Facetime

[grantcart]

13. This is one of the most important articles ever published at DU.

Not because it is an endorsement of the President. In fact take that part of it out and reread it.

It endorses optimism.

You can call it giddy but it isn't unquestioned.

It is questioned, it is examined and that is why we can be optimistic.

This is what those that fail to get excited about the election fail to see. There is always reason to by cynical but if you go through the issues and the context then we find that we now have reason to be hopeful.

Those of us that are showing some grey know that Jack was great and Teddy too, Jimmy had a simple charm and Clinton was both inspiring and completely frustrating. I would make the case that the President is the best reincarnation of the political spirit of Bobby Kennedy in our life time. Bobby was no saint. But he was incessantly hopeful. He was intellectually aggressive.

There have been other threads about reluctantly voting for the President because their personal ideals were so great that they found just enough reason to put an X next to the President. I feel sorry for those folks because they will never have a candidate they will be enthusiastic for. If you can't get excited about the reelection of President Obama then there is something missing.

What you have so generously laid out is the case not for the President, because right now there is no case against him, none. You have put for the objective, intellectual case to be optimistic, energetic even happy with the choice.

For well educated, self aware people what is the choice? We can either emulate the angst of Sartre's Roquentin at the small Chestnut tree and overcome with nausea and angst lay in a metaphorical state of vomit or we can commit to an action, an imperfect action. Or you can go to Ron Fullwood's bigtree and embrace the imperfection. We are never going to see the perfect candidate. It is also unlikely that we are ever going to see another candidate that give us better reason to leave the angst behind and take control of our future.

Despite an unprecedented campaign of hate, anger, bigotry, ignorance, obfuscation, hostility and hate (an intentional repeat) this man remains decent, focused, principled, optomistic, charming, healthy, positive, embracing and open to those who villify him without ceasing.

If you are going to commit to the President's campaign then why not do it with enthusiasm, even a little giddiness. It doesn't hurt anything, and it is contagious. It even irritates the haters more than anything.

So thanks Ron for laying out the argument not for the President, but for being enthusiastic about the President. Not about tolerating this unbelievable moment in history but being a little giddy about it.

Read it, hell I am going to memorize it.

Oh and nice picture too.