Media Criticism

I decided to head into downtown Milwaukee this morning to see Senator Barack Obama at a rally in the Midwest Center (a large conference hall that accommodates thousands). I have spoken in this blog about my uncertainty on the Democratic candidates for president since John Edwards dropped out. This rally was exciting but it did nothing to alleviate my uncertainty.

The atmosphere was electrifying compared to some of the hum-drum political rallies I have been to in the past. I would compare the environment in the Midwest Center starting at 8:00am to the youth-driven excitement of Howard Dean rallies in 2004. There were plenty of Marquette and UW-Milwaukee students in the hall along with a sizable number of business people playing hookie on a Friday morning. Occasional chants of “Obama� and “Yes, we can� arose from the audience of thousands. I won’t play the role of crowd estimator since first-person accounts at political rallies are often unreliable.

I found the surrogates and local supporters for Barack Obama to be more exciting than the senator. Representative Gwen Moore was a fan favorite with her discussion of the “showdown� in Tuesday’s primary between the Democratic establishment and Barack Obama. This dichotomy is not entirely accurate but it was good political rhetoric. She described the establishment as wearing the “helmet of fear� while Barack Obama was wearing the “breastplate of hope.� Mayor Tom Barrett was also excellent in realizing the potential enthusiasm of the crowd.

My problem with the event is my problem with most campaign events. I was surrounded by earnest Democratic supporters and newcomers to the political environment who were spouting a lot of the talking points put out by the Obama camp. I don’t mind if someone doesn’t have the time to read platforms and study up on things constantly; I do mind when ignorant people speak about “change� without backing it up with some tangible plan. I hope that the young high school and college students at the event can look past the rhetoric to make up their own minds.

I am holding off on endorsing anyone because I don’t feel I have a lot of choices. I am fairly certain I will vote for Barack Obama but I haven’t been convinced yet that he is the right choice. The only reason I can state my vote with any certainty is that the competition is weak. Hillary Clinton brings the rancor and battle wounds of the 1990s, John McCain is not moderate enough for me to consider and Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul are non-factors. In the proceeding days, I hope my research and consideration will make me feel comfortable with voting for Barack Obama.