Barack Obama @ International Market Square 6/29

Somehow i didn't even know that the man was going to be in town until last sunday, when the lady and i were strolling around the magical wonderland of pride festivities in loring park and came across the obama '08 booth. we just wanted some stickers and what not, but decided to purchase tickets to see our next president speak.

i really believe he will be our next president. although as of now he is a couple/few points behind hillary in the polls, he has amazed experts with the amount of money he has been raising, which unfortunately is the mark of a powerful campaign nowadays.

the place was packed, with several thousand people in attendance, and the excitement was palpable. the last time i felt that much political energy in a room was...well never. the closest i can think of would be back in 2004 when us liberals had a fair amount of confidence that the bush regimes innumerable blatant acts of disrespect for the rule of law, tragic missteps in iraq, scandals galore, and dissatisafaction in general among the american populace would ensure a democratic victory in the presidential election. alas, a second election was stolen from the american people, and we. were. fucking. incredibly. discouraged.

not anymore. its a new election cycle-the republicans were thouroughly defeated in the 2006 midterms, and the dems seem poised to take back the white house next year. i like john edwards and dont hate hilary, but i think barack is our guy. he connects with people the way few politicians i have ever seen do. he articulates his ideas and policies in a straightforward, easy to understand manner. he exudes HOPE with every word that comes out of his mouth. he commands repect and attention. he is the most presidential speaker of the field.

his speech at international market square was brief-about a half hour, and eveyone there was absolutley rivited. all the young people had their camera phones out, snapping a picture of what they/we feel is the beginning of a new era. he talked about 'the politics of the future' in contrast to the 'politics of the past' and 'the politics of fear' that is shoved down our throats from the other side.

he talked about how he is teased in washington (presumably by those who have been there long enough to become thouroughly cynical about the political process as a whole) about being a "hope peddler, a hope monger". he talked in a way that got me excited about what america could be on the world stage. here is a man who has the potential to help us regain the respect of the worldwide community after years of telling the rest of the world to fuck off. that is an exciting prospect. that is something to look forward to. that is something i can get behind. thats why i support his campaign and believe that he can and will be our next president.

here, with minneapolis mayor r.t. ryback and freshman MN representative keith ellison, seated behind him, is barack obama:




incidentally, i had the pleasure to shake hands with and meet mr. ellison earlier that very same day. ellison is the first muslim ever elected to congress, and took his oath of office on a koran once owned by thomas jefferson, who was one of the greatest political thinkers, and one of the greatest americans, ever.

so, how much longer until the election??