The Audacity of Hope

“The Audacity of Hope” (2006)

I can’t defend the fact that the age group which I belong to, that of the 18-40 year old demographic, is one of the worst in terms of political involvement and voter turnout. As a matter of fact I would almost bet the percentage is the same if not worse for presidential elections as in Grand Ronde Tribal Council elections. There are probably all sorts of theories, some of them correct and others way off, which can explain this—laziness, disinterest, self-absorption, iPods, MTV, the internet, rap music, etc. I am not even going to try and weigh any of them against one another.
However, in my own personal view, there have been enough ugly episodes in Presidential politics over the last ten years, and to be fair this includes Bush and Clinton, and few candidates or politicians who have made a sustained genuine attempt to reach out to my generation, that it isn’t shocking that I don’t exactly jump with excitement with the approach of 2008 and its elections. But I must admit in 2004 seeing Barack Obama speak during the 2004 Democratic convention perked my interest. He definitely caught inspired me more than John Kerry did that year.
I am really kind of happy to see him catching up with Hillary Clinton in the polls. Rooting for the underdog is something I routinely do. In 2000 both Bill Bradley and John McCain, the two runner-ups during the respective party primaries, caught my attention more than either of the final candidates. It seems that in Democratic and Republican parties the more ambitious candidates spread themselves too thin, trying to pose some sort of mass appeal. I realize that is probably the wiser course of action for a candidate really trying to win, but they end up watering themselves down so much I personally lose interest.
After reading Barack Obama’s book I must say he really is good at instilling a sense of hope in people. Whether or not he can sustain that sense if elected is probably another story, but for now he is the first candidate in a long time to actually get me excited, no offense to any Hillary or Giuliani supporters. What I especially like about him is he can write really, really well.
His book doesn’t sidestep any of the major issues, and he gets really personal with a few of them. There are some interesting stories about the tribulations of being a high-profile politician, like one about an aide trying to make him use French’s mustard instead of Dijon on his burger lest any photographers be around and snap him living the high life. He is also very candid about his faith and race. I had no idea he spent a good portion of his childhood in Indonesia, which has undoubtedly been very influential in shaping his view of the world. One of the more interesting chapters deals with his family, and I wonder whether his wife might have gotten upset with his openness.
Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, I think “The Audacity of Hope” is worth reading, at the very least for an honest glimpse at some of the day-to-day occurrences that a Senator must experience. There is one section towards the end that I can really relate to, and that is being in the minority and knowing an idea will go nowhere. But I guess the real definition of hope is optimism against the odds, knowing that if you keep fighting, maybe that idea will one day come to fruition.