The question: What is this blog all about?

The answer: I’ll expand on this , but, basically, I have too much passion for Democratic Presidential frontrunner Senator Barack Obama and the direction this country is going to not do something with it.

Looking for a little more of an explanation…

I’m still pretty young — 29, to be exact — but in the past five years my interest has risen dramatically when it comes to politics. As a kid, I always was well-informed and interested, but it’s hard to get involved in politics when you don’t even do your own laundry.

When my old man would pick up the local newspaper, I’d grab USA Today and read about the world. I was a young, open-minded, idealistic kid who always wanted to see the bigger picture. When most people in Springfield, MO seemed to solely worry about their own backyard and following the ass in front of them, I was focused on bigger and broader things. Sometimes too much. That’s why I connected with the Frodo Bagginses and Luke Skywalkers. That’s why I read Jonathon Livingston Seagull over and over, and knew “The Road Not Taken” by heart.

(I’ve since forgotten the words, and definitely need to brush up on the poem again. If that’s not a sign of the times, I don’t know what is.)

Am I claiming to be selfless? Absolutely not. What I’m claiming to be is a dreamer. I’m a dreamer now, and I’ve always been one.

Problem is, when you talk about dreams or doing something extraordinary, or even different, you often get shot down. Like clay pigeons.

I have nothing against practical thinking. It definitely has its place, and we all need to be practical and grounded from time to time. My thing is, when did America become the country of skepticism? When did we become a country that continuously sets the bar lower and lower? Have we become that jaded? When did we all say aw, fuck it, and stop giving a damn?

Obama often speaks about JFK reaching for the moon and MLK fighting for civil rights. I totally agree that all great achievements and innovations start with a dream. Sure, you have to work your ass off after conception of the dream to see it become reality. But without dreams we’d be running around in circles, just trying to survive, accepting the status quo as our fate.

Wait a minute — that’s exactly what we as a society are doing. I’m not gonna lie; I definitely get caught up in it, too.

In addition to being a writer and small business owner, I’m also an aspiring filmmaker. I went to film school. I’ve made short films. I’ve worked in the industry. Still, I’ve often abandoned my dreams for reason — looking at my bank account and listening to others more than I should have. To win in this game called life you have to look inside and listen to your heart. That’s all that matters, because, ultimately, it’s your life and you’re the one who has to live it.

Obama is a hero to me because he gives me the courage to believe. To believe in myself. To believe in something bigger than myself. To believe in others. To believe in my country. To believe in this world.

Like he says, nobody in the world ever thought that a skinny mixed kid named Barack Obama would ever even sniff 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, let alone move in. Now he’s got as good of a shot to become President as anybody.

Why? Because he believed.

As a kindergartener, Obama told his teacher that he wanted to become President one day. When Hillary Clinton heard that she ridiculed him, laughed at his audacity.

What Hillary doesn’t understand is that because of that very audacity — Obama calls it the “audacity of hope” — he’s putting together one of the most remarkable White House runs in history. He has a thing called conviction. But what exatcly is conviction? What is hope? What are dreams? What is this other word we keep hearing: change?

If you ask Hillary, they are nothing more than idle words, hollow concepts. What she doesn’t understand is that when words are spoken eloquently with conviction they become more than words — words then become sparks. Those words inspire us to do great things or rally around a cause. Those words aren’t dead ends, they’re kinetic energy. Those words are seeds that will sprout new leaders, inspire new dreams.

Why Hillary doesn’t understand how these words can have so much impact is because she is void of conviction. The only thing she has conviction about is the future of the Clintons. Period. On the surface it may seem like when she raises her voice or tears up it’s because she cares about this country. Beneath the surface, though, what’s really going on is something entirely different. She’s seeing the power she’s lusted over for years, worked her whole life for, slipping away.

What Hillary doesn’t understand is that selfishness is like voter repellent, while selflessness is utterly contagious. Her supporters are jumping overboard at an unprecedented rate, while Obama supporters are doing the exact opposite. Many of us believe in Obama and his cause to such a degree that we’d take a bullet for him to see him reach the Oval Office.

Obama’s words have metamorphosed into something bigger than anyone could have imagined. It’s called a movement, people. What is one man (or woman, actually) against a movement? Nothing.

Again, I’m an idealist, but if everybody else was as well just imagine what the world could be like. “Imagine.” That song has stuck because when John Lennon sang those lyrics he meant that shit. That’s undeniable.

It’s the idealist in me that believes deep down that people don’t have to settle in life or love. It’s that same idealist who has struggled to really get too involved in politics because my only options have been O.P.C. Remember the song “O.P.P.” by Naughty By Nature? This is similar — Other People’s Candidates.

In 1996, I barely missed being able to vote. Even though I thought President Clinton was an above-average President, I’m not sure I would have voted for him. Like Mike Ditka, if I don’t believe in something with all my heart, I don’t really believe in it at all. All in, or all out. I just couldn’t believe in Bill, or anything he said. I wasn’t a huge Bob Dole fan either, even though my family and town really rallied behind him. Quite frankly, I was relieved I didn’t have to vote.

