arabian: (Obama 2008)
So proud. Great speech, great moments, great history in the making. YES. WE. CAN!

And to think it all started for me for real when I heard his speech announcing his candidacy. He never, ever let me down. And I believe he won't.
arabian: (The First Couple)
It was stirring, a lot of pomp an dcircumsatnce, but I think it did its job. I certainly felt like it was a true celebration of my great nation. I am unabashedly a proud American, the 4th of July is my favorite holiday, Abraham Lincoln is my personal hero and this celebrated all of those things.

My favorite moments were Tom Hanks doing the Lincoln quoting (and, yes, I recited along with him The Gettysburg Address which I still have memorized to this day). Jaime Foxx impersonating Obama was pretty good too. I also enjoyed Garth Brooks and his performances (although, I thought the segue from the national parks and what-not to "American Pie" a bit, uhm, not very good). Still, he was good -- "Shout!" was fabulous -- and I especially liked when he respectfully took off his hat, acknowledged Obama and then waved to the girls. I'm not a big Bono/U2 fan, but I really enjoyed their performance. Bono just seemed to be infused with joy and it was contagious, and I loved how he shouted that every one, not just Americans, but the Irish, the Europeans, the Africans, the Israelis, the Palistinians want freedom too. Just because atrocities are being committed doesn't mean that most individuals of those warring countries don't want peace and freedom. I also enjoyed "This Land is Your Land" and the writer (?) trying to feed the words to the crowd. That was another joyful bit. And, ooh, ooh, towards the end, I saw George Lucas in the crowd. Cool!

Finally, the best for last -- Obama's speech ... which once again made me cry!!! I had alternate thoughts throughout his speech. The first was "Damn! That's my President! We did it!!," followed by a slight anxiety that something would happen to him. Of course, I suppose that former thought will never quite go away. Still, I want to rejoice and hold onto the first, the pride and happiness I feel. The hope. Because, you know, he sure does instill it. My worries and anxieties I'll put to another day. Today is about hope and joy.

The text of Obama's speech behind the cut. )
arabian: (Obama 2008)
I am so proud to be an American right now. I'm so proud of this country, I'm so proud of my candidate who will be the 44th President of the United States.

Yes we did!

And a note to John McCain, that was a lovely, lovely concession speech. Wonderful grace note to go out on. Well-done, McCain, you've justified my like of you throughout this election.
arabian: (Obama 2008)
I think that Barack Obama is going to be the next president of the United States and I'm crying tears of joy. I'm so, so, so happy about this. The projection is that he took Pennsylvania and Ohio, along with several other states.

This will be the first President of this country that I voted for. No one else has ever won that I cast my vote for. This is a beautiful night.
arabian: (Lincoln)
I voted for the fourth time for president; it was a great feeling. If you are an American and can: Vote. Please. It is a privilege that people in other countries die for the right to do so. Our forefathers died for that privilege. So, please, go and vote.
arabian: (Obama 2008)
Finally home, with my car settled and all of that, and I was able to sit back and watch Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton's speeches at the DNC. Both brought tears to my eyes and filled me with renewed hope that we can have a future closer to what it should be, rather than the reality that we have now.

Hillary did fabulous, and actually, my favorite part of both speeches was her dig: It's no surprise that George Bush will be with John McCain next week in the twin cities ... you can't tell them apart anymore. (Cue the gong! Loved it!) And Michelle was just lovely; I just flat-out like her. I admire her and believe her and in her ... like her husband. Speaking of ...

Yay for Democracy!!! Barack Obama is the official Democratic Nominee!!!
arabian: (Obama 2008)
Okay, this IS hysterical. Pokes gentle fun at ALL involved, even Obama.

arabian: (Obama 2008)
I think it was a great speech. Hopefully her supporters will follow her lead and believe that she meant what she said in the speech. For me, my only issue is that it is the speech she should have given Tuesday night. Still, I'm glad she did finally do the right thing. After all, when it's a race to the finish, and the finish line is crossed, the right thing to do is to congratulate the other guy. Period. So, again, I'm glad she finally did do the right thing. I just wish she had done it four days earlier. Sigh.

