Ed's Note: A quick break from the previously scheduled series for this special announcement.
Obamanation 2008 Hits Kansas City
Each turn led us in the opposite direction of the Barack Obama rally site, and toward some other winding turn. Some of these halls, I didn’t even know they existed. We probably walked half a mile underneath downtown Kansas City while moving at a centimeter-a-minute pace.
Photo borrowed from a great photog named Jamie Cox, who apparently got a little closer to Barack than I did.
But on this night, we resolved to walk through those halls underneath Municipal Auditorium inch by inch in an organized manner and through security to hear the man who has the audacity to hope in person.
I can’t tell you how many people (somewhere in the thousands) I followed in line just to get to see Barack Obama. I can’t tell you how many people made it in after me. What I do know is that it was worth the two-hour-plus wait.
See, this country has been waiting - patiently and impatiently - for about 40 years, waiting to hear a voice that moved our American people the way John F. Kennedy did. Waiting to hear a voice that dared us to dream the way Martin Luther King, Jr. did. Waiting to hear a voice that carried us through doubtful times the way RFK was forced to do.
I heard that voice on Tuesday night in Kansas City. I saw a people – mixed with white, brown and black faces, young, younger and old bones, women and men – who earnestly believed the words coming from that voice. The voice, of course, belonged to Barack Obama.
He grazed over all of the important issues – from healthcare to ill-equipped inner-city schools systems to social security to the war in Iraq. He borrowed a phrase from Dr. King, saying he was running because of what Dr. King called “the fierce urgency of now,” concerning these issues. He discussed what he plans to do to right the wrongs of the last seven years and the ignorance that is Washington.
"We are at a defining moment in our history," Obama said. "Our nation is at war. Our planet is in peril and the dream that so many generations fought for feels like it's slowly slipping away.
"We cannot wait to fix our schools. We cannot wait to fix a broke health care system. We cannot wait to bring an end to global warming. We cannot wait to bring this war in Iraq to a close."
And while that mean plenty, hearing him say these things in person seemed to matter little. Obama’s greatest strength lies in his ability to make you believe. You could see the sincerity in his eyes. You could hear the truth in his words. You could feel his ability to make light of important matters while still speaking candidly.
He joked about being distant cousins with Dick Cheney, and how he was thankful that, even though they're kin, Cheney’s name wouldn’t be on the ballot on Super Tuesday. Same with George Bush. Obama heard the random shouts of impatient listeners, and responded on cue. He recited the Pledge of Allegiance in response to people who claim that he doesn’t even know it.
And, of course, he spoke about change, the focal point of his campaign. He spoke so much about change that I kidded with a fellow supporter that Obama should make Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” song his campaign anthem.
But it made sense (Think: “I’m starting with the man in the mirror…” and "...make that change"). Obama declared that change is not about him, that it’s not about a top-down mentality. Rather, he said each person must decide he or she has the audacity to hope, and take those hopes to the next level. Then work toward achieving the dreams and goals of this nation.
“Change in America never happens from the top down,” Obama said. “It happens from the bottom up. It happens because ordinary people decide to do extraordinary things. It happens because we’re a decent and generous people willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations.”
It’s the kind of hope the majority of us who trudged along in line at a snail’s pace for a few hours had just to hear him speak. It’s the kind of hope this nation needs to have embedded in its leader. Most important, it’s the kind of hope we need for tomorrow.
I don’t hate or even dislike Hillary Clinton. I don’t even loathe or seriously dislike John McCain. If you choose either of them, it’s your right and more power to you. I won't think ill of you. But I can tell you this much, on Tuesday night in Kansas City, I heard the voice of a man who gives us the best chance for positive change in America, and his name is Barack Obama.
And I can’t even complain about the super long wait and slow winding walk, because it was worth it every minute.
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