We've Heard These Promises Before

As I listened to Barrack Obama's soaring acceptance speech, I kept thinking that, boy, this all sounds familiar. No doubt he delivered it well, but I'm speaking of the content. It sounded all too much like the stuff we've heard from these guys before: disgust with how things are done in Washington . . the opponent has been there too long . . how terrible the economy is . . how poor America is perceived outside the country . . all couched in the context of how the speaker rose out of difficult circumstances, elevating themselves to greatness. By comparison I thought I would look up Bill Clinton's acceptance speech back in 1992. It's striking how similar the two speeches are in terms of content. Even some of the catch phrases are similar: for Clinton it was the repetitious "we can do it" . . for Obama it's "yes we can".

Bill Clinton talks so much now about what needs to happen: health care, global climate change, poverty. He and Al Gore had 8 years to follow through on these issues. In some cases they kind of tried (Hillary Care), but they never provided the kind of dedication and intent needed to really make significant changes. 8 years later they didn't have a whole lot to show for their time in office. Obama is now making the same kind of promises. His biggest problem could be that he has always been a loner. He has lots of followers, but where are the people who have worked with him throughout his life, championing the causes that he has been working on over the years? How is he going to pull together both sides of the aisle when he has not invested the time to get to know these people? Where is his record of accomplishment that proves he can follow up on these promises?

It was a soaring speech, full of Hollywood special effects, a large crowd, and lots of celebrities. But it was just a speech. After Bill Clinton came close to destroying the office of the President through his sexual addictions, the country was ready for someone like George W. Bush . . and President Bush has brought integrity back to the office. But George Bush is not a great speaker. In fact at times he can seem a bit awkward. Along comes Obama and people are seemingly ready for a President that can deliver a good speech. But good speeches are not enough, and they are not indicative of a person's ability to lead. A good speaker is not much more than a good sales person . . they can sell anything. When Bill Clinton mentioned in his speech this year that Obama knocked it out of the park with his selection of Joe Biden as VP, it sounded sincere, and you knew right there that this guy could sell anything. The same goes with Obama. Be sure to look under the hood before you buy.