Had she given THIS speech then instead of today, I think every little quibble that I and others had with it -- and for me, they are very, very minor -- would have not even come into play. Had she given this speech Tuesday night, she would have walked out of this primary season looking and smelling like a rose to just about everyone but the most stubborn, pig-headed Obama supporters. She would have done the best thing for her party and would have been rightly lauded for such an eloquent, gracious, generous speech.

As it was, instead we had four days fueled by disappointment, frustration and anger from many Obama supporters, renewed hope for a Denver showdown and/or anger towards the Obama camp and/or supporters from some of her less-than-pragmatic supporters. As well, she was raked over the coals by members of the mainstream media, reports surfaced that she was basically told to back the hell down from powerful supporters of hers. And, finally, her Tuesday night speech kicked up a brand new bout of divisiveness between the two group of supporters. Not to mention that members of the Republican party decided that since Hillary wasn't graciously walking away and endorsing Obama, they should go after the Hillary supporters and sway them to McCain's side.

All of that could have been avoided had she given THIS speech -- this speech that would have perfectly hit all the right notes on Tuesday, but missed a few beats when given four days later. Ah well. It's over. She DID give the speech; it did hit most of the right notes and it was a fine, fine way to end her seventeen-month campaign ... with grace, optimism, clarity and her head held high.

Well done. Now, let's kick some Republican butt and get a Democrat back in the White House!
arabian: (Obama 2008)
As I tuned into CNN (I'm taping the channel all the way through to 3am -- hehe, 3am), I caught the breaking news that announced that Barack Obama is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. I knew it was coming, he only needed so many delegates left and there was pretty much no way he wasn't going to get those delegates from these final primaries what with all of the superdelgates calling for him today. Still, hearing it, seeing the words on my screen ... I teared up. I was so happy that I teared up. And then I called a good friend of mine (Hi, Laura) with who I've shared much of the election news with throughout the last months. Then I called my best friend to share the moment with her. Then my sister, and my lovely [livejournal.com profile] hiddeneloise (good luck in getting your stuff done! :). I wanted to share this moment, this beautiful historical moment with the people in my life with whom I've shared my hopes, my fears, my dreams for this upcoming election. I didn't spend more than a few minutes with each of them, but I wanted to touch base ... because this IS a historic moment. This IS a beautiful moment. And, my dear God, I am so very happy and proud to have been a small part of it.

I have followed politics, I have voted, but I have never extensively read everything I could on candidates. I have never donated to a campaign. I have never devoted countless thoughts, hours, discussions, etc. to a candidate. Because I've never had such hopeful faith in a candidate; I've never felt so strongly in the rightness of a candidate. It's always been the lesser of two evils to a degree for me. But this time ... this time it was about voting for the right person for the job. And that person was ... is Barack Obama.

I am proud to have watched his speech announcing his candidacy live. I am proud to have voted for him. Proud to have donated some of my meager earnings to his campaign. I am proud to be an American in an America where this man can be -- AND IS -- a nominee, an incredibly strong nominee, for the President of the United States of America.

I am a supporter of Barack Obama and I know that I share the joy and pride of this day with every other supporter of Barack Obama out there.

(Eek, I posted this on Daily Kos, my first diary there. Whoah!)
arabian: (One Angry Logan)
When I first heard it said that Obama clinched the nomination, making history, I had tears in my eyes, I was so happy. And then came Hillary's speech and I sat there watching it with a sickening feeling in my stomach just knowing that she wasn't going to concede. And she didn't. MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! I think she pretty much killed any opportunity for the VP or anywhere close to to the presidency EVER. What a ... my GOD!!!!!!!!!! The ego, the absolute horrificness of this just angers and frustrates me and makes me so incredibly furious, I have no words.

And to make it even worse, right before her speech, Axelrod (Obama's campaign manager) gave credit to Hillary, saying how wonderful she was, and show she had fought a magnificent race. The Obama campaign showing grace in victory. And then not so much Hillary. Not so much. Instead of this being about a historic moment in history, instead of focusing on Obama's moment -- the first African-American presidential nominee!!!!, she is making it all about her. MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!

