Since Presidents Day is Monday, I thought I’d print an excerpt from an essay I really liked written by 2008 Presidential candidate Barack Obama, which originally appeared in Time Magazine, June 26, 2005.
WHAT I SEE IN LINCOLN’S EYES
“My favorite portrait of Lincoln comes from the end of his life. In it, Lincoln’s face is as finely lined as a pressed flower…It would be a sorrowful picture except for the fact that Lincoln’s mouth is turned ever so slightly into a smile…On trying days, the portrait, a reproduction of which hangs in my office, soothes me; it always asks me questions.
What is it about this man that can move us so profoundly? Some of it has to do with Lincoln’s humble beginnings, which often speak to our own. When I moved to Illinois 20 years ago I had no money in my pockets and didn’t know a single soul. So when I, a black man with a funny name, born in Hawaii of a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, announced my candidacy for the U.S. Senate, it was hard to imagine a less likely scenario than that I would win–except, perhaps, for the one that allowed a child born in the backwoods of Kentucky with less than a year of formal education to end up as Illinois’ greatest citizen and our nation’s greatest President.”
I like Obama.
Here’s a link to the entire essay:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1077287,00.html
Happy Presidents Day!
I like the article too. I like what Obamma said about Lincoln; I could visualize the portrait he’s describing and I found the subject interesting because a lot of people haven’t thought about the things that Obama and Lincon may have in common because they tend to focus on the obvious differences.
Obama is a great speaker who deals with the issues. Many people like him and he has a good chance. I feel that Blacks are making inroads into top offices so don’t be surprised if he gets the Democratic nod.
I like the article and I like Obama too. From Obama’s essay, I could actually see Lincoln’ portrait and I got an idea of the way Obama thinks: most people would see the obvious differences between Lincoln and Obama and not dig a little deeper and see the person behind the appearance. They both had unsurmountable odds but in these days many people of different races are making inroads to the top offices in this country, so don’t be surprised if Obama gets the nod from the Democratic party.
I certainly appreciate the Obama essay and I am excited that I am able to see a candidate such as Mr. Obama come to the table and hold his own, in a very real and respectable way. I certainly understand his thinking in terms of Lincoln’s humble beginnings in comparison to his own but, I wonder does he feel the weight. I wonder when he looks at the picture of Lincoln, does he see the road he is attempting to walk. I wonder does he feel the weight of Lincoln, Malcolm and Martin. I wonder is he ready for the position. I think the world may be ready for Hillary but, I don’t know if they are ready for Obama. If only we had a Crystal Ball
Obama is a long shot, but even Lincoln would never imagine a black man can run for president. Now if we can get all the people of different races register to vote and then vote. maybe he can make a difference.
Hey Frank, “Brooklyn” and Laura,
I’m really getting psyched for the 2008 Presidential Election. Things are already starting to heat up; especially between Barack and Hillary.
MSNBC.com had a great article, “Is America Ready for Hillary or Obama?” Here’s an excerpt:
“…Full of praise for Hillary Clinton, Obama handled himself with his usual offhand baritone cool. He explained that the hype had “less to do with me, more to do with you.” His curious audience, he noted was simply saying, “We are looking for somethng different——we want something new.”
The question is, how new?…Voters might be in the mood to try something historic and possibly redemptive. A black president in a country that fought a civil war over race might even prove cathartic. And a woman president would show the rest of the world that the United States is not a sexist nation. Whatever happens, the process feels uplifting.”
Here’s a link to the full article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16238556/site/newsweek