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A New Star for the Democrats
AudioHe's been compared to Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier, and to golfing great Tiger Woods, also of mixed race, and to Martin Luther King, Jr., America's conscience on civil rights. In Barack Obama's chosen profession, Democrats often invoke John F. Kennedy when describing his charisma. Republicans not under his thrall say that with his paucity of experience, Obama reminds them less of Kennedy and more of Jimmy Carter. This is not intended as a compliment.
The most striking aspect of Barack Obama's presidential candidacy, however, is that it -- and he -- is unique in the American experience.
It starts, of course, with his race. Obama is the product of the unlikely union of a white woman from Kansas who wandered the world and a Kenyan man who came to the United States as an exchange student. Forget the hyphen: His parents were truly African and American. Then there's that name. As a kid growing up in Hawaii, he went by Barry Obama, but even before going into politics, he reverted to his given name, Barack, and he never hid his middle name, Hussein, which was his father's and still gives some voters pause.
Finally, there's that undeniably thin résumé.
Obama was never a governor, nor an executive. He did not serve in the armed forces or the House of Representatives. He worked in the private sector only briefly as a lawyer and was never a judge or a prosecutor. He wrote one highly acclaimed memoir, Dreams from My Father, and a bestseller, The Audacity of Hope, which is essentially a campaign book. He served for three years as a community organizer in Chicago, taught law school, served eight years in the Illinois state legislature, and ran for the Senate in 2004, winning against a fringe candidate from out of state.
That experience pales in comparison with John Kennedy's life before the presidency. JFK had written two books, as well, but was also a decorated naval officer in World War II, had served three terms in the House, and was in his second Senate term when he earned the 1960 nomination. At the 1956 Democratic Convention, he was nearly picked as the vice presidential nominee.
Obama's big break came at a convention, too, as the Democrats nominated John Kerry in 2004. Obama was still a state legislator, but his prime-time speech electrified the hall and inspired millions watching at home.
"The pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states -- red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats -- but I've got news for them," he said that night in Boston. "We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states, and yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."
When he was done talking, Democrats had a new star.
He had to win his Senate seat in November, which he did easily, and then wrest the nomination from the Democratic establishment's candidate, Hillary Clinton, a harder task, but one he also accomplished.
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