Barack Obama is solidly moving as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention. He has a direct and simple message, most of which is encapsulated by his mere presence as a speaker. What he is saying to me, is just common sense. He is talking about how the genius of America is the reliance on small miracles, and that the embodiment of our spirit is in the way we care for each other. We are our brother’s keeper and no one can deny that.
He is great, because the quiet rightness of what he is saying cannot be challenged by anyone. Not even one- foot-in-the-grave-the-other-on-a-banana-peel Bob Dole could remain cynical. He begrudgingly gave Obama an A on his speech.
If only being a person of color in politics weren’t so extraordinary, but it is.
If only it weren’t so difficult to have a democracy, as well as maintain it, but it is.
He is reassuring and a voice I hope we become increasingly familiar with. I haven’t been moved by politics in a long time, because for the most part, it has been about damage control. Everything is about what needs to be done for this nation because the Bush administration has been so ruinous to our image, our safety, ourselves. Little attention is paid to what is possible, what the dream is, what we could achieve.
It is nicer to remember the dream than to wipe out the nightmare.