My Two Cents...
So last night, before going to sleep, I watched some rallies on YouTube, specifically Hilary Clinton rallies and Barack Obama rallies. Just..speeches they gave over the past few months. Now, at this point in time I do like Hilary over Obama, but I had trouble figuring out why. Obama is more liberal than Hilary, for one. I should like that. Younger, more personable in some ways. So what is it that turns me off from Obama? I don't dislike Obama, and if he gets the nomination I will certainly vote for him. But something makes me want Clinton to get the nomination more.
Watching the speeches, a term came to me when seeing Obama's rallies and what he had to say: cult of personality. Essentially, cult of personality is when a person creates a heroic image of themselves. In the eyes of the public, they can do no wrong. Blowing their nose on television warrants a standing ovation. What really tickled me about the difference between both candidates speeches and rallies were this: Clinton spoke of concrete plans, Obama spoke of hopes and aspirations. Clinton laid out detailed plans for withdrawing from Iraq, she laid out detailed plans for universal health insurance (a big plus for me). She laid out plans to bolster the economy. Obama told people he had plans, but never went into them. Instead, he spent most of the time discussing "hope" and "dreams for the future" and "change." And the crowd ate it up. It was almost like a rock concert. Obama has a commanding personality. Clinton, I feel, has a more powerful presence though. Obama exudes charisma, whereas Clinton's demeanor almost commands respect.
Overall, I think both candidates would be positive forces for this country. However, the starry eyed fervor that some people hold for Obama is a bit annoying, especially when they are unable to bring to mind one detailed plan for his policies. Buzz words like "hope," "change," and phrases such as "...there is a moment in the the life of every generation where we decide. This is our moment. We will win. Together we will change the world..." are all well and good. But give me something concrete, Obama. At the rate we're going, you may very get the nomination, Mr. Obama, so please have more than pipe dreams, puppy dog tails, and cotton candy for this country's future.
Watching the speeches, a term came to me when seeing Obama's rallies and what he had to say: cult of personality. Essentially, cult of personality is when a person creates a heroic image of themselves. In the eyes of the public, they can do no wrong. Blowing their nose on television warrants a standing ovation. What really tickled me about the difference between both candidates speeches and rallies were this: Clinton spoke of concrete plans, Obama spoke of hopes and aspirations. Clinton laid out detailed plans for withdrawing from Iraq, she laid out detailed plans for universal health insurance (a big plus for me). She laid out plans to bolster the economy. Obama told people he had plans, but never went into them. Instead, he spent most of the time discussing "hope" and "dreams for the future" and "change." And the crowd ate it up. It was almost like a rock concert. Obama has a commanding personality. Clinton, I feel, has a more powerful presence though. Obama exudes charisma, whereas Clinton's demeanor almost commands respect.
Overall, I think both candidates would be positive forces for this country. However, the starry eyed fervor that some people hold for Obama is a bit annoying, especially when they are unable to bring to mind one detailed plan for his policies. Buzz words like "hope," "change," and phrases such as "...there is a moment in the the life of every generation where we decide. This is our moment. We will win. Together we will change the world..." are all well and good. But give me something concrete, Obama. At the rate we're going, you may very get the nomination, Mr. Obama, so please have more than pipe dreams, puppy dog tails, and cotton candy for this country's future.