In 2000, I touted myself as an independent. I was looking at both Al Gore and John McCain, actually leaning towards McCain. While I didn’t question Gore’s sincerity — and honestly, who could now after we’ve all seen An Inconvenient Truth — he seemed robotic. McCain was a fighter. He was passionate and sincere. I was pretty much all aboard the McCain express until it was derailed by Karl Rove and Co. The George W. Bush campaign’s libelous/slanderous attacks on its own party’s McCain left me repulsed, permanently distancing me from the GOP — or what I now call the Bank, Bibles and Rifles Party. I voted for Gore, or, really, against Bush. For years, I kept it from my mostly Republican group of friends and family. The Bush administration not only zapped the passion out of Gore and McCain, but me as well.

I became even more disgusted when McCain basically became Bush’s little bitch in the election’s aftermath. I remember thinking, this is a guy who fought and survived five-plus years in the hell pits of Vietnam… and he’s giving into this slimeball cowboy from Crawford who ruined his reputation, salvaging his political career while defecating on his pride and beliefs?

In 2004, I was adamant about beating Bush. I didn’t believe or believe in Howard Dean, so I waited. I liked General Wesley Clark, but he was never really on the national radar. Then John Kerry emerged and selected John Edwards as his running mate. I thought the world of Kerry, and believed that he would have made a fine President. I even volunteered and worked for the campaign. What I didn’t believe in, however, was in Kerry the candidate. His wife Teresa Heinz wasn’t exactly Jackie O, and Kerry was widely viewed as a flip-flopper and far too liberal, especially with Edwards as a running mate. Still — largely because of one Michael Moore — Kerry still had a chance. That was until Rove came along and swiftboated Kerry just like McCain before him. In the end, America — in controversial fashion — decided not to change horses mid-race. I was furious that Kerry conceded so early, showing shades of McCain while allowing Dub-ya to trample over him.

The harder message for me to take: Sit down, Generation X and Y, the Baby Boomers and their elders have won again. Young people don’t have a voice when it comes to politics. Wait your turn.

Still, I wasn’t as heartbroken as I probably should have been.

Why? Because I had found the candidate of the future. While many doubted Barack’s candidacy up until the Iowa caucuses a week ago, I always believed. Our turn was right around the corner.

In the weeks prior to the 2004 DNC, I started hearing the buzz about a young democrat named Barack Obama. Bha wha? I eagerly anticipated his keynote speech. Finally, the day came, and it was a day I’ll never, ever forget. I was just in awe.

It’s kind of like when men say they fell in love with their wife the minute they saw her, all along knowing that would be the woman they eventually married. I’ve had precious moments like that. The first time I watched Star Wars. The first time I heard Jimmy Page go off on his guitar and Robert Plant wail. The first time I witnessed Arrowhead Stadium (I’m a huge Chiefs fan, and cover them here). The wildreness expedition where I was engulfed by mountains, and saw several bald eagles from close enough to see the breaks in their feathers. Again, precious few.

This was another one of those moments. From what I had read, Obama’s political beliefs closely resembled my own. That wasn’t what captured my imagination, though. Not only had I found a candidate who believed what I believed, but one who I earnestly believed believed. Not only did I believe in his conviction, but also in his ability to draw upon his conviction to rally people and produce change.

In Obama I didn’t see a power-hungry politician. What I saw was an unlikely hero, a public servant who had risen above insurmountable odds, determined to make this country and the world as a whole better. I saw someone who would one day become iconic. I saw the fierce urgency that drove MLK. I saw the silky smoothness of Bill Clinton. I saw someone who could unite a party, unite a country like Ronald Reagan did. I saw the black JFK.

This post has been pretty long-winded, and up until now it has been largely what Hillary and her cronies would refer to as “poetry.” Again, these words were needed to express something that a just-the-facts style could never express.

In Obama I’ve found a candidate that I can not only rally around, but also idolize. Someone who I can draw upon for strength and inspiration in my own life. Someone who I believe in and believe, which is an unlikely phenomenon in politics. At least for me it is.

When Obama says that he’s brining our troops home, I believe him. When Obama says he intends to fix the corporate corruption and special interests in Washington, I believe him. When Obama says he is going to make healthcare affordable for those of us who desperately want it but don’t have the money, I believe him. When Obama speaks of faith and his belief in separation of church and state, I believe him on both accounts. When Obama says he is going to fight for our economy, I believe him. When Obama says he is going to fight nuclear proliferation and get together with the leaders of the Middle East, I believe him. (I also believe he is in a unique position to reach the Middle East like no other President could.) When Obama says he’s going to stop the outsourcing of jobs and improve our economy, I believe him. When Obama says he’s going to curtail our oil addiction, I believe him. When Obama says he will fight for young people so that we won’t be stranded without social security, I believe him. When Obama says he is going to be a President who actually knows and follows The Constitution, I believe him.

Edwards says Obama is too much of a diplomat and a negotiator, and not enough of a fighter. I like you John, but I vehemently disagree with that shit. You see, Barack Obama is the epitome of the American Dream. Because of that, I believe he will be a champion of the American Dream, and fight for it like few have. You don’t have to use fists or aggression to be a fighter. Anyone who disagrees is also stating that MLK wasn’t a fighter, and what jackass is going to be brave enough — more like stupid enough — to make that contention?

I’m here, this blog is here, because I believe in Obama. I believe in his ability to bring change and fight for the American Dream. I’m inspired like I’ve never been before. And I have a feeling I’m not the only one.

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