Obama—Broader, Bolder, Better

Tonight was January 4, 2008—the night of the Iowa caucus—all over again. The room was electric, and Obama’s message filled the room with inspiration and hope. If you were an Obama supporter who had waned, you were recharged. Obama was back.

I felt all of the same emotions I felt that cold night in January—the hopefulness, the awe, the feeling of pride. In spite of the political injuries sustained from the Rev. Wright controversy, accusations of elitism and the questioning of his patriotism, Obama survived.

After what could undeniably be described as toughest six weeks of his campaign, and considerable dwindling of support in the polls, Obama accomplished what few thought he would—a landslide victory in North Carolina, and a near tie in Indiana. The Clinton Camp and the pundits had written Obama off. His support among blue collars was reportedly nonexistent and he was a candidate growing weaker with each ensuing contest.

Clinton called North Carolina a “game changer,” and a game changer it was. In Obama’s victory speech he referred to North Carolina as a “big state” and a “swing state,” the kind of state Obama supposedly “couldn’t” win. Obama’s response—“Yes we can.”

What struck me the most about Obama’s victory speech was its grand, presidential-like qualities and broad appeal. Obama was speaking in North Carolina, but he definitely was speaking beyond North Carolina. Obama spoke to the nation and the world—and as well as to the Democratic base. Referring to his party, Obama stated, “We are the party of Jefferson and Jackson, of Roosevelt and Kennedy, and we are at our best when we lead with principle, when we lead with conviction, [and] when we summon an entire nation to a common purpose and a higher purpose.”

Obama was bolder. He spoke specifically to the economic woes of the unemployed worker in Indiana, the college student in Iowa struggling to pay medical bills, and the mother in Wisconsin who lost her son in Iraq. He spoke boldly and with conviction regarding our need to support our veterans, construct an effective energy policy, and end the war in Iraq.

Obama described an America that “didn't just reward wealth, but rewarded work and the workers who created it.” And how Washington and Wall Street have “lost touch” with these core American values.

Ultimately, Obama proved that he is attempting to be a “better” candidate than what we’ve become accustomed to. Maybe he’s not a gun-toting, whiskey drinking, street fighting, tax cutting populous like Clinton (to borrow the words of political analyst Wolf Blitzer), but he’s honest. As he put it, it’s time to tell the truth “forcefully, repeatedly, and confidently.” He’s striving with all that’s within him to build on our strengths, to find our common ground as Americans, and to build a better America as a result.

Obama stated in his closing words, “Don't ever forget that we have a choice in this country, that we can choose not to be divided, that we can choose not to be afraid, that we can still choose this moment to finally come together and solve the problems we've talked about all those other years and all those other elections.”

On Tuesday, May 6th, Obama proved that his hope chest wasn’t empty—that he hadn’t lost his swagger. On this warm spring night in North Carolina, Obama, the “imperfect messenger” proved that in spite of Preacher-gate, Bitter-gate, charges of elitism, and Rush Limbaugh’s Operation Chaos, Obama couldn’t and wouldn’t be counted out. He was broader, bolder, better—with a clear path to to the Democratic presidential nomination.