As with many others, I signed up for the VP text/email notification from the Obama camp, so I was quite pleasantly surprised to wake up and see that email pop-up in my Inbox early yesterday morning. When I read the email to learn that the pick was Joe Biden, I was initially indifferent to the pick as I did not know or read much of Biden … but after reading through the many blog and news responses to the selection, as well as watching the joint introduction speech between Obama and Biden, I agree with the general consensus that Biden is a great pick.
What I have learned about Biden over the past day and a half:
- He’s the chairman of the Foreign Relations committee and is widely recognized as an authority on foreign policy and relations.
- He is also viewed to be strong in economic policy, which is not mentioned as much because of his abundance of experience in foreign policy and relations.
- His is an Irish Catholic and will appeal to many of the conservatives with his background and beliefs.
- He’s been in public office for over 30 years and with that experience understands Washington and understands what is broken.
- His roots is of middle class America, as his father worked many different jobs including being a car salesman.
- He has a great story of perseverance and overcoming tragedy. He survived a close battle with death when he overcame a brain aneurysm in 1988. As well, his first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident right after he was elected into his first position in the US Senate, in 1972. He raised his two sons as a single dad for 5 years until he remarried his current wife, Jill Jacobs, a public school teacher.
- He is the least wealthiest senator that is currently in office, and chooses to commute an hour and a half each day via train from his ordinary home in the suburbs of Washington DC.
- He loves to talk and will tell it like it is and is not afraid to go on the attack when necessary. In fact, he actually enjoys doing so as he displayed in his speech.
I know that the popular choice among many casual Democratic voters was to choose Hillary Clinton as the running mate. I use the term casual mainly because most of these people are only loyal to Hillary because of the Clinton history and their love for former president Bill Clinton, and not necessarily because of her policies, strengths and charisma. There is still a lot of bad blood and sour grapes among Hillary supporters and the latest polls show that many of them have not decided to back Obama yet, and some have even indicated that they would vote McCain out of spite.
Obviously this is really not a way to serve your country, and to vote for a disastrous candidate like John McCain out of spite is equivalent of flushing the next 4 years of your country’s economy, foreign relations and lives of the soldiers protecting your country down the toilet. In the end, you are only harming yourself if you do so.
The selection of Biden makes sense because he compliments Obama in areas where his opposition has indicated that he is weak. As well, the fact that Obama is willing to select Biden because of these reasons show that he has the mentality and vision to become a good leader. No one person will ever be proficient in all areas, and the key to success as a leader then is to surround yourself with people who’s strengths compliment your weaknesses … so that as team, you are strong in all areas necessary for success.
Case and point - Biden’s fiery nature is a great compliment to Obama’s calm demeanor. While Obama would be criticized if he went out of character to fight back at McCain regarding many of the character attacks that McCain has launched on him, on the other hand it would be considered part and parcel for Biden to hit back and to hit back hard at McCain because of the character that he has defined himself as. This was quickly displayed during Biden’s speech yesterday where he continued to link McCain to Bush, continued to label him out of touch with the hardships that today’s middle class face, and pointed out that America needs more than a good soldier as a President, but a wise leader.
Biden will become the fierce bulldog that the Obama team needs to neutralize all of the smear ads and negative attacks from the Republican party. If yesterday’s speech was any indication of how things will be with Joe Biden as the number two, then I think we have a very entertaining next couple of months to look forward to.
Team McCain has met their match!
To view Joe Biden’s acceptance speech on YouTube, continue on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSNuYqYMeG4
Why Barack Obama is Ready to Lead
Tags: acceptance speech, barack obama, bill clinton, democratic convention, democratic party, hillary clinton, joe biden, john kerry, john mccain, leadership, presidential election
For the past 18 months, the single most dominant question revolving around Barack Obama is whether or not his is ready to lead. It was first raised by Hillary Clinton, his opponent during the primaries and the theme was quickly absorbed by John McCain and his campaign staff. It is a valid question and is probably one that has been on the minds of most Americans that are not following the political race very closely. To them, Obama is a new face, a different face and is one that will take more time to understand and accept. For those that have taken an interest into the whole presidential election, and are actually digesting the facts and learning the virtues of the two candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain … there really is no contest between them. Barack Obama is the leader that America needs for the progressive and forward thinking world that we are living in now. However for the common American who’s concerns is more personal and individual, and who has not taken the time to really learn about the candidates outside of seeing the various ads that are bombarded onto them during prime time television hours, this will not be as obvious. Hopefully these same people then took the time to watch Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last Thursday, in front of a packed house of 80k plus people at Investco field in Denver, and witnessed a piece of history in the making.
