Why Obama Matters
Everyone has there own reasons for backing the candidate they do, but one of the most moving I've heard during this campaign was from my father. He explained that he supported Obama because he remembered stories from the '60s of Peace Corps volunteers entering impoverished villages without running water or electricity and finding posters of John F. Kennedy, and that he thought Obama was the only candidate who could have a similar global symbolic impact as President. Nothing illustrates exactly how right he was better than this video (via Garance):
When the mere presidential candidacy of Obama can convince a boy in Kenya who hasn't even traveled as far as Tanzania that he, too, can become a U.S. Senator, that means something. His election - not to mention his policies - would provide America with soft power on levels that Hillary or Edwards simply could not reach. And that's something voters should really consider.
In decidedly different Obama-related news, the tech nerd in me is pretty happy that Larry Lessig has endorsed. Lessig is a huge figure in the open source and technological civil liberties movements, and I suspect that this endorsement will mean a lot among the Slashdot/xkcd set. Meanwhile, I'm as stunned as anyone that Matt Stoller is leaning toward Obama. He's been more brutal to the Obama candidacy than anyone other than Hillary trolls, and it's simply astounding that he's done such a dramatic about-face. Matt Yglesias' announcement that he's strongly leaning toward Obama is less surprising (he's been making signals that he prefers Obama's foreign policy views for months), but the Stoller development just blows me away.
When the mere presidential candidacy of Obama can convince a boy in Kenya who hasn't even traveled as far as Tanzania that he, too, can become a U.S. Senator, that means something. His election - not to mention his policies - would provide America with soft power on levels that Hillary or Edwards simply could not reach. And that's something voters should really consider.
In decidedly different Obama-related news, the tech nerd in me is pretty happy that Larry Lessig has endorsed. Lessig is a huge figure in the open source and technological civil liberties movements, and I suspect that this endorsement will mean a lot among the Slashdot/xkcd set. Meanwhile, I'm as stunned as anyone that Matt Stoller is leaning toward Obama. He's been more brutal to the Obama candidacy than anyone other than Hillary trolls, and it's simply astounding that he's done such a dramatic about-face. Matt Yglesias' announcement that he's strongly leaning toward Obama is less surprising (he's been making signals that he prefers Obama's foreign policy views for months), but the Stoller development just blows me away.
re: Yglesias' support for Obama, I think he's done more than hint at his support. He's also given him $250.
In the case that your being "stunned" is sarcasm, well then that factoid would look pretty silly
Posted by: Matt Zeitlin | November 14, 2007 at 09:27 PM
Re: Ygz, I had no idea he donated. That seems like a fairly good indicator of support :)
And Stoller's support really is stunning. He's bashed Obama to no end.
Posted by: Minipundit | November 14, 2007 at 11:07 PM