Idealism of young Obama supporters is a virtue, but keep reason
USA TODAY, April, 2008
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I would not go so far as to call the youthful enthusiasm for Barack Obama's campaign "religious" ("Obama's believers," On Religion, The Forum, April 7).
On the contrary, the fervor we are seeing for Obama simply is a reflection of the passionate idealism that has characterized young peoples' polemics for centuries. Obama is a very charismatic man and has managed to focus and inspire this idealism to his advantage.
Good for him. John F. Kennedy had the same gifts in 1960. Obama's charisma probably will pay off for the Democrats come November.
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Nonetheless, the passionate but sometimes uncritical idealism of our youth can work on both ends of the political spectrum. Martin Luther King Jr. had great charismatic appeal. But so did Adolf Hitler. Both were golden-tongued orators with a message to tell. Both preached hope to a forlorn and broken people. History discerns the rest. ...
