The first time I witnessed Barack Obama speak was at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. As I listened to him tell the story of the unusual path he took to that podium, I thought to myself, as many did, "That man could be president if he wants it."
Here we are, just four years later and Mr. Obama has done the unthinkable. Just 54 years after Brown v. Board of Education, a black man is vying for the presidency of the United States, a breaching of the racial glass ceiling unmatched in magnitude.
When the Presidential Primaries began, Hillary Clinton was the odds-on favorite. Her campaign worked tirelessly to establish the much-coveted "aura of inevitability." As the field narrowed, Obama's charisma and infectious optimism took a foothold among the youth of America, casting doubts about what once seemed all but a sure thing for Senator Clinton. The tide turned in April, 2007 when the Obama campaign announced it had for the first time surpassed Clinton's quarterly fund-raising total.
Obama revolutionized grassroots fund-raising, continually raising more money than his opponent with mostly small donations. The Obama fund-raising machine was a force of nature, the campaign said 90 percent of his contributions were under $100. On the strength of mostly small donations, Obama successfully became the most successful presidential fund-raiser in history.
Despite Obama's surge in popularity and national recognition, Clinton was no quitter, and continued to win primaries until the very end. This is important, because one demographic that gravitated to Obama but not to Clinton was young voters, many of them first time voters who caught "Obama Fever," and showed up in record numbers. Most of his margin of victory in the Iowa Caucus was from the under-25 set. Obama's Iowa Caucus victory propelled him into the stratosphere, making him a household name, and a cult hero of sorts to young, disaffected youth.
During that famous 2004 convention speech, Obama said something that would not be out of place at 2008's convention at Mile High, "This year, in this election we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we're measuring up to the legacy of our forbearers and the promise of future generations."
Since defeating the once-unstoppable foe, Clinton, Obama kicked his campaign into overdrive. He has campaigned vigorously in all 50 states, and continues to raise $50-$60 million a month in contributions. I think he owes more to the people who helped him secure the nomination than he has been giving.
After Clinton announced her departure from the race, Obama has steadily moved to the right, waffling on important commitments he made during the campaign. He repeatedly promised he would support a filibuster of any bill that would grant retroactive immunity to telecom companies who participated in Bush's unlawful wiretapping program. He later capitulated, issuing this statement on his support of the new legislation, "The ability to monitor and track individuals who want to attack the United States is a vital counter-terrorism tool, and I'm persuaded that it is necessary to keep the American people safe."
The weaselly language he is using flies in the face of his campaign message of change. His campaign had more backtracking to do on his initial campaign promise to end the Iraq War. When his feet were put to the fire, Obama waffled yet again, his promise to withdraw troops from Iraq within 18 months is so laden with provisions and caveats as to barely resemble his promise. He got the support of millions by claiming to be a different kind of politician, and now is turning his back on people who believed in him.
With four months to go until "Decision '08," Obama's reputation as an agent of change is in jeopardy. His lofty campaign promises on climate change, civil liberties, and war that once inspired, are slowly but surely garnering eye rolls of doubt.
I will almost certainly still vote for Obama, but as every passing week showcases a new story where Obama is seen pandering to the right, I'm growing concerned my vote will be another empty lever pull as it was in 2004. I wasn't excited about John Kerry because he didn't bring anything new to the table. Obama represents a new direction for a country in a serious rut, but his repeated failure to live up to it is making me question the audacity of hope.
Those are kind of people who only see the headlines and not give a damn about details - "illegal immigrants.. Al-Qaeda... Osama bin Laden"