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April 5, 2007

Taking a closer look at Obama

Ashley Chamberlain

As I finished up with my "chores" during work last Monday before closing up the Center, I saw Andrew sitting on the couch, fumbling with two neon colored pieces of paper and looking at me with a grin.

"Hey Ash, guess what I have?" he asked me as he held up the tickets.

"Barack Obama tickets, maybe?" I asked him.

"Yup, that's right, and I have an extra one just for you," he said as he handed it to me.

Knowing that I'm slightly more conservative than most of my college classmates, Andrew was more than surprised when I took him up on his offer.

"You are really going to come?" he asked with a dropped jaw.

"Why not? At least if I don't like him, I can say that I went to see him and I'll have a reason for not agreeing with him, or for that matter actually agreeing with what he has to say," I said, surprised at the answer that had come out of my mouth.

"Aww, our little girl is maturing," Andrew smirked. "This is going to be fun. Personally, I think Obama is too young anyway, but I want to see what he has to say."

Obama's visit to Keene State College was met by an overwhelming crowd of faculty and students, as well as Keene residents, and surprisingly a larger portion of the turnout were people who really just wanted to get a better idea of who he really is. Republicans and Democrats alike filled the seats.

He approached the stage in a casual manner, and started off with jokes about how people mess up his name and call him, "Alabama" or "Your Momma" and then went into saying how the night he decided to run for president he did what any "good man would do." He said he prayed, and asked his wife.

Andrew chuckled and said, "Alright Obama, get to the good stuff, Mr. Comedian."

While Andrew was right for the most part about the speech being mainly charismatic and funny while avoiding the real issues, Senator Obama did take one solid stand | he promised that he would have universal health care in place by the end of his first term in office.

The audience erupted with applause at this statement, but many people shrugged it off, doubting that he had the ability to actually make it happen. I heard a girl near me say, "He can promise that, but it's unlikely that he will actually be able to do it. He shouldn't make promises that he can not keep."

For the most part, we all feel a little cynical toward the government. I have heard a lot lately that the majority of people aren't truly happy with any of the candidates, a feeling I share with them.

While the buzz about what everyone thought about Obama has been the main topic of conversation on campus the past few days, everyone has come to one common opinion | someone needs to come along who can actually make a change, impress both parties and be intelligent and charismatic enough to do so.

If only we could find such a person.



Ashley Chamberlain, a 2005 Pinkerton Academy graduate, is a sophomore at Keene State College. She is in her third year as a Derry News columnist and intern.

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