Obama can do what other candidates cannot
I was surprised to see that two Forum columnists wrote columns against Barack Obama ("The Barack mania: Is it misguided?" Jan. 21, and "American Idol: The Presidency," Jan. 16). So I figured I might try and shed light on what they seem to be missing.
Barack Obama is an attractive candidate who is half black and would be great to "invite on a family vacation," but this is not why the youth like him. The youth (and lots of other people) like him because he inspires. He inspires people to stand up, come together, and fight for their future. That alone makes him the candidate that can unite people across the many different issues and propel America toward a common goal. With the respect people have for him, the belief that he is honest and the energy he creates, he can bring the country together after being divided for so long. In law school, he was elected to become the president of one of the most preeminent law journals, the Harvard Law Review not because he was the popular choice (he was far from it), but because the club trusted he would represent everyone and all the issues fairly, and do the right thing in the end. Barack Obama can do what Martin Luther King Jr. did by bringing people together, twisting the arms of Washington to do what is right and not getting bogged down by bureaucracy, corruption and political games in the quest to get things changed.
In response to the suggestion that people are supporting Obama because he is a "craze," a good argument can be made that Hillary is in fact the candidate who has the support of the unquestioning masses: A large part of her support just comes from the fact that her husband, Bill Clinton, was one of the most popular presidents in U.S. history. Without Bill Clinton and the potential to be the first female president, there is nothing exceptional or special about Hillary. Her policies are too liberal to get passed, her past too tainted with money scandals to be respected, her tactics too politically sly to be trusted and her unpopularity with large groups of people too big to be able to bring America together.
In one of the Forum columns, the author wrote "many support Obama because of what he represents, not what he would accomplish," and that is exactly the point. Obama can finally bring the people together to represent something and with that accomplish something, while Hillary will only further divide the nation and prevent anything from being carried out.
Barack Obama also has good judgment to make good decisions, which I think is more valuable than experience. All of Hillary's experience does not change the fact that she does not have the energy, mind-set, bipartisan support or support of many Americans to bring this country together.
- Mark Straccia McCormick junior
Coat hangers crudely simplify complex issue
Sitting in a class in Tech the other day, I was really interested to see that the College Feminists were planning a series of lectures and events in light of the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision - I've been concerned about the relatively little political discussion and activism that I've noticed among the vast majority of students during my first couple months here at Northwestern. Although the lectures themselves portray a markedly partial opinion of the issue, (and why shouldn't they? - it's the prerogative of the sponsoring group) it seemed like a great way to get students interested in the pro-choice/pro-life discussion.
However, I was frustrated and disturbed to find coat-hangers lining the way to class Tuesday morning. Coat-hangers? Really? Not only is the gesture crass and uncalled for, but it engages in the exact style of discussion on the issue that I was hoping the Feminists' efforts could transcend - the whole "abortion is baby killing" vs "it's a woman's choice" argument that inevitably goes nowhere; the image of fetuses being aborted with coat-hangers is not exactly the type of "Good morning!" greeting that I enjoy.
Instead of engaging in this clichéd and frankly disgusting iconography of the pro-choice movement, maybe the Feminists could stick to their original objective and try to elevate NU's social conscience, rather than reducing a complex and dynamic issue into petty images of coat-hangers.
- Jonathan Green Weinberg freshman
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