JUST A THOUGHT : Could Obama win?
Posted on Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Late Saturday morning I began
wondering if I’d accidentally spotted the future
of American politics while randomly flipping channels, or little more than a flash in the pan. Although my political science professors would be appalled at the unscientific nature of it all, I’m beginning to note that the only people who believe Illinois Senator Barack Obama doesn’t stand a change against New York Senator Hillary Clinton and the rest of an impressive (and growing ) Democratic primary field are those who haven’t really heard him speak, and know little more about him beyond the snippets they’ve heard on the news, or that he doesn’t have that much experience at the federal level — and that he’s black, of course. But seriously. Have you ever listened to this guy speak ? In Springfield, Ill. this weekend (in front of the same capitol building where Abraham Lincoln got his start ) Barack Hussein Obama stood before a shivering crowd of thousands to announce his intention to seek his party’s nomination for president of the United States — and positively blew them away. Certainly everyone who bothers showing up at a political rally on a freezing Saturday morning could easily be written off as die-hard supporters; by the end of his 20-minute address, however, Obama was speaking to a group of concerned citizens who were much more than willing to give him their votes. They were moved. They were inspired. For the record, there are a million reasons Obama has been garnering rave reviews everywhere he turns. His presidency would be a change of pace (to say the least ) from the current administration. And yes, he lacks experience. But, as he’s become fond of saying lately, look where all the experience currently residing in Washington has gotten us. Mostly, though, he’s built his campaign on hope. Hope that America can do more, much more, for its citizens than it has in the last six years. Maybe he’s just the best salesman among the current crop of presidential candidates. Still, if you listen to him, you almost can’t help walking away feeling better about the nation’s prospects. He’s that good. In the last generation of American politics, only Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have received the rock-star treatment Barack Obama has been receiving of late. Which is why I’m wondering if Saturday morning I stumbled upon the next John F. Kennedy — or the next Howard Dean.
• • • Uncle Sam’s third attempt at creating a popular $ 1 coin goes into circulation Thursday. Premiering with George Washington, this presidential series of coins hopes to get it right where Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea got it wrong. Even if this latest attempt fails, though, don’t expect the federal government to simply give up, as it’s worth it to try and convince a skeptical public that coins are actually preferable to bills where a buck is concerned. Turns out that it costs Washington hundreds of millions of dollars to print the $ 1 bill, while coins would be more durable — and, thus, much less expensive. Considering all the government programs that are currently operating below their proper funding levels, shouldn’t the U. S. Mint be given the benefit of the doubt, even if polls show that Americans aren’t keen with the idea of saying bye-bye to the dollar bill ? Perhaps.
Regardless of the government’s efforts, though, I can’t help wondering just how popular the $ 1 coin is going to be when the public is forced to reach into their pockets for change, only to discover President Nixon’s mug starring right back at them.
• • • Perhaps you disagree, but I really don’t enjoy coming home to learn all over again that Fayetteville’s college football program has devolved into little more than a circus, the equivalent of a sports soap opera — and not a very good one at that. On Friday the television sports guys couldn’t help reporting about the most recent incident. In case you didn’t know (fat chance, right ?) a columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette took the program’s football coach to task last Friday, which prompted the old ball coach to call a radio program said columnist was appearing on to loudly complain. Not surprisingly, this little episode became the talk of the state. Soon I found myself answering phone calls regarding the “ fallout” this latest sign of unrest may potentially bring about. (Audible sigh. ) I’m just like most people. I love sports, and enjoy the escapism it presents. And no matter how old I get, I’ll always get a kick out of taking in a baseball game. Something about it just sings to me. And yet I’m really starting to think we’re beginning to lose our minds. All of us (myself included ) are pondering, questioning and second-guessing everything about the Razorbacks to an almost unhealthy extent. Millions across this state care deeply about what happens to the Hogs — Should Frank / Houston go ? Should Frank / Houston stay ? Is 10-4 good enough ? Did Houston intentionally run off Gus and Mitch ? If so, why ? Is Frank on his way out ? Is Houston done after the 2007 season ? And just what does UA Board of Trustee member Jim Lindsey have to do with any of this ? — and some questioning is fine. But the community should only care so much. I’d resolve to ask that all of us take a break (at least for a few months ) from Fayetteville’s silly soap opera on The Hill, but that would be asking too much of us all, I suspect. All anyone really wants to know is someone else’s opinion on the subject, thereby allowing the most popular conversation in Arkansas to continue blocking our brains from considering more useful topics — such as the state’s plan to reduce the grocery tax, or whether it’s going to rain today. So fine. I’ll play along. Personally I felt the head coach had every right to call the radio station and complain loudly enough for the entire state to hear him doing so. He was merely defending himself — and everyone has the right to do so. For the record, though, I thought the columnist just about hit the Nutt on the head. Scott Shackelford is editorial page editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times. His column appears on Tuesdays.
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