July 29, 2008
Obamamania Revisited
I just had a very interesting exchange over the blogsphere with my good friend, Maha, a fellow Brown graduate, who is an argent Hillary supporter and is still not sold on Obama. See her posts and my comments here.
Staying with the topic, I hope all readers of this blog who still have doubts about Obama's substance to read his first memoir, "Dreams from My Father," which I am about to finish very soon. It is an authentic and unfiltered look at Obama, whic h you rarely get these days with the media surrounding him 24/7, each with a hidden agenda of its own. It is an easy read that is very well-writtened, and will give you a good look at the struggles that he has had and his incredible ability to bring people together, make good judgment and tough decisions in the face of challenges.
I look forward to more exchanges on this topic and will hopefully bring everyone some juicy inside take as I begin my work for the campaign.
Posted by Kevin Xu at 11:33 PM | Comments (1)
June 10, 2008
Obamamania Around the World
With Barack Obama officially securing the Democratic nomination and Hillary Clinton officially, albeit bitterly, endorsing him and offering him every ounce of her support, the rest of the world is cheering for the possibility of a new era of American foreign policy led by a man of racial minority, diverse upbringing, sensible outlook on foreign relations, and genuine commitment towards dialogue and diplomacy, even towards a country like Iran. Whether the United States' next president should engage Iran or not is no doubt a hotly debated topic within both the academic and the policymaking circle. No matter who comes on top in this debate, the mere possibility that the U.S. could have Obama as its next president has energized people in the rest of the world both in closed door cabinet meetings and in the neighborhood cafes. The very image of swearing in an articulate, intelligent, African American in January 2009 will, I believe, instantly restore American standing in the world, giving us a historic opportunity to reconstitute an effective, comprehensive and robust foreign policy. People in France and Germany, two of the most adamant opponents of the Iraq War, are already rejoicing over Obama nomination victory. In Japan, a new TV drama was released, starring the handsome and forever-popular Takuya Kimura (木村拓哉), who plays a young Japanese Prime Minister. This character embodies many of Obama's qualities and was repeatedly doubted and scolded by older Japanese politicians but eventually won the hearts of the Japanese people. Japanese TV rarely produces shows with political themes, but Obama's global popularity has swept the often self-contained and apathetic island by storm (and to have one of its cities share the same name as the Illinois Senator doesn't hurt either).
Ironically, his biggest opposition is at home. If Obama were to win the election, foreign policy will not be his trump card. His experience is thin and his track record is essentially non-existent. While there are many intangible appeals to his charisma and moving personal history, voters will look more towards experience and track record when they think about national security. McCain definitely has the edge in this debate, and it would be smart for Obama to steer the election towards the ailing economy, not on security, defense, or foreign policy. His team has already realized this it seems, as Obama embarks on a two-week tour through all the major battleground states to undermine McCains economic policies while re-introducing and re-enforcing his own.
I am confident that Obama's character and judgment will quickly and dramatically improve U.S. foreign policy and American standing in the world. But in order to do that, he must first win the election. And to win the election, he must first stick with the economy and exploit McCain's weakness.
Posted by Kevin Xu at 12:36 AM | Comments (4)