Obama in Hampton
I attended the Barack Obama event at the Marston Elementary School in Hampton on July 20th. I am undecided as to which candidate I intend to support, but have been impressed by Obama so looked forward to the opportunity to see him speak. He spoke for approximately a half an hour before opening up the floor for questions. His responses were somewhat typical in that he used each question as a forum to address the broader topics rather than address the questions specifically. I had heard from others who saw him speak a few years prior that his candor and sincerity in answering questions was evident and impressive. The candor did not come through for me here; however, I did get some sense of genuineness from his responses.
His responses regarding environmental issues, public health, and education were particularly well thought out in my opinion, and perhaps more importantly, his approaches seemed reasonable (with the exception of his promise to overhaul the health care system by the end of his first term as president – that seems less realistic to me). He criticized the current administration for their loyalty to lobbyists, particularly with respect to health care and stated that he would run an administration not at all swayed by lobbyists, but by the needs of the American people. While I would love to believe this, I just don’t think it realistic.
My experience in Hampton did not move me any closer to or further from supporting Obama’s campaign. He is clearly passionate, yet tempered by logic, which I like. It was also clear that he is extremely intelligent and well spoken. Yet I was expecting to be more engaged by him in person and for him to clearly stand out above the other candidates. From this experience, that hasn’t happened.