A Truly Audacious Hope

"If the Communists win Europe and a large part of the world it will not be because they know how to stir up discontent or how to infect people with hatred, but because they know how to preach hope." -Eric Hoffer

Barack Obama was a United States Senator for less than a year before he decided to run for President. On paper, he was a longshot, however here we sit, less than six months from an election and he is on deck to become the most powerful man in the world.

Ultimately there is only one key element for power, and that is that other people should believe that you ought to have it. A compelling reason must be presented, and no one should be shocked at Obama's success because he has remembered this one basic rule and one other, that the greatest propulsion to action is hope, even greater than fear.

Fear provides us with motivation to do the bare minimum to evade the fearful thing, however truly heroic efforts are nearly always elicited by hope of some great good. No one acheives greatness by merely surviving.

The strength of Barack Obama really is his message. He has painted a picture of a shining new era, and so the greatest of efforts have been exerted by his staff and supporters. Whether this hope is built on a foundation of sand or not is immaterial in any inquiry as to his success, although it is the greatest matter in any sensible appraisal of his chances of success as a chief executive, success being defined as a greater America.

Mankind, especially when acting in groups, is easily led astray by false hope, as any gambling addict could tell you. The only question to ask is "Do we have any reason to believe that his proposed policies will have the desired result, and if so, how can we know?"