Best and Worst

Posted on 10/04/2008 at 11:15 am by JumpyPants

Posted by JumpyPants

Thinking about how stupid and venal Palin is and how power-mad and venal McCain is — really two people who surely embody the worst of not just American nature, but of human nature — I can’t help but reflect on our guys.

Joe Biden makes me proud to be a Democrat. He is an up-from-under, blue-collar-blooded success story, a man whose work is a reflection not just of his life, but of the lives of his family, his parents, and of the best that America has always striven for. Joe Biden is truly an eternal member of “Main Street” — read about his daily life, his daily trips on Amtrak, his relationships with people who aren’t members of Congress, and you will read about a man that spends every day working hard to stay connected not just to other human beings, but to his own humanity as well.

Barack Obama is a community organizer. Think about that: the man who will be our next president is, in his bones and on his resume, a community organizer. And on Chicago’s south side no less. Most people who will vote for him wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time on the south side of Chicago, because it’s a violent, rough place, a place where despair has taken up a heavy roost — but Obama understands the deep truth that the deepest muck can grow the most beautiful flowers. He transformed despair into hope — not just in that neighborhood, not just across this nation and around the world, but in his own heart. Barack Obama is about the realest deal we have probably ever seen get this close to the highest office in our nation. The fact that he will win based on what millions of others have done is not lost on him for one second. He is a representative of every American, even those who hate and fear him, and he knows that, he takes it seriously, because he is, in his life, in his words, in his actions, in his heart, a deeply enlightened human being who is determined to never lose his humanity. Just think about the man for five seconds, and try not to be inspired. I find it impossible.

These guys, our standard bearers, are the best of not just our country but of the whole human race. They make me proud to be me.

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  • NotAPollStat

    What an excellent article! McCain and Palin aren’t speaking to US when they say Obama is not like us. McCain and Palin aren’t speaking to US when they say Obama is going to raise your taxes (they’re speaking to the $250,00+ incomes.) McCain and Palin have NEVER spoken to ME. I’m 52-years-old, and I have NEVER been involved in ANY way, shape or form in politics, because I’ve been apathetic. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY ADULT LIFE, I stopped what I was doing when I heard Sen. Obama speak at the ’04 convention. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY ADULT LIFE, a politician was FINALLY speaking to ME. Sen. Obama continues to speak to me and for me.

  • NotAPollStat

    Here comes Ayers, and not just on Fox, or Dobbs or Beck — And here’s some more of the worst of McCain (I don’t know where else to put this…) On MSNBC this morning, Alix (nit)Witt reported that the NY Times had an article today (citing the number of pages) about Sen. Obama and his ties to a terrorist. I thought WTF????? Well, here’s the link, read it yourself. It’s not what you’d think, based on (nit)Witt’s reporting.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04ayers.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hpAlso on MSNBC with (nit)Witt, pollster (Peter?) Hart explaining the poll numbers, and of course saying they were pretty much meaningless at this point, stated “by next week” these numbers will be totally turned around…..hmmmmm….why would that be????

  • dontpanic23

    *applauding and nearly crying*Excellent post, JP.

  • http://livefreeordie08.wordpress.com LiveFreeOrDie08

    Off Topic but important: OHIO VOTERShttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiZi_lWxWfY&feature=userYou can REGISTER & VOTE now through MONDAY.Cescans, call your friends in OH or volunteer for some phone banking and make some new friends in OH. Let’s get this election STARTED!!

  • Groobiecat

    Mssr. Pants,

    “Barack Obama is about the realest deal we have probably ever seen get this close to the highest office in our nation. The fact that he will win based on what millions of others have done is not lost on him for one second.”

    Excellent points all around, but the above quote really resonates with me, because it speaks to a concept that underlies everything you’ve said about Barack–to wit, the guy is humble. No one ever says this, partly because the BBQ media sluice has successfully promulgated the “elitist” meme fostered by McBain. Partly because people don’t even know what the concept means.

    Barack recognizes his own failings and is aware that he’s imperfect, but skilled at “giving a good speech.” No one ever alludes to this (or, rarely, at any rate) but it’s incredibly important. Because to be able to reach across “the aisle,” one has to see the “other” not as a person or group to be reviled. Having lived and worked there for 25 years, most people in DC see “humility” as weakness (if they think of it at all), and rely on the default attack/vilify/rawr approach. Barack is clearly aware that humility is, in fact, strength. Outside the beltway? A lot of people are unaware about what humility means in the first place. This fact isn’t helped by a prevailing cultural zeitgeist built on arrogance, bravado, and sports-creep metaphors that vilify the “other” (Muslim, French, “liberals,” etc.) as those who are evil.

    Thanks for that. I feel much better now.

  • Groobiecat

    LFOD08, agreed. I’ve canvassed in NH (I’m in VT these days), and have made calls, but now it’s time to pick up the phone again!http://my.barackobama.com/modules/votercontact/login_signup.php