Obama: Not a Fairy Tale, But a Myth

Barack Obama's bid for the presidency is built on the myth of his ethos, which the media perpetuates to a public that has become so starved for "change" as a result of the past seven years of the Bush Abomination.

Yes, Obama is a great rhetorician as we all saw in his South Carolina victory speech tonight. But his promises are the same old platitudes that is more typical of politicians than what Hillary Clinton offers to the table. She offers intelligent answers and practical solutions; he talks of "hope" and "sacrifices" and "the future".

I don't know about you, but I don't live in the abstract world--the stuff of fairy tales, myths, and legends. I live in a concrete world fraught with visceral pain and actual problems. It's not that I'm cynical, but when Obama says he didn't see a "black South Carolina" or a "white South Carolina", he just "saw South Carolina", then I question his vision and whether or not he's wearing rose-colored glasses. South Carolina like many other states and many neighborhoods across this nation are still divided racially. It's not the America most want to live in, and yet they do; and they ignore the obvious so that they can live in this myth. As a result the real problems in housing, education, and violence don't get fixed, because what these require are leaders who aren't deluded or in denial--leaders who can first see these problems and confront tackle them with persistence and pragmatism.

I hope that the rest of the Democratic electorate won't jump on the bandwagon and be swept up by this wave of wishfulness, and that they instead vote on Super Tuesday with a firm grasp on reality. The Clintons can get things done; they have done so in the past, and they will continue to do so in the future. Bush's policies need to be changed--that's clear to us all. But let's not be under any illusions that the institutions and mechanisms in Washington are going to "change" just because Barack Obama gives stump speeches about it. We need someone in the White House who will be effective within the confines of these existing systems. Let's be real...and get real change!