Barack Obama’s Time is Now!

– George Sacco

Why Barack Obama? Because he is uniquely gifted to lead our country at this time. Not just with intelligence. There are others in the field with comparable intelligence. Not just with insight, experience, education and desire. There are others in the field who boast those similar qualities as well. No, …. because his personal history bears testimony to the fact he has unique gifts that can energize and motivate opposing forces to bury differences and work to find solutions to the most trying problems. Throughout his career, as community organizer, law school professor, State Senator, and U.S. Senator, he has demonstrated a superior talent for building bridges between polarized parties and bringing people and leaders together for the common good when others said it could not be done.

Barack Obama articulated a message of hope for our country in his best-selling book The Audacity of Hope. Now, with his uphill quest for the presidency against heavy odds, his message is being heard by a larger audience and this message is resonating clearly not just with young people and not just with Democrats but with people across age, gender, economic political and social lines. His message is not a product of a high paid public relations firm. He is an original. His words are his own and he is a leader for our time.

We are a troubled country in troubled times looking for new leadership. Our national leaders over the past years have turned off more and more voters, while at the same time trying to convince people of other nations to adopt our way of government. There seems to be a disconnect. Our nation’s problems have been increasing with our debt and go far beyond the threat of terrorists and an ill conceived and poorly managed war with Iraq. There are cracks in the foundation of our own democracy, the viability and infrastructure of our own communities and the education, mental, physical and financial health of our own citizenry. We desperately need leadership that not only understands the depths of the problems but can bring polarized parties together to timely address the myriad of challenges domestically and globally.

The airwaves are filled with carefully worded rhetoric spewed by highly paid public relations people to political commentators who continue to report the stalemates wrought by polarized parties. It is understandable why so many citizens distrust politics and politicians and the people who cover them as our country and citizenry flounders in increasing debt. What is real and what is programmed is blurred as the people wait for effective action and question who is telling the truth or even understands the truth.

This election needs to be meaningful–whatever our political persuasion. Our nation needs a person capable of delivering the inspired leadership necessary to bring our country together, someone brilliant enough to not only understand the complexity of our problems but also articulate enough, insightful enough and forceful enough to bring polarized parties together for the common good. We need a leader who clearly understands that we cannot improve our world standing … if our communities, our schools, our infrastructure, and our health system are no longer standing and standing strong in to the future.

Barack Obama has worked on the streets rebuilding hope in devastated communities all but forgotten by too many. He has worked at the highest level of academia teaching constitutional law. He has experienced the weight of student loans and inflationary costs that has heavily burdened if not crippled not just the poorest in America but the middle class as well. He clearly understands, however, that despite enormous obstacles, people will borrow and invest hard work in themselves and in new businesses and business growth when they have hope. He has been a catalyst for change in the areas where he has worked. He understands that Americans will come together in common effort when they have hope.

I urge all those who read this article and are in doubt as to who can best lead our nation at this time to read Barack’s book, The Audacity of Hope, and otherwise seek every opportunity to hear him present his case for America.

I believe we have an opportunity to elect a unique person, one who has the values and patriotism we all share, one who has been given enormous gifts as a leader and has the desire, determination, energy and ability to bring our country together. With all due respect to other candidates and their supporters, I believe Barack Obama is the man to lead our nation at this time. Barack Obama should be the next President of the United States. Barack Obama’s time is now!

George Sacco is a Medford resident supporting Barack Obama.  Want to write about your favorite presidential candidate?  Email news@insidemedford.com.