Aussie dame pol praises Obama as girly man

In addition to editing Vital Speeches of the Day, I also compile Vital Speeches International, a monthly collection of international talks.*

I know what you're thinking: "God is Murray productive! But Lord he must be bored!" (Or, as a smart-assed in-law put it, "Congratulations on being named editor of Vital Speeches. Too bad there are no vital speeches.")

But then I find myself reading a speech from Maxine McKew, a member of the Australian House of Representatives who I've never heard of, and I stumble across a fresh and well-expressed notion like this one:

I
know that many feminists are disappointed that a woman is still to be elected
as Commander in Chief in the United States…. and that 2008 represents for them
something of a missed opportunity.

I have
a slightly different view. I think the girl won and her name is Obama! If
we look at this in Jungian terms, Barack Obama has an exceptionally well
developed anima …. that is, his feminine side sits easily alongside his male
persona.

Obama
prevailed I think because he had a conversation with America. He talked in a
different way—and my God, can’t he talk! His campaign was expansive,
empathetic, full of promise. Above all, he got the tone just right. People felt
that he was on their side, and it wasn’t all about him.

Obama to me is a symbol of how gender roles, both male and female are
shifting, and how showing traits that are considered ‘female’ are no longer a
negative for a male politician.

* Get your own snootful of international eye-openers. Go here to get the first year—all nine months we've published and the three we're working on—for free.