Hope + Action = Change

US politicians invented what we have come to know as the sound bite. Ronald Reagan told Mr. Gorbachev “to tear down this wall”, JFK implored all Americans to ask what they could do for their country. Even old Abe Lincoln reduced the fundamentals of democracy to the snappy slogan, “Government of the people, for the people and by the people.”

Obama’s campaign is certainly a descendent of this long-standing tradition; the only difference being its preference of iconic words over long-winded slogans. Change and hope are without doubt the iconic words of this campaign. Accordingly, our field office here in Albuquerque has undergone somewhat of a makeover over the past few days. Large tracts of paper were produced along with permanent markers in a few different colours, mainly blue and red – the campaign colours and of course the colours of the American flag. These were combined to make inspirational posters of iconic words and Obama quotes to jazz up the office and motivate the staff and volunteers. Rather than harp on about them, take a look for yourselves.

At the launch of the central volunteering office in New Mexico on Saturday evening, candidate for the 1st Congressional District of New Mexico, Martin Heinrich, as the highest ranking Democratic Party official present, made a speech to the assembled crowd of Obama supporters. In an effort to ride on the back of Obama’s Campaign for Change towards victory in November, he fired up the party faithful with the following sound bite, “Hope + Action = Change”. And our response? Well, of course we replied in spontaneous unison, “Yes-we-can. Yes-we-can. Yes-we-can…”