Hope Vs. Fear

This audio slideshow of Obama's speech in Richmond made me tear up. Yes, Obama has been much less lofty for many months now, but this speech reminds me of why I was so inspired by him in the first place. I need to firmly remember that Obama is a politician, that he is perfectly capable of lying to us, that he has made promises he won't keep, that he will most likely make less-than-honorable compromises, but this speech reminds me that the inspirational side to a president, and more than that, what he symbolizes, is just as important as the specific policy positions he takes and decisions he makes. A vote for Obama can have less to do with him and be more about what he represents: an America of diversity, of the possibility of anyone rising to do what they want, of bridging divides and an end to seeing certain groups as the "other". The Republican party in the last few weeks has revealed itself to be, for the moment, the party of the "other": a party of division, resentment and fear-mongering. Once it's over, if Obama wins, we... should be on his case all the time, skeptical, calling him out on the bullshit that will surely come. But for right now, it doesn't seem hyperbolic to me to say that this election is a choice between hope and fear. Hope must win.