There are two main hopes I have for an Obama presidency. One is competent management of the government, with data-driven decision making. Two is his ability to inspire. McCain has a lot of nice leadership qualities, but he was definitely not going to deliver on point one. He is inspirational in a certain sense, but not in the way that will really make America great - the way Obama is. What do I mean? My hope is that Obama will inspire young people today to think of smart as cool. To think that the path to success lies with education, persistence, rationality, ethics, and a spirit of community. Yes, he is successful partially because he is a celebrity. And yes, much of the problem is that a lot of kids today seriously have the intended career path of becoming a celebrity.
But he is a celebrity because of his measured and diligent approach. Because he is unlike the typical talking head or famous for being famous celebrity. America knew it needed a figure like this, and I hope Americans know they need to cultivate this quality in themselves. Only then will there be 'good jobs.' Only then will there be 'innovation.' Only then will there be engineers that can actually build the sustainable energy system we need, only then will the bank managers care about the details of complex instruments, etc....
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