and honesty prevail, to acknowledge credit of his team and to speak well, even of his enemy- all these are characteristics displayed by Mr Obama as opposed to the old-style politics. I think his core values won the day. I believe it is not the mere color of his skin nor his underdog status.

Thanks to the net, email communication and youtube.com, there are fewer places to hide for public figures. It wll be increasingly harder for politicians to win votes based on media manipulation or cultivation of a perfect "man for the people" image. You can fake sincerity while making a speech or pretend to have a heart while hugging the kids. But you cant do it 24/7. George Orwell might have gotten things in reverse. Big brother is not watching. It is the common men and women, armed with their cellphones, videocams, blogs and SMS that give a more balanced view of a candidate - warts and all. Every facial expression can be captured, every smirk can be recorded, every "mis-spoke" can be re-run endlessly.

That's the new benchmark of 21st Century leadership. Be true to yourself and the voters.

Harold Fock

Comments

[winstonsmith]

Goodness of heart, decency, forgiveness, non-manipulation of electorate, inclusiveness, responsibility, speaking well of opponents. No can do. Not feasible in real life. Manifest these virtues in public life. Be prepared to be chewed up and spat out.
If these traits define Obama's candidacy, it demonstrates that Hillary Clinton was right about his lack of experience. Not only that, Obama is a rabble rousing slick exponent of the empty soundbyte, the embodiment of NATO = No Action Talk Only. After all the oratory and rhetoric, Obama has not brought down the price of oil, conclusively exposing himself to be a charlatan and fraud.
Effective leadership experience and ability require the following: iron will, fixing of opponents who do not adhere to the American way of life, suing their pants and skirts off, freezing and confiscating the assets of their spouses and children should they flee American soil for safe haven elsewhere, indefinite detention in Guantanamo Bay preferably with restricted issuance of toilet rolls to prevent escape to Havana, creative-destructive propaganda, pork barrel buying of supporters, gerrymandering, knuckle dusters, Karl Rove, sharp hatchets, assured promises of broken heads and broken bones to agitators. These are the necessary conditions for good governance to thrive that ensure the American people continue to live in security and prosperity.