OP-ED: Still always looking on the bright side of life

By: Justin Backal-Balik

Posted: 5/20/08

March and April were rough months for us hope-mongers. Our candidate of choice, who had looked like he was heading easily to the nomination in February, took a pretty big beating.

Despite a landmark speech on race that impressed many, Barack Obama was still bogged down by the comments of his former pastor and by unfortunately chosen words at a San Francisco fundraiser. The math was indisputably in Obama's favor, but the media went for the jugular in cycle after cycle, playing Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermons over and over again and speculating about what would happen to Obama in the fall if the superdelegates dared confirm him as the choice of the Democratic Party.

Worst of all, Obama seemed out of it in Pennsylvania. Perhaps bogged down by the useless and issue-devoid questions about Wright and flag pins, he just didn't seem to be having a good time. Even I, the most loyal of supporters, began to worry about his prospects, if not for the nomination then certainly in the fall.

Then something great happened. For the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, Hillary Clinton decided to back the same plan for gas price relief that John McCain, the Republican nominee, was offering-a summer suspension of the federal gas tax. Experts agree this would hardly save consumers much money, if any at all. It's a political pander to which people might respond, they say.

Not only did Obama refuse to back the proposal, he came out swinging, even admitting that the issue reinvigorated him. For the first time in a while, the candidates had an honest policy disagreement, and he was on the right side of it.

Every campaign stop, Obama would remind people: "This is how Washington works. People are trying to get through the next election instead of solving your problems." Not only was it true, but it fit in perfectly with Obama's message and reinforced doubts about Clinton's honesty. He cruised to an easy victory in North Carolina and came within 2 percent of victory in Indiana.

Now that Obama is moving toward wrapping up the primary campaign, the long-forecast doom about a deeply divided party is giving way to a Republican nightmare. Republicans have now lost three congressional seats in heavily conservative areas to Democrats in recent special elections. Moreover, in the most recent race in Mississippi, attack ads were run linking the Democratic candidate to Obama, using images of Wright. The attack failed, and the candidate won by 8 percent. If the Republicans can't win in a place where Bush got 62 percent of the vote, where can they? They didn't even try to spin their most recent loss.

I just finished watching John Edwards praise Clinton but then offer a moving endorsement of Obama. Clinton herself has spent recent interviews defending Obama from John McCain's attacks and saying she will campaign hard for the eventual nominee. My fear of a protracted convention battle and a divided party has given way to excitement and cautious optimism.

I remember thinking during the 2004 election that John Kerry was not being true to himself. He presented an honest break from Bush on domestic policy but kept on talking about killing terrorists and being tough on security-so much so that on the defining issue of the election, he was only imitating his opponent.

This year, I can't wait to have a candidate-Obama-who offers a clear contrast to Bush clone John McCain, a candidate who was always against the war, who doesn't take lobbyist money and who will put the middle and lower classes back at the forefront of the economy.

When I started Brandeis for Barack more than a year ago, I wasn't sure how far Obama would get. My parents were encouraging but pessimistic about his chances. However, as Obama might say, I didn't want to settle for what people told me I had to accept. And, after eight long years of failed leadership, it appears the Democratic Party doesn't want to settle either.

I am hopeful that the rest of the country shares this sentiment. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get back to work in the fall. And it's already started, with John McCain trying to scare Americans into believing that Hamas will celebrate the election of Obama. But as Obama's campaign has taught me, when the going gets tough, and they start telling us we can't, we will respond by shouting from all the across the country on Nov. 4, 2008, "YES WE CAN!"

The writer is president of Brandeis for Barack.