Whether or not you support Barack Obama, there is no question that his acceptance speech was masterful and clearly one for the ages. Even his opponents and critics were left awestruck and speechless, and in a state where they were caught in the moment themselves, we saw honest feedback and praise coming from some of his harshes critics. When Pat Buchanen, a staunch conservative and harsh Obama critic, calls it the “greatest convention speech” he’s heard, you know you’re doing something right. When Alex Castellanos, a former advisor to Republican hopeful Mitt Romney, states that “whoever didn’t get picked to be a Republican VP today, maybe a lucky Republican”, you know you’re doing something right. Although I am sure that now that a few days have passed, all of Obama’s critics will be back in form and will retract their praises if they can, these spur of the moment comments are their true genuine thoughts and it’s important to understand and embrace the type of message that Obama was able to convey.
The question around Obama’s leadership and lack of experience is attributed to his low number of years in public office on a national stage. However, I question the correlation between the number of years in public office to one’s ability to be a good leader as well as a great visionary. Let’s be clear, being good leader does not imply that same person is also a great visionary. The qualities of a good leader is to be able to motivate those around you, put them into situations where they are likely to succeed, and provide them with clear defined goals such that when they are accomplished, the goals set out for your team will be deemed successful. The qualities of a good visionary is a bit more abstract. You will need to be able to define a higher goal or purpose that is inspirational to people, be able to navigate through physical and psychological barriers to your goal, and bring people together to put down their differences and their own ambitions for the greater purpose of accomplishing that goal.
In the four days of the DNC (Democratic National Convention), Barack Obama displayed that he is both a good leader and a great visionary. By defining the consistent and strong message that his team brings the change that America needs, while the McCain ticket is just more of the same, displays good leadership. By empowering Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Joe Biden and others to speak on specific topics that they are strong about and have an authoritative position, displays good leadership. By being patient and displaying the temperament to absorb all of McCain’s attacks on him being a celebrity, being unpatriotic, being an elitist, and then unleashing blunt, but strong heart-felt rebuttals to all of these attacks during his acceptance speech, displays good leadership. By reminding people that education and innovation as well as restoring America’s moral standing in the world, is the correct path to bringing America back to a level of respectability in the world stage, shows great vision. By allowing, common Americans to tell their stories about the real hardships that they are enduring, such as Barney Smith who had a great one-liner in his speech, shows great vision. By reminding the American people that this election is not about himself, or John McCain but instead a greater cause, the hope of the American people, shows great vision.
Barack Obama is ready to lead. In fact, not only has he already displayed the leadership skills required, he has also shown that he has the right vision for America as well. He has shown time and time again, that he has the intellect, the patience, the temperament, the judgement and the foresight to become the next president of the United States of America. In the fast paced ever changing world of today, America needs a leader that is in tune with this world and not one that is stubbornly stuck with failed tactics and methodologies of the past. America needs a leader that is willing to adapt, that will actually think through and look at the bigger picture as opposed to short term gains, seek out diplomacy before pressing on the trigger, and willing to invest in the future as opposed to personal agendas and personal gain.
That is not to say that Obama is perfect, or he will not make mistakes. He is just a man after all, albeit a very talented and intellectual man. He will also not win by his merits alone. It’s time for the American people to speak out. There will always be the fear of change, but there should be a greater fear of accepting the status quo of the past 8 years and accepting that is the best that America can do. I know that America can do better. You know that America can do better. Obama knows that America can do better. We all believe it, but it’s time to put actions behind the words that we all believe in.
Barack Obama has answered the question on whether or not he’s ready to lead. Now it’s your turn, America, to allow him to do so. Not just for you, not just for him, but for the betterment of the global society that we all live in. God speed.
To watch Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZCrIeRkMhA