The Art of Taking the High Road

Life can be pretty tough, especially if your name is Barack Obama and you’re running for president of the United States. There are so very mean and scary people out there, and like life for all of us who aren’t running for president, we have to learn to cope with people. Most people are actually pretty nice, or at least respectful even if they’re not your friend, but some people can be downright vicious or tell people they’re your friend and stab you in the back.

Such is life on the campaign trail. As Barack travels from state to state, region to region and town to town, he stands before huge crowds that are loving, supportive and enthusiastic , but outside of that venue, on the streets, on the radio, on some networks lurk the insidious cloud of racism, hatred and the dissemination of vast amounts of misinformation.

Barack Obama has done something that seems almost impossible in this day and age. He stands up every day with a consistent message that is both upbeat and optimistic, and with the knowledge that his detractors are out there in the world waiting for his next stumble, scrutinizing his every word and mischaracterizing his message and meaning, he plows ahead. How does he do it?

Barack has learned to take the high road, something we all should do in our lives. It is also called turning the other cheek. He has discovered that anger, overreaction to adversity and trying to convince someone who’s already made up their mind incorrectly is not the way to go. Instead, he exemplifies a true leader, one with a level head, one to be truly admired and emulated, a person that is unwavering and steadfast and even comfortable explaining where he comes from and how he got there.

He is the kind of person this country has been yearning for for a long time. Despite a year or more of incorrect depictions of his faith and religion being completely mischaracterized and lied about, he gently explains that that is incorrect. When he is accused of being best friends with ‘60s radicals, prominent Muslim crusaders or former clients, he simply allows the facts to come out about what the truth is. When his race is constantly mentioned as a reason he can’t win or why he’s winning, or that he somehow plays the race card all the time, he sits back, takes a deep breath and allows his attackers to look petty or like they are in a fight all by themselves.

A lesser man would have succumbed to the pressure a long time ago. He would have said enough is enough and gone on his own crusade to change minds and influence opinion, the way his opponents have. But this is just not his style. He really sets the tone of this entire campaign by educating his audience, by patiently answering questions when asked and by rising above the rhetoric that is a major part of most candidates’ agendas.

His management skills are incomparable. His talented staff of professional campaign managers are both politically savvy and mindful of their candidate’s wishes and demeanor. When they speak publically, they are speaking for Obama, also taking the high road and never overreacting to what’s going on around them or taking the bait and allowing their boss to lose credibility.

Barack is in a hotly contested race on two fronts, and he has managed to slowly move from one by simply and masterfully beginning to change our focus on the other. While the Clinton campaign is changing the delegate numbers required for nomination, challenging states that they agreed wouldn’t count and pleading with voters and media alike that they deserve to change the rules, and while Hillary Clinton is trying everything in her power to stay in the news, even fabricating stories of dodging sniper fire and now invoking incorrect timelines and assassinations, Barack is staying clearly out of the fray. It is as if the Clintons are having an argument with themselves. Their opponent has moved on.

He has saved the best for last, but he thoroughly comprehends the enormity of the fight ahead. John McCain is no shrinking violet, but his message is vulnerable. He is already showing signs of being a desperate man, and like the Clintons, has altered or outright changed his message too many times to count. His recent repudiation of his handpicked religious endorsers is evidence of his lack of judgment, and the almost daily firings of his corporate lobbying campaign staff is proof that he is being packaged in a similar manner to the previous Bush Administration.

But Barack, in a style reminiscent of the leader that he is, sticks to the issues, pointing out the real distinctions between himself and McCain, and just like his previous Democratic opponent, he allows all of the obvious missteps, gaffes and extreme hypocrisy to be pointed out by others, knowing full well that he must rise above the politics of distraction and pettiness that has plagued campaigns of years past.

I have watched Barack Obama with fascination for over a year now. He never ceases to amaze me, and I respect and admire him more than I can really say. I continue to be impressed at how prepared he is to lead the country into a very bright future, and whenever I sit and ponder what may be down that uncertain road or just around the corner, I discover that the Obama campaign has figured it out and is managing it already.

Barack Obama has mastered the art of taking the high road. He has been a quick learner, and though he still has a lot of work to do, and although he knows that a high percentage of people still don’t know him and think he’s either one religion, another religion or both at the same time, he perseveres. We don’t find him on networks that smile when they interview you, pretend to clarify your positions for their viewers and then parse your words to the point that your message is no longer accurate or the way it was meant to come out.

In short, he gets it.