Letters to the Editor
-
Real Deal
The difference that Shapiro did not touch on in this essay, but which I believe is essential to Sen. Obama's effectiveness, is that he does not come across as the construct of a team of advisors. He is not a confection of pollsters or the creature of media mavens with their fingers in the wind.
Obama's persona is of a man at ease with who he has become after a prolonged period of youthful trials. He is calm and forthright in the face of pressure of a highly personal nature (the unprincipled vicious attacks on his faith and core beliefs would have torn apart most other public figures, I think). He can laugh at himself (bowling and quitting smoking), speak directly about his beliefs without exaggeration or pandering, offer and accept genuine compliments, see issues from a variety of points of view, and present complicated historical or philosophical questions in clear language that invites rather than condemns. His wit is literary and often too dry for the modern bloviating media. Conflict does not phase him and confrontation does not cow him. He is a reader of history and a student of human nature.
These qualities of character and temperment are those we need in a leader. We have been abused for so long by the Bush presidency that we are behaving as if we do not deserve to be led by the very best our nation has to offer. On the contrary, I think that we deserve a president as smart, empathetic, disciplined and energetic as Barack Obama and I think now that we can get him.