The article by TIME, The Five Faces of Barack Obama, highlights many of the reservations of the American people. Calling the Senator a “mirror” they made a fine point that Obama knows how to speak to his audiences. Whether he is addressing middle class workers, African Americans, or whites, Obama knows just what to say. But then I learned of Obama’s ‘five faces.’
The “black man,” they quoted Obama saying he rejects politics which are based on race or gender. Yet he still claims not to be a “black candidate.” Even though he was raised by his white grandparents and mother, I cannot understand why he doesn’t want to claim his black heritage unless he is speaking to the blacks. At the Democratic Convention I find it odd that he turns around and embrace the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream” speech. There is nothing wrong with accepting your heritage but pick which side you are trying to relate to. Don’t be white when speaking to the upper class and then be black when you want to talk to the middle class. We have upper class blacks just as we have middle class white.
Then they call him “the Healer,” preaching the ‘power of people who are willing to trust, cooperate and compromise.’ He speaks of change and how ‘this is our time to fix what is wrong in society so we can one day look back and tell our children how we helped the homeless.’ While there is a need for change, I think change comes with time.
Next he is called “the novice,” and with this I agree. But I don’t think there is anything necessarily wrong his it. He is able to bring a fresh new outlook on this country and ways to improve it. Yet there is still the possibility that he is not ready to serve such a position with little time and experience in the government.
The next one, “The Radical,” compared him to the ‘Trojan horse’ of the Greeks, appearing to be a gift, but actually being very dangerous inside. I’ve heard of many of the things they spoke of, Obama being Muslim and actually out to hurt America, being a black ideologist waiting to avenge the African American’s. And while I think this is very unlikely, it does make very good points about his past, and the people he’s associated himself with.
And then there is “the Future,” Obama seems to base his whole campaign on letting go of past problems and looking towards the future, stop the worrying of the baby boomer generation and work on ways to help our grandchildren to come. And while he makes a good point, it is silly to think a President would think it is okay to look away from what happened in the past when trying to build a future.
Obama makes many promises and has a lot of ideas for change. But four years is not enough to make all the changes he is promising. He cannot lower taxes and budget for all these new changes he plans on making. His campaign sounds great but it is too much for one man to promise..