Sen. Barack Obama should run for president of the United States in 2008, because this is his only chance to win.
Obama’s age is largely the reason that he should run. Political youth and vigor go hand-in-hand with the perception that he could bring fresh ideas to the country. Federal politics runs in cycles, and this is the Democrats’ turn on top. If Obama doesn’t run then, he surely won’t challenge the incumbent, his party mate, in 2012. At the end of the Democratic incumbent’s second term in 2016, the winds of political change could again be upon us, giving way to another four- or eight-year GOP presidential reign. Worst-case scenario, the door would re-open for Obama in 2024, when he would be a 63-year-old Capitol Hill veteran. By then, the JFK-like spark that defines Obama’s current celebrity would be a distant memory.
Right now, Clinton is the major obstacle. As for trailing Clinton in the polls, remember, Clinton the first once trailed Paul Tsongas. Yes, Paul Tsongas. America may not be ready for a black president, but Obama has somehow managed to transcend “black” to become the face of a populist, centrist political day. Hhe can’t afford to pass on this generation-defining opportunity.
Don Calloway
Via email