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August 9, 2008

One of America’s surprises this year is the emergence of Illinois senator, Barack Obama as the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. The historic primary election that nominated Obama is record-breaking in terms of the turn out of people to vote, especially blacks and young people, the money raised, and the personality of the man that emerged from it. It was the first time in history that a man of colour will be the presidential nominee of a major political party in the United States. Obama is half black. The young man (he is 46 years) who dazzled the whole of America and the world by coming from the back to clinch the ticket from favourite Hillary Clinton has become the symbol of hope for the black man all around the world. As at late last year, he was still considered as a minor to Clinton, whom everybody thought had the political machinery at her disposal. However, people say it is not about whether Obama is black; it is about his personality, his oratorical skills, his compassion and his passion for the nation. Yet a lot of people are skeptical, he seems to be new in the terrain and though he has won the people’s emotions, they still believe they don’t know him enough. In recent times, people have dug up into his past and his private life to find out about him. So much has been said about him and his ideology. Some said he is a core liberal, some said he is a Muslim and an Arab crony, others said he is naïve. Who then is Barack Obama?

Delivering the keynote address at the 2004 democratic national committee convention in Massachusetts; an event that many believed launched him into limelight, he told his own story, saying;

‘My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father -- my grandfather -- was a cook, a domestic servant to the British. But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton’s army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised a baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common dream, born of two continents.My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or”blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined -- They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential.’His enigma and charisma do not only reflect in the uniqueness of his story, they emanate also from his ideology, his belief.In his speech of declaration of presidential candidacy in Springfield, Illinois, February 2007, he demonstrated his immense oratorical prowess as he proclaimed ‘And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States.’Going further, he emphasized the positively resilient spirit that has made America the beacon of hope, freedom and opportunity when he said; ‘The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed. And we should take heart, because we've changed this country before. In the face of tyranny, a band of patriots brought an Empire to its knees. In the face of secession, we unified a nation and set the captives free. In the face of Depression, we put people back to work and lifted millions out of poverty. We welcomed immigrants to our shores, we opened railroads to the west, we landed a man on the moon, and we heard a King's call to let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done. Today we are called once more - and it is time for our generation to answer that call.’Perhaps, he is the greatest speaker to emerge in America after Reagan. Some people have compared him with Lincoln and Kennedy. Stating his dissatisfaction with Washington and the reason he was running for presidency, he declared ‘All of us know what those challenges are today - a war with no end, a dependence on oil that threatens our future, schools where too many children aren't learning, and families struggling paycheck to paycheck despite working as hard as they can. We know the challenges. We've heard them. We've talked about them for years.

What's stopped us from meeting these challenges is not the absence of sound policies and sensible plans. What's stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics - the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle big problems.’ Only time can tell if another colossus has indeed risen in American history or if he is just another heroic pretender that would fade with time. Whether he becomes the president of the United States or otherwise, Obama has made a statement to the world. Rising from obscurity and racial limitation to the topmost top of American politics, he has personified the American dream; that through hard work, selflessness and intelligence, you can rise to the top and live out your dreams. He has taught us that you can be what you want to be, society’s limitations notwithstanding. For that, kudos to Obama.