Myrhaf Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 By Myrhaf from Myrhaf,cross-posted by MetaBlog I just listened to Barack Obama give his victory speech in South Carolina. And lo, it was a mighty blast of wind. What a voice! What inspiring rhetoric! Full of sound and fury signifying nothing! What does "Change we can believe in" mean? As near as I can guess, it means that we have been promised change in the past, but things have always stayed the same; now, however, you can believe in Obama's promises because he will actually change things in Washington, D.C. Or something like that. If I'm wrong, tell me in the comments. I could easily be wrong, as the motto is one of those vague political slogans that are calculated to offend no one. I mean, who will think, "But I want change I CAN'T believe in"? In his speech Obama said (putting it all in my words) he wants to socialize medicine, to withdraw our troops from Iraq and to throw more money at public education. The Iraq stand does represent legitimate change. The rest is just more welfare state, and there ain't nothin' new about that. I take all his talk about rising above race as a coded slap at the Clintons, who have done their best to remind white voters that Obama has melanin in his skin. Anything that humiliates a Clinton is always welcome. This is the most gratifying aspect of Obama's electoral success. Can Obama win on November 4th? Yes, if he keeps his angry leftist wife hidden until November 5th. Yes, if the Republicans nominate Mitt Romney, a pandering, insincere man who makes Obama look like Martin Luther King, Jr. First, though, Obama has to get past the Clinton machine, which I don't see happening. As of today both the Republican and Democrat nomination is yet to be decided. Super Tuesday will be the political junky's Superbowl. UPDATE: On second thought, my interpretation of Obama's slogan, "Change we can believe in," is wrong. My meaning would be better phrased, "Promises we can believe." Perhaps Obama's slogan is attempting to combine the word change with idealism. So the slogan is saying, "Obama's change will bring about our ideals." If your ideals are altruism-collectivism-statism, that makes sense. (One might reword the slogan as "Change that will enslave us.") Ultimately, the slogan doesn't have to make sense as long as it makes Obama's voters feel good. View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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