GOD, I'M FURIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This poppycock that she's being forced out because she's a woman is ridiculous. ANY OTHER CANDIDATE WHO'D LOST THIRTEEN PRIMARIES IN A ROW would have been expected to drop out. She has been urged to drop out not because she's a woman, but because going by the math she had a snowball's hell in chance of clinching the nomination.

This really was her LAST chance to be gracious, to actually get all of the credit for uniting the party, blah, blah, blah and she just shat all over it. My God the gall of that woman!!!!!!!!!!

Deep breath. Whatever, I'll get over. He's got the nomination and because of this speech of hers, there's pretty much no way in hell she'll get the VP slot now. And I can firmly and finally say THANK GOD! because of THIS speech, because of how she chose to handle this.

Go Obama!!!
arabian: (Obama 2008)
I was blown away by this; he said so much that needed to be said, but never is. He addressed all concerns about his former pastor, but more importantly addressed the nation in regards to race, touching upon not only the understandable reason for black resentment, but also white resentment. he didn't belittle or talk down to anyone. He wrote the 37-minute speech on his own and it very well may go down in the history books as one of the great speeches in American history.

I am so proud to be a supporter of this man and I so very much want him to be the next President of the United States.


The full text behind the cut )
arabian: (Obama 2008)
In a lovely, articulate article in the NYTimes, Caroline Kennedy pledged her support to Barack Obama.

There are more concrete reasons for why I want Obama as president, but Kennedy really nailed the overall reason I want him as my president. That's it simply put: I WANT him for my president. As she said: "[He] has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things."
arabian: (Obama 2008)
I've just begun to get somewhat into politics and so don't really know what it all means. So would someone smarter than me and/or more knowledgable about politics be willing to give me a breakdown of the what the Obama (D) / Huckabee (R) wins meant last night. I know that New Hampshire is the biggie and is coming up. Aside from a breakdown of what it means, what's coming up, what does this say for Obama's chances to get the nomination for the Democratic ticket?
arabian: (Lincoln)
If you're pro-Bush, you probably won't like this, but for those on my flist who have been disgusted as I have been by this presidency, you'll find words that echo much of what you've been feeling from Olberman here. (Video and transcript available.)

It hits you right in the gut.
arabian: (Obama 2008)
"Senator Barack Obama officially launched his bid for the US Presidency on Saturday in Springfield, Illinois outside the Old State Capitol building where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his historic “house divided” anti-slavery speech in 1858."

I've read some of what Senator Obama has had to say and like him. A lot. Part of why I like him is because he reminds me of Abraham Lincoln, in my opinion, not only the greatest president this country has ever known, but one of the greatest men the world has ever known. Not only a great man, but a good one. I've never mentioned Lincoln in my lj, but offline, anyone who knows me for any length of time knows of my pride and love of the 16th President of the United States. I've read countless books, can proudly recite The Gettysburg Address at the drop of a hat and I honestly can't remember a time when I wasn't somewhat enamored of him. He's my greatest hero. And when I listen to Obama, read his words, he strikes me with the same sensibility. All the way. This quote from him, while announcing his candidacy is an example of what I meant above:

"I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness - a certain audacity - to this announcement," he said. "I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I’ve been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change."

Barring some unforeseen information coming out, he has my support.

ETA: You can see a video of his speech (where he invokes my man Abe in word, spirit, tone and actual remembrance a few times) at his official site BarackObama.com and the full text of his speech is there as well, but I included it in this entry for less clicking.

Full Text of Senator Barack Obama's Announcement for President )

I say, if you're going to pattern your speech after any famous American politician in history, Abe is the one to look to ... especially for a Senator from Illinois. He makes a lot of grand promises, but he acknowledges that and as a Lincoln-ite, I gotta say he did a fabulous job in channeling him and if Barack Obama is even half the man that Abraham Lincoln is, he just might achieve all that he sets out to do.

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