Friday, October 24, 2008

Hey its a post about Obama

Yes this blog is mostly for design, but my friend Anton posted a link to this set of pictures from Obama's campaign trail (taken by TIME photographer Callie Shell) from the last two years and I am very moved by them. This one most of all:

These two boys waited as a long line of adults greeted Senator Obama before a rally on Martin Luther King Day in Columbia, S.C. They never took their eyes off of him. Their grandmother told me, "Our young men have waited a long time to have someone to look up to, to make them believe Dr. King's words can be true for them." Jan. 21, 2008.

I also felt an emotional connection with these images. Looking through the full set, it felt like if Obama is president, that we will have a real president again. Someone we can respect and admire.
I loved that he cleaned up after himself before leaving an ice cream shop in Wapello, Iowa. He didn't have to. The event was over and the press had left. He is used to taking care of things himself and I think this is one of the qualities that makes Obama different from so many other political candidates I've encountered. Nov. 7, 2007.

It was primary morning in New Hampshire. Barack and Michelle Obama had been campaigning separately all week. In the first few months of 2008 their private time seemed to consist of a few crossover moments in back hallways before rallies. This moment was rare and you could tell they just loved being able to sit together. Jan. 8, 2008.

Every week I feel like I move either closer or further away from feeling good about voting for Obama. (Just to clarify, I have never considered voting for McCain, especially not after Palin entered the picture. ESPECIALLY.)

There are some issues that I disagree with Obama on, but I think that most of my wariness to come out and say "Yes, I'm voting for Obama" has more to do with a general distrust of government. We have so little assurance that what any political figure tells us is true that I find it hard to trust anyone, even Obama, who I would like to trust.

Without going too much into issues, I am going to post a link to a couple of pdfs that you can download from his official site that outlines some of his plans for education in America. Of anything that I've heard the candidates promise, this makes the most sense to me and gives me a lot of hope.

College Affordability Plan
Pre-K thru 12 Plan
Education Reform Plan

There isn't much time left before the election. I think my mind is almost made up. And just to keep with the general content of my blog, here's some design-related Obama stuff.

SpellingChange


poster by cody hudson


And even if Obama isn't elected, he will go down in history as the candidate with the BEST designed campaign ever. That, no matter which side you're on, cannot be argued.




Oh,and here's a little bit of non-partisan, patriotic (because we ALL are) design. I just bought this limited edition USA pin designed by Michael Bierut.

6 comments:

melissa said...

I think it will be a long time before anyone trusts a president again, but at least Obama is a step towards that. I'm with you on the Pailin issue. I personally think she set women a step back in the political world.

Amy said...

I just came over here via Jana's blog.. I loved these pictures and the captions from Obama's campaign. I especially loved the first one with the 2 young boys looking/staring at Obama. I love what their grandmother said... I love it so much that I am crying over it. Call me emotional if you must, but being the mother now to one sweet little African Ethiopian American has opened my eyes to many things.

Cara said...

That hope poster is really cool. I'll be glad when it's November 5.

Amy said...

Me again, I just posted that picture and caption on my blog. It seemed fitting for today. :)

Lori said...

I love this post. I can't get not get teary seeing that photo of the boys.

Jana said...

It is indeed a very moving photo. Those precious little faces looking up at him.....amazing.


Thanks for coffee and the lovely book!!!!