Hillary Clinton

I haven't read all of Hillary's book, but I think enough to get the general feel of what she is saying about herself, and today I was doing research on her on the internet. Her book had the very positive side, and the internet had the very negative side. I figure somewhere in the middle is probably the truth.

Hillary is someone who started out wanting to make a difference in the world. She cares about women's rights, and worked her life to effect change. She cares about the problems in the world - children without education, without advocates, about people without healthcare, about countries without democracy. I don't think this is just the view of herself that she sells to the nation - I believe it is the version of herself that she sells to herself. If that were not a part of her, I think it would be easy to see her as evil. She is willing to go to any lengths to be in power.

As a blog about leadership, the main fact that matters is that she is divisive. Some people love her - they see the side of her that wants to do all of that good, and they want to support that. I understand that point of view - there is a lot of good in the world that she desires to do, but that is not the only part of her. Many people dislike here, even go so strong to say that they hate her. It is because she is willing to do anything for power. She has no scruples about how to get power. That she wants to do good things with that power, there is no doubt, but it does not change her willingness to do anything to get the power.

She likes to play on fears, encourage divisiveness, and discount the electoral processes -- all for the sake of her campaign. She is not necessarily a bad person. She to me has this view of herself as the mother of America. She is the parent that will do anything to protect her child, whether it is legal, moral, ethical or not. With that attitude, she can do some good, but what is the cost in the example she will set for the nation?

She is divisive, and what we need is unity.

She has done some good in the world, and I think she will do more good in the world working not as a politician. The power is too much for her.

Barack Obama

His true power comes in words, not in debates, but in speeches and writing. He is inspiring. His story in inspiring too. He made it to the Senate, all without the politics of mudslinging. He is running a campaign on money from everyday American voters, rather than the money from lobbyists. He looks at the face of Washington, and says "We can do better", and tries to do better himself. He believes that we can change the politics of Washington.

He is clear-headed and intelligent. He has certain stances on issues, but he is willing to work together with republicans to help the American people. He will rethink his stance on issues when he hears it from the other side, when he hears another way of thinking about it.

He is in power because he truly believes that he can make a difference in the world, and that is why he seeks to be president. Hope like his is infectious. He has given the American people, has given me, someone to believe again in politics.

He says what he believes. Not many people in politics stand up for what they believe in. They say it if it is politically convenient. He says it because he thinks it is right. He spoke out on the Iraq war from the beginning, even when it was popular to support the war. He spoke, even though it was politically unpopular, because it is what he believed was right.

He is the Smith who went to Washington, but in our day. When I think of Barack Obama, I cannot think but that we are blessed to have again in our day another Lincoln, another King, another JFK. People say that inspiring speeches are just all fluff, that they just make you feel good, but they do more than that -- they change people's lives. It is not policy and laws alone that will make the politics of Washington be better -- it is something to strive for. Obama is that example. It is someone who inspires people to be better, and inspires the public to believe in politics again. Obama does that.

This blog exists because of Obama and the type of person he is. I am interested in politics, because I believe it can be more than just a dirty game, and I only believe it because I have seen what Obama can do. The media is driven by ratings and making money -- what sells? Intrigue. Scandals. But politics is more than that. Our political leaders should be more than avoiding scandal. They should be able to show the American people why they got into politics, not what they feel they have to do to stay in politics.

One man giving an inspiring speech can move the masses. He can do more than just what he can do alone. Obama has a lot of people behind him, who care about him and what he is doing, because he inspired them. It is that he can inspire people that makes him so strong. For then, he is not just Obama alone, he is everyone behind him as well. I am working to do my small part in making the change he wants in Washington. He has me behind him, all because of his words.

The daunting task of the First Post

I need to write this post, more for me than for anyone who may eventually read this blog. I need to write this post so that I can actually keep this blog.

These posts aren't going to be perfect. They will be researched, but I do not have the time to go through 100-200 hours of research for each post, which is what I think it would take to really do these justice. So as a disclaimer -- I will not be able to give a full view of this person's role in politics. I will be giving a snapshot, but I hope it can go beyond the soundbyte.

I have been intimidated in trying to figure out how to describe Obama. I know a lot about him. I have followed his campaign for the presidency closely for a long time. I like him, but I don't know what to say about him. That being said, I will probably fumble a lot in the beginning. Things may seem chaotic and not unified. That is because I am figuring out how to do this as it goes along. Hopefully in a year from now, I will be better than I am today.

To those reading this blog who want to see a change, and feel like they want to be a part of it -- I welcome you. I think it will take more than one blog of alternatives to start to change the face of the media and the face of soundbyte politics. I cannot do it alone. I need readers, and it will take a whole lot of other writers who want to change the face of American politics. We can learn and grow together, and make the American political process one we actually feel like participating in.