Photos by Tracy Baim and Jean Albright_______________
Barack Obama's historic presidential run began last Saturday in Springfield, Ill., conjuring up images of Abraham Lincoln's own presidential legacy.
'It is not merely for today, but for all time to come that we should perpetuate for our children's children this great and free government, which we have enjoyed all our lives,' Abraham Lincoln is reported as saying in 1864 to members of the Ohio Regiment. More than 140 years later, Obama hopes to become the first African-American president of the United States.
While he trails in the polls behind Hillary Clinton, the rock concert crowds greeting his midwest rallies last weekend show that his campaign will be a serious one. His announcement was carried by news outlets from 60 Minutes and CNN to small-town, downstate papers and radio stations.
About 15,000 people braved the cold in Springfield, joined by hundreds of media outlets, including international reporters.
'[In] my heart I know you didn't come here just for me,' he told the crowd, 'you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union."
He spoke about his childhood and educational background, and it was during his service as a state senator in Springfield, 'where I saw all that is America converge—farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them clamoring to be heard. ... It was here, in Springfield, 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. ... 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 exist, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States. I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness—a certain audacity—to this announcement. I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.'
Obama also called out the distractions of hate-based politics, including using gays as scapegoats.
'For the last six years we've been told that our mounting debts don't matter, we've been told that the anxiety Americans feel about rising health care costs and stagnant wages are an illusion, we've been told that climate change is a hoax, and that tough talk and an ill-conceived war can replace diplomacy, and strategy, and foresight. And when all else fails, when Katrina happens, or the death toll in Iraq mounts, we've been told that our crises are somebody else's fault. We're distracted from our real failures, and told to blame the other party, or gay people, or immigrants.'
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was among the many elected officials at the announcement, but all were off stage within the crowd. His office issued a statement of support for Obama, and called on the legislature to send him a bill to move the state's primary from March 18, 2008 to Feb. 5 so that Illinois can be among the early states to give Obama's campaign a surge.
Obama's wife Michelle and their two daughters were also at the announcement, and Michelle spoke at the Sunday rally at University of Illinois in Chicago.
'And don't be fooled by people who claim that it is not his time,' Michelle Obama said, according to the campaign. 'We are all too familiar with those baseless claims. We've heard this spewed from the lips of rivals ... every phase of our journey, he is not experienced enough, he should wait his turn. He is too young, he is not Black enough, he is not white enough ... he is too articulate. He can't raise the money. Don't be fooled by these claims because they are mere distractions. Distractions to keep us focused once again on what is not possible. Distractions that keep us mired in fear so that we are unable to focus on the real issues that are dragging us down as a nation. What we need right now is a leader. And a leader is more than a set of finite experiences.'
Obama faced some critics at his U of I rally, those opposed to his plan for another year of troops in Iraq. While he opposed the war initially, he is now a U.S. Senator and is taking a more measured approach—which has some critics upset that he has turned his back on his initial position.
Even in his most recent book, The Audacity of Hope, he might risk being called the Great Equivocator, including on gay marriage, but at least he does tackle the hard subjects (including his own imperfect past).
In an interview with Windy City Times during his Senate campaign, he said that while he understands the call for same-sex marriage (he is the product of an inter-racial marriage, one that would have not been recognized in many U.S. states until the late 1960s), it was more practical to go for something similar like civil unions. In his book, he writes about feeling bad about the issue and calling a woman constituent back about the topic. 'As I spoke to her I was reminded that no matter how much Christians who oppose homosexuality may claim that they hate the sin but love the sinner, such a judgment inflicts pain on good people—people who are made in the image of God, and who are often truer to Christ's message than those who condemn them. And I was reminded that it is my obligation, not only as an elected official in a pluralistic society but also as a Christian, to remain open to the possibility that my unwillingness to support gay marriage is misguided, just as I cannot claim infallibility in my support of abortion rights. I must admit that I may have been infected with society's prejudices and predilections and attributed them to God; that Jesus' call to love one another might demand a different conclusion; and that in years hence I may be seen as someone who was on the wrong side of history.'
Obama is trying to make his own history now, and given the enthusiasm of this past weekend's audiences, the crowded Democratic race for president will make for great drama for the next year.
See link below for the candidate's complete remarks.
