Washington Square News Endorses: Barack Obama

[Hope And Change]

WSN Endorses: Barack Obama


Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Endorsements WSN Editorial Board

Little separates Sen. Hillary Clinton from Sen. Barack Obama when it comes to policy. Because of this, discussion quickly moves from proposals to action - political and emotional, individual and collective.

WSN endorses Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. He, more than any other candidate, realizes that we must break through the political stranglehold that partisanship and the special interests have on our federal government. That's why he, unlike any other candidate, has energized large swaths of the youth vote.

Obama's case for the presidency goes beyond policy prescriptions. When he argues for a new kind of politics, Obama is not ignoring the inevitability of conflicting opinions. Instead, he believes that the politics of our time must emphasize a consensus to effectively tackle the challenges of our time - global warming, a war overseas and a recession at home. This means taking bipartisanship as far as it can go. Sen. Clinton has an extraordinary record of bipartisan accomplishments in the Senate, but her past would complicate efforts to enact legislation supported by both Republican legislators on Capitol Hill and Republicans and independents throughout America. We're not saying that Obama will miraculously unite this country on every issue; we are saying that he will bring more people together than Clinton.

Obama inspires our generation in particular because he personifies the path less traveled. He could have sought a high-paying job; instead, he chose public service and succeeded. In a time when résumés, MCATs, LSATs and GPAs stalk many of us, his example is a powerful one. The new frontier of the '90s, with its rapidly expanding job markets, has been folding in on itself before our eyes. Anxiety over being left stranded - diploma in one hand, unpaid loan statement in the other - dominates the campus. Obama's optimism is inspiring because it is rooted in experience: his experience and ours.

Furthermore, he can deliver, on issues ranging from foreign policy and national service to Washington ethics reform.

Obama has rejected the current administration's fear of the larger world. He will stand toe-to-toe with the Republican nominee because of his principled opposition to the Iraq War. And instead of rattling sabers, Obama wants to double the size of the Peace Corps by 2012. He wants to clean up our house by expanding AmeriCorps. Young Americans will be at the forefront of regaining our country's respect in the world.

Obama has run an open and transparent campaign. He takes no money from special interest political action committees or from federal lobbyists, and he promises to ban lobbyists from joining his administration. Despite this, Obama has remained astonishingly competitive thanks to a historically large base of low-dollar donations from regular folks.

While we have great hope for an Obama presidency, we remind the senator from Illinois of the enormous responsibility that has been placed on his shoulders. So many have dreamed and struggled for a moment like this. If he does not follow through on his promises, if he abandons the difficult road of consensus-building, he might make cynics out of the many who believe in him - his message and his example. •

http://media.www.nyunews.com/media/storage/paper869/news/2008/02/04/Endorsements/Wsn-Endorses.Barack.Obama-3185831.shtml

[donheld]

1. Oh what do those squares know

:D :bounce: Good news.

[neutron]

2. You Need to Read Today's NYT on HealthCare

This is the last paragraph:
If you combine the economic analysis with these political realities, here's what I think it says: If Mrs. Clinton gets the Democratic nomination, there is some chance -- nobody knows how big -- that we'll get universal health care in the next administration. If Mr. Obama gets the nomination, it just won't happen.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,532906,00.html