Does Barack Obama inspire you?

If you find Barack Obama to be an inspirational figure, then you are not alone. A quick google of “Barack Obama inspiration” reveals that many people feel the same way. Even I find Barack Obama to be an inspiration- though I expect not in a way he would find edifying.  But I digress.

I would like to ask a simple question: what, exactly, does Barack Obama inspire you to do? Think about that for a second.

There are many possible answers to that question.  Perhaps he inspires you to serve your country in the military. Does he inspire you to volunteer at a homeless center, pregnancy center, or church? Maybe he inspires you to act more lovingly toward your family.  He may inspire you to kick a drug habit, study harder in school, or eat a more healthy diet.  Unfortunately I really don’t see how Obama particuarly inspires one to do anything like the above, and I haven’t met anyone yet over the past two Obama-focused years who told me, “you know, because of Barack Obama I’m going to do ____”.

If I may be so bold as to hazard a guess, I would say that Obama inspires you to… drum roll… well, vote for Barack Obama.

Some of you might find this observation to be an unfair one; after all, in my experience, when pressed Obama fans are likely to say “he inspires me to get involved.” However, again I inquire, what does get involved mean?  Well, it means to get involved by… voting for Barack Obama.  Perhaps it also means to convince others to… vote for Barack Obama.

Inspiration ought to be about more than good feelings. Unfortunately, emotion passes for substance in this world.

A person might ask me, “well smarty pants, what does John McCain inspire you to do, eh?” I must confess, I don’t find the man to be particularly inspiring. Oh sure, his POW story is an inpirational one, but I’d be lying if I were to say it inspired me to go out and join the military- I haven’t, and besides, my sister, cousin, and grandfather are more likely to inspire me in that way than McCain.

But you see, that’s the entire point. Inspiration is great, but it is not a necessary facet of a potential presidential package.

My dear Obama supporter, I encourage you not to look toward Barack Obama as your source of inspiration.  He is a politician, and more than that, only a man.  He will always let you down.

Key difference between the Right and the Left #408582: the Left is inspired by politicians; the Right tolerates them.

ADDENDUM: The question strikes me: is the Right inspired by Ronald Reagan? Certainly. Does this invalidate my assertion about the difference the Left and the Right? No. There is a fundamental difference here: Reagan inspires me to hold fast to the values he represents, which I already hold. I am not inspired by Reagan so much as his values.

Obama supporter, do you hold the same values as Barack Obama? Do you believe in the socialist dictum of “spread the wealth around”? Do you want a European/Canadian style, government-run, single-payer (read: socialist) healthcare system? Are you willing to give up the benefits of global free trade in favor of protectionist economic policies that will lead us, like Herbert Hoover’s policies did, into a second Great Depression? Is abortion on demand up to and after a baby’s birth a value you hold dear? Are you in favor of more judges being put on the SCOTUS who will interpret the Constitution according to how their heart leads them, and according to the trends of the other state courts around the world instead of according to the meaning intended by the founders of our country? If so, by all means- let him inspire you all the way into the voting booth.  I don’t begrudge you your opinions.  If not, don’t let emotion deceive you into voting for a person you don’t actually agree with because “he inspires me to get involved.”

Vapid.

Teddy Roosevelt my rear end

McCain at the debate last night:

You know, my hero is a guy named Teddy Roosevelt.

I’ll be totally candid here: this line perfectly illustrates why, this morning, I am thinking McCain is going to lose in a landslide.  This line made me physically ill.

I agree with George Will on TR.  A good test for a person’s conservative bonafides is “Who would you have voted for in the 1912 election?”

The correct answer is TAFT.

You can’t out liberal a liberal, Mr. McCain.

MooveAlong.org

Democrazy Inaction.

Abolish July 4th!

101% income tax rate!

heh. I’m looking forward to this movie.

Am I allowed to say this?

I’ve come to realize that it’s now considered juvenile, lacking in class, or even un-Christ-like to make observations pertaining to the beauty of women in the public eye.  This is unfortunate because non gratuitous admiration of beauty has its place- but experience has taught me that a young male makes such observations out loud at his own peril.

So I make the following observation with a certain amount of trepidation.  I saw Meghan McCain being interviewed on Fox and Friends this morning about the release of her new children’s book My Dad, John McCain, and I have to say, I was smitten.  Her intelligence, her wholesome, classy brand of beauty and charm, and her ability to combine a healthy liberal feminism with conservative femininity is refreshing.  And not only that- she blogs!

Link to the Fox and Friends video.

Now of course Ms. McCain is no Amy Adams, but this is no put down- it will be difficult to replace Ms. Adams as the object my male admiration.  That being said, were Meghan to, say, give me a call some time (859-967-9144), I’d probably do back flips.

Sorry if this makes you ladies cringe.  What can I say?  God made the eye to desire beauty just as the ear desires euphony.

ADDENDUM: Even more reason to admire Meghan McCain:

I’ve been surprised by critical comments regarding my weight and body shape.  It recently reached a ridiculous level when someone handed me a business card for a plastic surgeon and suggested I needed liposuction. I am proud of my curves and have always loved my fuller figure, as should every woman who is not a size “0”.  I want to be a positive role model for my little sister and all of the other young women who read my blog and help perpetuate a more positive image for women, regardless of their body size. I feel empowered to tell everyone that it’s important to maintain a healthy weight that works for them – not everyone is going to be model thin, nor should they expect to be. To every young girl reading this blog, it is inner beauty and happiness that makes a person beautiful, not a number on a scale.

William F. Buckley, Jr. | 1925-2008

Today the world lost one of the most important men of the last century.  In the leftist dominated post WWII environment, Bill Buckley took conservatism and made it the respectable, formidable political force which it is today. To put things in perspective, if there had been no William F. Buckley, there is a good chance there would have been no President Ronald W. Reagan, no Rush Limbaugh (and therefore no conservative talk radio), and no National Review Magazine (and perhaps an absence of the host of other conservative periodicals out there).  At least, they would not exist in the same way they do today.

A sad day indeed.