Filed under: BlackSpin, Elections, Barack Obama

"Seismic" is how the pundits described Barack Obama's speech accepting the Democratic party's nomination for President of the United States.

Shaken free of my cynicism is how I feel right now. I experienced this history with Twitterfriends and my mom on Twitter. Simultaneously I was instant messaging my oldest friend, who is in all ways except biology my "sister," and who was at Mile High Stadium.

And I was also on the phone with my dear husband who is in Europe on business; we watched together. I cried less than I thought I would, but I was much more deeply moved and motivated than I anticipated. I think I needed to be sure that Barack Obama would fight to win in November. I had to be sure Barack Obama would be willing to punch back without hesitation at every insulting and diminishing John McCain/Karl Rove attack lobbed his way.

For a long time, I did not believe it was possible for Barack Obama to win the nomination. I thought Obama was too ambitious and I thought America too closed-minded to vote for this new voice. It was not only that Barack Obama self-identified as black, but that his full name is Barack Hussein Obama. I figured the first black candidate to win a major party nomination would be like Colin Powell or Condi Rice. I figured it would have to be a black person who was a self-described conservative, one who would pledge in some unspoken way not to stir things up too much.

It was another of my oldest friends, a fifty-something, white conservative Republican, political dynamo, who kept pressing her point to me that Barack Obama would indeed win the nomination. At about mid-point in the primary battle she called Obama's victory correctly. But we've flipped now. I believe he will win the presidency and she believes he cannot. This time I need to be right.

All I can know is that I will work in my little corner of the world to make sure Barack Obama wins in November. I feel like we are in a battle for the soul of America right now. I know it sounds like hyperbole, but that is actually how I feel. I want every child in this nation to have the opportunities and support I had to move from poverty to abundance. And I believe only Barack Obama will restore support for the middle class. I've already recruited some friends to volunteer for Barack Obama and I will recruit others. I will call the Obama campaign tomorrow to get busy with voter registration. And on November 4th, I will be supervising a very big precinct and I assure you no shenanigans will be taking place on my watch.

I first saw Barack Obama speak in a small room, with only a hundred or two others, about 16 months ago. He was confident, open, comfortable and whip smart. I did leave that room with my head spinning. I understand the accusations of "Obamamania" because it easy to be seduced by keen intelligence and articulated passion when we have been starving for it for the last 8 years. I am not glassy eyed anymore. I am steely and determined. No matter how this all plays out, I am determined to not be one who will say "I sat on the sidelines."

How about you?

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Barack Obama made history last night when he accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president and became the first African American presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party.

Filed under: BlackSpin, Barack Obama, Politics, Michelle Obama

The buzzing accolades are remarkably similar. "She did what she needed to do." "She knew what she needed to do and she delivered." "She knocked it out of the ballpark."

Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton held the spotlights during the first two nights of the Democratic National Convention. To win, each woman had to deliver a speech that satisfied the expectations of supporters and defied expectations of detractors and swayed many of those who weren't sure how they felt.

Mission accomplished I say. Look, the waters didn't rise and part at the end of either speeches, but each speech moved the needle as far as any single speech could have possibly done.
Michelle Obama succeeded in softening her image. Revealing a life story of modest beginnings sprinkled with vignettes of her hardworking, physically ill father, devoted mother and brother, Michelle's story is an "All-American" story. And the image she painted of a nervous Barack Obama driving his wife and brand new baby daughter home is one that millions of mothers and fathers in this country will surely relate to.

Hillary Clinton stepped out radiant and beautiful rocking her Orange pantsuit. I loved it. She spoke as a Democratic Party champion. Her full throttle endorsement of Barack Obama for President of the United States right out of the gate set the course and the tone for what Hillary Clinton had to say. I startled myself cheering for Hillary Clinton as she challenged the intentions of her still stalwart supporters and stuck it to John McCain. "No way. No how. No McCain." Fantastic.

The election swings on the women's vote and women are still finding their way to Barack Obama. Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton's speeches should help light that path.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

The air in Denver is electric! This is my first convention and what a way to start. I had envisioned political conventions to be drab and mundane. My time in Denver has proven to be quite the contrary.

DENVER --  Illinois senator Barack Obama has become the first African American to lead a major U.S. political party. The Democratic Party nominated Obama as its nominee for president of the United States at 4:48 p.m. Mountain Time when Senator Hillary Clinton moved that Obama be nominated by general acclamation.