It's Happening: the Obama Phenomenon

It was a cold February morning, probably as cold as I’d ever seen having lived all of my life in Florida, only to find myself now in the dead center of Pennsylvania. Usually I sleep in on Saturdays, but I’d set my alarm the night before to wake up earlier than usual.

When I woke, I rolled over, searching for my remote. Finally finding it, I pressed 2-9, and it wasn’t long before I heard his words.

"It was here, in Springfield,” he said, “where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people—where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America."

He continued. "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 of America."

The first time I saw and heard Barack Obama was likely the same time most people saw and heard him. It was at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He, of course, the keynote speaker made an impression upon the nation that night, starting a wave that continues to build even as a type this. Some, though, say he’s inexperienced and “not ready” to run the nation. Many wondered whether the nation was “ready” for a black president, whatever that means. They even called his battle cry of change and hope unrealistic.

And then Obama won the Iowa caucus.

Remarkable it was, and even more remarkable was his victory speech.



Obama is quickly becoming an American icon. His unlikely story, one as American as it gets, crosses races, the aisles of the Congress, nations, and continents and reaches all, giving many the audacity to believe in the impossible. Watching CNN interview his uncle and grandmother from a small, simple Kenyan village was nothing short of moving. Obama is the very embodiment of what it is America stands for.

It’s hard to not be attracted to what he’s doing. His message unites the country and reaches young people in a way that has never been seen. He is an inspiration to us all but especially troubled, young black kids. He has changed the game, and because of it he has a real chance of winning the presidency. I, for one, can’t imagine that Martin Luther King’s dream might ever be any clearer than on the day that Obama, if he wins, is sworn into office.

Being just a block away from my aunt’s Arlington condo, I took a walk by Hillary Clinton’s National Campaign Headquarters today. With not much going on, it was rather quiet. But as I passed by, you could literally feel the tension. An Obama win in New Hampshire turns the Clinton campaign upside down. And they know that.

With that, every now and then in trying times a remarkable person comes along to do remarkable things. During the Great Depression, it was FDR. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was JFK. And, at the height of the Cold War, it was Ronald Reagan. Even if Obama doesn’t win N.H., even if he’s already come as far as he’ll go, what he has already done is no less remarkable.

But, if he goes all the way, this time he may be that remarkable person that comes along to do remarkable things. And with his circumstances, that would be the story of our generation.