Why I support Barack Obama
Barack Obama represents a rare opportunity for Americans to elect a
President that will bring hope and inspiration to a nation that has
been riddled with the politics of division, scapegoating, and blame.
His vision of America is one that we can all get behind.
I was
eleven years old when John Kennedy was elected President. I have vivid
memories of the all-too-brief period that he served as the
commander-in-chief. His intellect, his humor, his charm, and his
presence made him quite the perfect character for this role. I and
countless others were always interested in what he had to say, what he
was doing, and, amazingly in retrospect, we even paid attention to
reports of his press conferences. But what made JFK so very special—in
many ways a once in a lifetime leader—was his ability to inspire
Americans to come together, to engage in community service, to be
better persons, to strive to do great things in the interest of
humankind. His call to “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask
what you can do for your country” became more than an inaugural catch
phrase. It set the tone for his administration and his generation, as
well as a new generation of which I was a part. His idealism was
infectious.
Like any human being, JFK was not perfect, however,
his inspirational mark on the psyche of the nation was unmistakable.
Certainly, other great Americans have come along in my lifetime with
the presence and ability to inspire us in similar ways—Bobby Kennedy,
Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Yuri Kochiyama, but none with the
advantage of the presidential bully pulpit to take center stage on a
regular basis to lead the nation to do the right thing.
As the
presidential primary season has progressed, it was hard not to realize
that something very special was happening. When Barack Obama announced
his candidacy last February in Springfield, Illinois, a crowd of 15,000
gathered to cheer him on. Why, I wondered, until I heard his opening
words: “We all made this journey for a reason. It's humbling, but in
my heart I know you didn't come here just for me, you came here because
you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you
believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there
can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told
you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe we can be
one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect
union.” His presence and his speech on the tube were awe-inspiring. But
I had to see for myself. So a month later on St. Patrick’s Day 2007, my
twenty-something kids and I went to hear Barack speak in front of
Oakland’s City Hall where thousands more gathered. His dynamism and
charisma is for real. His appeal to an old generation (me) and a new
one (my children) is for real. The similar crowds that have gathered
across the country to hear Barack are for real. The potential for a new
Kennedy-esque President is for real.
Like others, I have
parsed through the different positions that the presidential candidates
have taken, paying close attention to issues of particular interest to
me (and no doubt others): the economy, the war, health care,
immigration. Truth be told, on the Democratic side, similarities
between Barack and Hillary Clinton on most of these matters are
evident, although I continue to be troubled by Clinton’s defense of her
vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq and her failure to understand
immigration issues in a nuanced manner. Barack Obama has demonstrated
the courage to stand up to do the right thing in spite of political
danger such as his support of drivers licenses for the undocumented.
The
huge difference and overwhelming factor in my decision to support
Barack is his potential to lead and inspire the country beyond the
politics as usual that we have lived with since the Nixon
Administration. As much as I admire Jimmy Carter, he was unable to move
the nation to higher aspirations even before his administration was
de-railed by the hostage situation in Tehran. Ronald Regan was
transformative, but in a negative manner that put us years and steps
behind in our nation’s progress toward economic, gender, and racial
justice. And while Bill Clinton was a masterful politician, he did not
inspire us to greatness and ended up agreeing to compromises that ended
up hurting the working class (NAFTA), the poor (welfare reform), and
immigrants (1996 legislation and Operation Gatekeeper). I cannot see
Hillary breaking out of the leadership morass that has deepened since
1968. But Barack has the special qualities to do so.
I am not
so naive to believe that every single policy that a President Obama
might support would be great, from my perspective. But I do believe
that unlike any other candidate, he can inspire all of us to rise above
our differences. I have now spoken with individuals who have known
Barack growing up, in high school, in college, in law school, and on
the streets of Chicago. To a person, they all attest to his honesty,
integrity, openness, and most importantly, his ability to lead. He is
special. So special, that while he may be a once-in-a-lifetime
President for my children, this could be the second time in my life
that I truly can be inspired by the President of the United States--a
President who has the ability to inspire Americans to come together, to
engage in community service, to be better persons, to strive to do
great things in the interest of humankind. A President who is not
afraid to share his inspirational idealism.
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Bill Ong Hing is a professor at UC Davis in the King Law School and Asian American Studies. A renowned scholar in immigration and Asian Americans, Professor Hing is a member of the Obama Immigration Policy Team, along with equally respected immigration law experts and professors Kevin Johnson and Jennifer Chacon!
