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A College Republican account of an Obama speech
By punch bowl | November 25, 2007
Provided to us by a CR Nation mole, below is an artilce written by Clint Peterson - a candidate for TX CR Federation Chair - and published in The North Texas Daily newspaper.
I know feelings concerning Mr. Peterson run very strong in the longhorn state, but lets try to keep the comments, if any, to the substance of Mr. Peterson’s letter and not his character.
The Gods of Political Ideology frown down upon me, waiting for an excuse to smite me. You see, I am a conservative political activist and I have committed what is considered a cardinal sin within our number: I went to see Barack Obama speak in Austin. I console myself with the fact that I went not as a supporter (though not as a protestor, either), but as a student of American politics.
It is foolish to look at American politics today and not be in the least intrigued by Senator Obama’s meteoric rise, which makes Jack Kennedy’s ascension seem leisurely. A mere four years ago, he was an unknown state senator from Illinois. Then came his address to the DNC and a 40-point senatorial win. Ever since, he has been speaking about his ideas for America and though I was certain that I would agree with little Obama would say, I wanted to see him say it for myself.
My liberal companions and co-stars of NTTV’s The Political gang, thought it fateful that a T-shirt thrown from the stage literally landed in my hands moments after jokes that I would “throw it back,” were I to catch one (it was passed off to a self-described “disciple”). I found it more serendipitous that the band played their hit song “Fire Escape,” which opens with “I don’t wanna be president.”
When Senator Obama took the stage without formal introduction, for which there are no notable Texas Democrats to give, it was striking how little he seemed to actually need one. He seamlessly started speaking to the crowd with a familiarity that made his words more of a dialogue than a fully rehearsed stump speech. The precision of his words eased into the reactions of his audience.
The physical presence Obama brought to the stage, his stance, pacing and even gestures, were inherent. Were it not for the inequality of message, a comparison to Ronald Reagan as the Great Communicator would be in order.
Yet, for all of this posturing and rhetoric, there was no real depth to Senator Obama’s speech. He prattled on about his vision for healthcare, Iraq, education and most importantly, “change.” But, he didn’t finish those thoughts with the proverbial next 10 words: how to exact those changes. He was very efficient at telling the audience what their problems were and more efficient at telling us who was to blame, making sure to note that these problems were more than 8 years old.
Yet, this is only a strong tactic for a frontrunner. If Obama longs to win this race, he cannot simply confirm the beliefs that his followers already have. He will have to find the voice to show them how his “change” can be effective.
Do not misunderstand. I am no convert in this case, merely a student of thought, but if somehow Senator Obama manages to get past the appearances and rhetoric, conservatives like me are in for a long, hard battle.
Topics: CR Composition Corner |
November 25th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
[…] Original post by punch bowl […]
November 25th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
This guy is pathetic! He is a 35 yr old College Student get a life!
November 26th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Clint Peterson, YOU WILL NEVER BE CHAIR. What does it say about you that in all the years you’ve been in college your only claim to fame is praising Barack Obama. He is an empty suit which explains why you like him. To be nice, Clint you should leave CRs and go to YRs because the majority of CRs in the state know you only come around to CR social events (yet you run to an Obama rally). Its a sad day when Clint Peterson is a serious contender for Texas chair and even more of a reason why Jordan needs to continue to be chair because Clint is way past his prime. Go somewhere!