EARTH 2 OBAMA:

You are not ready for political prime time, dude.

**NOTE: I’m new at this blogging thing, but I did want to write about my political thoughts so why not start now? I saw the AFL-CIO Dem debate tonight. I’ve seen all of the debates of both parties, so far. I had some pretty strong thoughts after tonight’s episode. Here they are.**

I’m gettin’ tired of Obama. He was so tied-up with the bow and lookin’ good at first, even though I’ve never had the slightest inclination to support him for 2008, for now. Lately, though, the hesitations, the stuttering, the circling rhetoric that uses 45 words to say what could be a clear 13, and most of all, the irritating way he starts every other sentence with “Look,…”; it’s all adding up to just plain old not being ready. He needs more experience. More wisdom. More seasoning. More idealistic tempering. Which is sad, for 2 reasons.

First, he has a TON of moola, so he’ll be in the race until HE decides to quit. Worst case scenario: think Ralph Nader within the Dem party.

I truly shudder to think of it, honestly. Someone that promising and valuable as a future statesman, who’s this willing to go onstage to the Big Show without adequate rehearsal and training, may not be graceful about exiting it, ya dig? Really, wrap your brain around that for a bit and truly think that through. The Repugnants might even win again up against a deeply and bitterly divided Democrat den o’ crap, and that would truly be against all odds…and just not right. (I ascribe to generational history theories that say it’s more than a bit too early for Obama’s Gen X to take over for the Boomers, so that is an important criteria for me.) I might have to drag up here and move to Canada, or waste copious amounts of time wishing I wouldacouldashoulda.

Second reason is, turns out the country is in fact pretty ready for a President of color, as they say. (Aren’t they all of color? Definitely mostly peaches and cream color, but hey, Kennedy had yellow under that tan because of his jaundice due to Addison’s disease, does that count? Sorry, just had to add that.) So, by running and not being ready, Obama is squandering hard-fought capital for what, selfishness? Stubborness (as in, being able to sing “My Way”)? Misguided calling? My belief is that it is possible for someone that green to learn the talk, the issues, develop the answers (or memorize what someone else develops for you) and then deliver them effectively and compellingly, so that most people think readiness is there. Why oh why is he not doing that, I wonder, although I’m relieved that he’s not fooling us all. Doesn’t he know how he appears by not having it committed to second nature, like a veteran Tony-winning Broadway performer? I think he has to know. Who would not see it, in his place, were they he?

Obama strikes me as someone who is pretty set on doing it his way, come hell, high water, or wasted opportunity. And hey, folks, call me crazy and gunshy like I’ve been shot at a lot, but I run from that kind of mindset. I believe we’ve had more than enough of that crap from the current renter at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And from his little dog Toto, er um, Cheney.

I just don’t see the obsession over Obama. Why don’t more people see it? One of my daughters had Obama fever for a while, so I posed the question to her. She quickly responded, dare I say like she’d already analyzed it, “He’s hot, and was the next big thing. Now, not so hot on both accounts. He’s boring, not really what we thought he’d be.”

We? Well, never mind, but that doesn’t exactly recognize the millions who strongly support him to this day, does it? My DD may be over him already, but me thinks there are tons of others out there who are not, and scarily, they don’t think his inexperience is a bad thing at all, whatsoever.

I’ve always admired idealism, but this is a great example of why too much is not a good thing. Obama seems way too idealistic in thinking that he can and should reveal beforehand his foreign policy attack strategies in the interest of being “transparent” with the American people. And his supporters seem way too idealistic in accepting inexperience at this particular time in our nation’s life.

If my generational history theories are at all on target, it’s getting very close to another Crisis (as was the Revolutionary War, the Civil War/Reconstruction, and the Great Depression/WWII). My personal guess is that we are right on the cusp of it beginning. We may even be experiencing the start of a cascading of events. Nobody knows what this Crisis will involve or be caused by or what it’ll be about. Why we had the Crisis will be obvious 50 years from now, but not now. Most of us will be blindsighted by it; we’ll all be affected by it.

I’ve been a skeptical believer since 1996 or so, when my pal Aimsy gave me the book for my birthday. (I call it GenHist Theory — there’s a link on my sidebar Blogroll to the website called The Fourth Turning. There’s an overview of both the 4 repeating “turnings” as well as the 4 repeating generational personalities, and a forum). I read the book and visited the forum (I never posted as it was a little too intimidating for me, and I’d never done the blog thing until now, but I’ve been reading it ever since then).

I probably check it once a month or so now, and over the years the coming Crisis issues have been greatly debated. Some think we are already in the Crisis, but a slight majority think as I do. Some think it started on 9/11/2001. Some think it’ll be vicious and dark, like the Civil War was. Others think things have been eerily similar to the late 1920’s. A few, few, very few are like me in thinking it might not be like anything we’ve experienced before because we are so global now, and we have lightning quick, egalitarian communication. We’re also living longer. All, some or none of these may be factors in changing up the dynamic.

I’m fascinated by it all. Makes me regret not being able to live long enough to know what the disinterested future will think of us and what we lived through. Back to Obama, though. He has to lead in a similar manner as Washington or Truman, according to the Theory. If I thought he could do that, I’d say we missed the Crisis. For now, I’ll just conclude he is trying to lead too early.