THE H2O CANDIDATE
12/18/2007 9:24:32 AM by Clint Brownfield
Barack Obama’s run for the White House is like a winding and weaving river of ideas and extensive environmental considerations. And as a native of Hawaii and the current Senator of Illinois, positive water initiatives are right up at the top of his agenda.
Photos courtesy of Obama for America
Once in a great while the campaign trail to the White House offers up some truly memorable moments. Those of us who were watching the 2nd vice-presidential debate between Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen in 1988 were eyewitnesses to one of the most famous and riveting moments in U.S. political history — at least via our TV sets. This was of course the moment when Quayle likened himself to John F. Kennedy, with similar age and experience at that juncture in his political life and Bentsen rejoined with: “I knew John Kennedy, John Kennedy was a friend of mine, and you Senator, are no John Kennedy.” Quayle could only muster: “That was uncalled for Senator.” This exchange can still be seen on YouTube today.
Something completely different happened on the night of July 24, 2004, at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, when a man completely unknown to most of us stepped up to deliver the keynote address. It was entitled The Audacity of Hope. By the time the five-page speech was over, America had a new superstar rising on the political horizon: Barack Obama.
And since then, Obama has gone from an unknown to someone who has become not only a household name in the U.S., but also in homes all around the world. His keynote is one of a needed “change” in America.
It would appear, with the current administration’s approval ratings lurking around the mid-20s, that the country is certainly ready for a change. But what will this mean if Obama makes it into the White House? Only time will tell. But, time will start telling pretty soon, with the Iowa Caucuses scheduled for Jan. 3 with New Hampshire’s primary following closely after on Jan. 22.
What we do know is that Obama has been the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois the last four years and is a member of the Democratic Party. He is listed as the fifth African-American senator in U.S. history and the only African-American currently serving in the U.S. Senate. He served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004 and launched his campaign for U.S. Senate in 2003 and won the race in a landslide 70-percent of the vote. And since that time, he has attracted the attention usually reserved for rock stars, sports figures and, at least for some people, future presidents of the U.S.
He was born in Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1961, to a racially mixed couple: his mother, a native Kansan and his father, who was born and raised in a small village in Kenya. One of his keynotes of the Audacity of Hope address was inclusion; citing the Declaration of Independence with “…all men are created equal.”
He went on to earn a BA at Columbia University in 1983 and a JD at Harvard University in 1991. He and his wife, Michelle, are parents to two young daughters who were most likely the inspiration for another part of his address which states: “…the true genius of America is a faith — a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles — that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm…”
As the late, great political journalist Molly Ivens, a Texan to the hilt, would say when analyzing a politician’s political history “one must turn to the record. It’s all in the record.”
For those of us who cherish the environment, his record is very impressive indeed. Concerned investigative reporters who have spent considerable time and energy combing through the records, going back nearly 15 years, searching for an ecological skeleton in the Obama closet, have come up empty-handed. He’s apparently, according to the record, a card-carrying, bona fide greenie.
Going back as far as 2004, at a pro-Kerry rally, he brought the eco-friendly crowd to its knees with the following statement: “Environmentalism is not an upper-income issue, it’s not a white issue, it’s not a black issue, it’s not a South or a North or an East or a West issue. It is an issue that all of us have a stake in, and if I can do anything to make sure that not just my [children], but that every child in America, has green pastures to run in, and clean air to breathe and clean water to swim in, then that is something I am going to work my hardest to make happen.”
These positions and his seemingly genuine and winning personality traits have given him an aura of a major “Mr. Nice Guy.” This was underscored on Saturday Night Live when the show broadcast the Saturday after this past Halloween. The opening segment began with: “You know, Hillary,” Mr. Obama said to the Clinton character, played (brutally) by Amy Poehler, “I have nothing to hide. I enjoy being myself. I’m not going to change who I am just because it’s Halloween.” Instead of wearing a mask, he was merely going out as himself.
 Obama H2O
With his clean-as-a-whistle voting record on all matters environmental, Barack Obama has stated his position on the issues that may very well determine if our planet will survive or not. The following is a brief outline of his positions regarding one of our most precious elements: water. >> Clean water is key to public health, recreation and a variety of industries. As a senator, Obama has been a strong leader on clean water issues. He voted against offshore drilling and has supported full funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which funds water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, non-point source pollution control and watershed ad estuary management. As President, he will establish policies to improve the quality of our nation’s lakes, rivers and drinking water. >> Obama will reinvigorate the drinking water standards that have been weakened under the Bush administration and update them to address new threats. >> The Great Lakes store one-fifth of the world’s surface freshwater, and Lake Michigan alone provides drinking water for an estimated six million Illinoisans. The Great Lakes are also important for recreation, transportation and economic development. To preserve this national treasure, Obama has been a strong supporter of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration and co-sponsored the Great Lakes Environmental Act. >> Obama understands that the American West is facing a serious crisis. He believes we need a commitment at the federal level to a problem-solving initiative that will help manage scarce water resources and develop partnerships throughout the world to nourish a healthy environment and sustain a vibrant economy. |
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SNL producer Lorne Michaels was asked if Obama was being given special treatment since over the past year viewers tuning into SNL have seen Clinton depicted as a ruthless, power-hungry, arrogant (rhymes with witch), while on the rare occasions that Obama’s name has been mentioned, he receives gentle, if not admiring treatment.
Producers and writers on the show say they are not giving him special treatment but that when it comes to Obama, there’s not yet enough to make fun of and Obama isn’t getting a pass because the cast actually supports him. “I think he is still an ingénue and that he is not as defined to our audience as he is to political reporters,” says Michaels.
So the good news for Obama is that he’ll most likely continue to be spared the rough treatment Clinton has been subject to — at least on SNL. But we’ve all heard the rumblings from the black community along the lines that Obama is not representative of the majority of African-Americans, who are descendants of slaves. Even Diddy weighed in with his opinion on a recent broadcast of Fox & Friends when Brian Kilmeade asked: “They say statistically that the 18-34 demographic belongs to Obama. And he says that he’s the new generation. Have you met him? What do you think?” Diddy replied: “I met Barack Obama — but I think he has to say something. He has to mean something. No candidate can get away for their gender or for their race. I definitely am honored that a black man is running for the presidency. But I think that to be honest, he has to do something for black people. I need to hear him say he is going to do something to change our lives — because we need our lives changed.”
And, Obama is not immune from a few, presumably lovable, slings and arrows delivered by his wife Michelle, who has gone on record criticizing his inability to quit cigarettes and painting a picture of a regular, goofy, stinky, smelly guy who is also a devoted father and husband. Is this a calculated way of giving Obama human qualities to go along with his current near God-like status, or is she just being honest? Probably a little of each…
At press time, the polls in Iowa show Obama closing the gap between himself and his opponents, making the 2008 road to the White House a much more interesting race than most of us might have at first imagined. But we can all rest assured of one thing: In addition to his unabashed idealism, stirring oratory skills, touching life story and heart-stopping smile — Barack Obama will continue to make his way with an amazing audacity of hope.