2008 Woodie Awards
Minority candidate brings promise
Sam Koch '11
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Opinion
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Imagine a relatively young politician, mid-forties, idealistic. He has an easy-going attitude and a sense of humor that adds to a magnetic personality. He is articulate, passionate, and driven. His political career has been brief, at best, spotted by more losses than victories. His career in law helped propel him to the center of Illinois politics, but his political experience can be summed up almost entirely by a few short terms in the Illinois legislature. He ran for president only two years after running for a seat in the Senate, going against all rationale and sound political theory in the process.
This politician's name is Abraham Lincoln, and he is one of the greatest presidents in all of American history.
Many Americans don't even know who Barack Obama is, let alone believe he has enough experience to run our fractured country. The junior senator from Illinois has been in Congress for a short two years, and many naysayers-including fellow Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton-have emphasized this "flaw" in Obama's campaign. Yet, the formerly mentioned traits can describe him as well as our sixteenth president. This leads to the all-important question: How much does political experience really matter in determining the success of a leader?
Lincoln's career has been observed as one of the most interesting in American politics. The times in which he lived were even more divided than our own: Lincoln was seeking election in a society in which slavery divided both states and families. It was his straight-forward manner and ability to defend his beliefs that brought him national attention during the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858-but his passions were not limited to the issue of slavery. Like Obama, Lincoln fought for better labor laws, the preservation of individual liberties, and a national unity that was sorely lacking in the mid-nineteenth century. And like Obama, Lincoln had very little "experience" to back these sentiments as more than trifling words.
This politician's name is Abraham Lincoln, and he is one of the greatest presidents in all of American history.
Many Americans don't even know who Barack Obama is, let alone believe he has enough experience to run our fractured country. The junior senator from Illinois has been in Congress for a short two years, and many naysayers-including fellow Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton-have emphasized this "flaw" in Obama's campaign. Yet, the formerly mentioned traits can describe him as well as our sixteenth president. This leads to the all-important question: How much does political experience really matter in determining the success of a leader?
Lincoln's career has been observed as one of the most interesting in American politics. The times in which he lived were even more divided than our own: Lincoln was seeking election in a society in which slavery divided both states and families. It was his straight-forward manner and ability to defend his beliefs that brought him national attention during the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858-but his passions were not limited to the issue of slavery. Like Obama, Lincoln fought for better labor laws, the preservation of individual liberties, and a national unity that was sorely lacking in the mid-nineteenth century. And like Obama, Lincoln had very little "experience" to back these sentiments as more than trifling words.
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