America Needs Barack Obama...

Obama returns to Pittsburgh tonight in an effort to convince Pittsburghers to vote for him. This nation needs for Obama to win more than many people realize.

Obama's critics have tried to minimize his eloquence by calling it empty. However, they fail to realize that excitement is the foundation of patriotism.

Obama has energized the youth of this country, caused the Democratic party to increase in number and significance, and has transformed the way that politics is conducted in this country. However, he has done even more. He hasn’t only energized the youth; he has also caused older voters to believe again.

I attended an Obama rally last month and I was amazed at how young everyone looked, because they had something to believe in. It was quite amazing. An usher told me that she hadn’t been as excited about a candidate since Bobby Kennedy ran for president forty years ago. She must have been at least sixty, but as she spoke about Obama her looks belied her years. Hope had become her youth serum; and it made her glow.

She wasn’t alone. Old politicians and businessmen became caught up. They cried out, “Obama, Obama!” “Yes we can! Yes we can!” They were no longer middle aged. They were all smiles. They were laughing. Their belief in their candidate was the equivalent of the fountain of youth.

People who minimize the impact that Obama has had on this country have forgotten what qualities made this country great. Somehow Obama has united young and old, rich and poor, Black and White.

The other candidates have tried to minimize what Obama has by calling it charisma, charm, and rhetoric. The truth is he simply has something that they lack. Also, what he has is something this nation desperately needs.

I am not worried about Obama. If his bid is not successful, he will be alright. Indeed, I am certain that he will go on to live a great life. However, if his bid is not successful, this country will lose big.