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This was post was contributed by ML Smith.
Obama’s attempt to win this thing on platitudes alone will get him only so far. His speech writers need to step up their game, become more creative and less dependant on inspirational boilerplate. Obama’s speeches can effectively circumvent the issues with creative dialogue that exploits human nature at its most basic level. That requires an understanding of the fact that before people even begin to think about solutions to problems, which involves worry and effort, their initial thought is that the problem will somehow go away. This fundamental aspect of human nature enables us to ignore environmental issues, avoid visits to the doctor and leave credit card bills unopened.
If I wrote Barrack’s next speech, it would be something like this:
Friends, supporters and voters, it is good to see you here. As you know, I have been criticized by Senator Clinton and others who say that I am too heavy on platitudes and too light on substance. They say I do not have a real plan or platform. Well, let me tell you, they could not be more correct. The truth is, I have no plan to solve the problems of this country. I firmly believe our problems will go away, just like those twenty-four hour viruses we have all suffered at one time or another. A good night’s sleep is all that is needed.
America needs nothing more than time. You know, they say time heals all wounds, and that is so true. People need to stop tinkering with symptoms of a greater problem, a problem I must say I do not understand. I look at our wonderful country and I think of it as an automobile that is bucking and stalling. Probably, something has gotten stuck in the fuel line, and it will work its way out. There is no need to start taking things apart. The same holds true for America. The problems will work themselves out.
I want the people of this nation to step back from the weight of all of these problems, and let the light shine in. I want all of you to take a walk in the woods with me, and I am confident that when we emerge, our problems will seem much smaller.
When he was compiling the dictionary of the English language, Webster himself was faced with a great dilemma. There were more words than he could possibly think of. He did exactly what I would do in such circumstances. Nothing. He walked away from the big book, with the knowledge that new words would simply evolve on their own. Today, we have words like ‘aks,’ ’supposebly’ and even ‘nucular,’ words that Webster could never have imagined.
America is like a big dictionary – incomplete, unfinished and still evolving. So I say to you, do not worry about problems, because solutions will come just like new words do.
Mrs. Clinton wants you to work with her to fix the problems of our country. That, my friends, sounds like an awful lot of work. All I want, on the other hand, is for you to take a walk with me in the woods. Do not fear the darkness – we will find our way out because at the edge of every forest there is a condominium that will light the way. So take this walk with me. Together, we will share the spectacular glory of nature, run our hands across the rough bark of trees that have grown according to God’s plan, not the plan of Senator Clinton, a woman too obsessed with issues to appreciate the bark of a tree, or to marvel as a badger makes a home for his family.
We are all like that badger, seeking a haven from the trials of everyday life. And we will find that haven together, while my adversary, Mrs. Clinton, scurries like a rat looking for that elusive piece of cheese that represents a cure to all of the world’s ills. You can trust me when I say there is no piece of cheese big enough to satisfy her ravenous appetite for solutions to problems that do not exist. I believe that America is locked in an obsession with problems and an addictive need for solutions. Let me be your leader and I will deliver you from that bondage. Things will get better if I become president because I will bring change. Not nickels and dimes, but new ideas that will shed light where there has been only darkness. Yes, America, take this walk me.
Together, we will rediscover the greatness of this wondrous nation of ours.
That is the kind of speech that fits Obama perfectly. Instead of beating around the bush of his own ignorance, he can say with pride what we all know, that he does not have a clue what he will do in the White House. Hopefully, someone else will get there before he returns from his naturewalk.
