WOW!

Quick Thoughts on the Obama Speech

Well, I knew that Barack Obama was one of the great orators of our time (that's not hyperbole folks, there's just not a lot of competition these days and Obama REALLY stands out). But while listening to his speech at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium, while being swept along by his compelling personal narrative and marveling at his rhetorical gifts, I had to hold back tears at the stunning realization of exactly what we are all experiencing at this time in history and how recently I had believed that such a thing would never occur.

Win or lose, Denver sits at a nexus of history, where America turns the page to a new chapter in its racial and political development. Barack Obama becoming the Democratic nominee for president while commanding respect and support from all racial groups and both genders is a moment in time that will never be exactly duplicated and that will resonate throughout the ages. I wish I could have been there in person (for all the grandiosity and genuine inclusiveness of Obama's speech, major party politics still has a way of cutting out most of the little people), but watching on television and listening to Obama lay out his vision of what America should and could be and how he would try to make it happen, its hard not to feel exhilarated, optimistic and hopeful for the future, for perhaps the first time in a very long time.

Obama invoked the spirit of Kennedy, the conviction of Martin Luther King Jr., the empathy of Bill Clinton and the passionate zeal of Malcolm X while taking great care to let the country (and his GOP critics) know that it wasn't about him it was about US trying to save the country we all love. It was masterful political theater yet it felt real. It was probably the most electricity generated on the home football field since the Broncos went to their first Super Bowl over thirty years ago--and this was obviously much more important.

The road ahead will not be easy for Obama. The Republicans take center stage next week and tomorrow we find out who McCain's running mate will be (Romney? Lieberman? Tim Pawlenty? Tom Selleck?) While tonight's speech will echo forever, the opposition will peck away at Obama's talking points and proposed policies and pundits will wonder if there will really be the money to pay for it. And, unfortunately, race as a factor is not completely dead in any aspect of this country's politics or economics. But we should all remember this day and remember this speech. A miracle is happening and we are on the verge of taking it for granted. Denver is the Mile High City, my hometown, a place I love. It is also where Barack Obama transformed himself from a great story to an American icon. Let us all share the dream.

Peace.