Skip to content
quotesby

By contrast, Obama's appeal for a new paradigm that relies on the enthusiasm of young voters and the patriotism of rank-and-file Americans to leap past the stale politics of the Clinton and Bush years makes some sense. Given Obama's relatively thin resume, his candidacy may require a leap of faith. But it is at least a leap toward something new and untested, rather than something old and failed.

Barack Obama#81

LeadershipChangeHopeElectionsReform

About this quote

What does it mean?
Obama argues that a new political paradigm relying on youth enthusiasm is worth the risk despite a thin resume.
In plain terms
Choosing a new candidate is a leap of faith but better than sticking with old failures.
What can you take from it?
Innovation in leadership often requires accepting uncertainty.

Where it applies

  • election cycles
  • leadership transitions
  • reform movements

Putting it to work

  • supporting new candidates
  • embracing political reform

Questions to consider

  • Is risk worth taking for political change?
  • What defines readiness for leadership?

Another view

Thin experience can lead to governance challenges regardless of enthusiasm.

More from Barack Obama

  1. Barack spoke out against the war [in Iraq] before it started, and he respects civil liberties, and I respect him for that. [...] But Barack Obama is not going …

    Permalink to quote #80
  2. It's wrong that Senator Obama got to go through fifteen debates trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year, numerating …

    Permalink to quote #82
  3. I think the problem Barack Obama would have is, first of all, he's never run a city, never run a state, never run a business. I don't think, at a time when Ame…

    Permalink to quote #79

Related quotes

  1. You gotta give them hope.

    Harvey MilkHarvey Milk quote #2
  2. It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the le…

    Niccolo MachiavelliNiccolo Machiavelli quote #4
  3. We need a regime change in this country.

    Jesse JacksonJesse Jackson quote #5