Obama O-Rama

Well, I've finally found the jump-start I need to get this Blog going again. From now on, I'd like to make it a weekly blog, posting every Wednesday -- God willing.

My new inspiration? The incredible emergence of Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential front-runner. This is, quite frankly, the most exciting political phenomenon of my entire adult life.

I had given up on the Democratic Party. Having confused the Progressive movement with the party, I had all but dismissed any interest in it, too. Long and soulful talks with good progressive friends have since restored my belief that without a strong Left in this country, not only America but the world is doomed. There are, indeed, elements of the Right (particularly liberal libertarianism) I find interesting, but let's look at the way the Right has dealt, thus far, with Senator Obama:

"Obama...Osama! Osama...Obama! Duuuuhhhhh...his middle name is HUSSEIN, d'yuh know that? And his preacher's real scary...and he's BLACK!"

That's it, folks. That's pretty much all they've got. In other words, they've got nuthin'. These poor, lost souls are so brain-dead that, post-Bush Junior, they can't even manage a coherent answer to the message of conciliation and optimism Obama presents.

Barack Obama is a classy man, and a gentleman in the true sense of the word. He's quality, through and through. I've read his book The Audacity of Hope, and I've heard him speak at least a couple dozen times. I've been watching and listening as he deftly, and with dignity, weathers the scumball bullshit the Clintons have been spewing at him. I can add very little to what he has to say for himself. Read his book, and listen for yourself.

It even looks as if enough Democrats still have the sense to remember what progressivism is that he may WIN the nomination. Let us fervently hope and pray. He may not wear a flag pin in his lapel (and what is up with that idiocy, anyway?), but he clearly loves America. There's a new generation of Democrats out there -- true progressives -- who are bringing the honor and common sense back to liberalism. It isn't a dirty word anymore.

Do I still consider myself something of a (very liberal) libertarian? Small-l, and without the creepy cultism, yes. But conversations with numerous true-believer, capital-L types have shown me that they'll never accept me as one of them. And I have to say that's a profound relief. There is nothing more utopian than Libertarianism with a capital L. Those poor, deluded souls, with their odd pride in their supposed anti-utopianism, will be the last to know it.

I know a few people still visit this Blog, because they've told me so. I hope they'll pause, once in a while, to leave a message and send me their hellos. There may be some way, through Blogger.com, to find out how many hits I'm getting, but I have no idea what that might be. I hope to build it up, now, to full strength, and to gather a loyal assortment of engaged readers -- however small that motley lot might be.

My theme -- and I do have one -- is that the far-out, whacko Right is what attacked America on September 11 of 2001. On that evil day, my thirty-ninth birthday, I was just too pissed-off that those thugs had chosen my birthday to do those deeds to be able to make sense of it all. But globalism does, indeed, present new opportunities to people all over the world, and never more abundantly than to extremist conservatives, both political and religious, who want to hold decent people everywhere hostage to fear. A new progressive movement, liberal at heart and libertarian in spirit, has begun to emerge from the ashes -- and Barack Obama leads the way.

He doesn't want us all to be mere followers. He hopes to energize us to take action alongside him. This is what I love best about him. And I fully intend to answer that call. May 2008 be the beginning of a real Obama-o-Rama. I hope as many of you as possible will come along for the journey.