I was headed to Kung Fu class last night when I realized that I would miss arguably the most important moment in Barack Obama's campaign thus far. With history pending, I called my instructor and prepared for the moment to unfold.
I watched MSNBC as an excitable Keith Olbermann, with a released version of the golden speech in hand, read three powerful paragraphs nearly spoiling the whole surprise of it all. Granted, he was caught up in the magnitude of history, too. But imagine some giddy reporter on that memorable day before the Lincoln memorial "teasing" the audience with King's "I Have A Dream." "Oh, this is amazing. And then he says' Let freedom ring . . "
I called my girl Gina and complained that this guy was reading the speech before the speech, but my rants were putting me off focus. History was on speed dial and I needed a videotape to record it all. I hit the streets and rushed to a drug store and like Superbowl night or the legendary Bulls Championship games, the far South side was a ghost town. Not a kid or a straggler in sight. And no one was at Walgreens either, which is why I bought the tape in two minutes flat, catching Joe Biden's intro on NPR as I raced to get back home.
The speech was amazing. And lest I be criticized for mimicking Michelle Obama's misread comments on being proud of her country for the first time, I will say that I felt uniquely American and felt a rush most people get from watching action flicks. But this wasn't Morpheus' speech to Zion in the Matrix, it was real life. The sentiment was echoed by Gina who called me afterwards yelling "Democrat's, What?" And then we agreed to buy U.S flags.
Sometimes with the racial and class issues we tackle in this country, we can forget that our struggle and quest for civil rights is born in the promise of a Constitution that promises so much, including the pursuit of happiness. Every struggle and protest in our history was an effort to make good on that promise. Obama spoke of the American Spirit. He said our nation's wealth isn't in how many millionaires we have or the might of our military or our culture. It's in the American Spirit.
And it's this American Spirit that we all buy into. The belief is that if you work hard you can be whatever you want to be, you can live the life you choose, you can provide for your family. It's a core belief echoed by ministers, teachers, rappers, parents, and volunteers alike.
But the icing on the cake was watching Pat Buchanan, a staunch Republican who in his previous commentary on the election walked a tight rope between party punchlines and glee over the gut fighting of the race, was stunned by Obama's speech. Buchanan, who in watching these pundits, I've come to respect as a savvy guy with key insights into campaigning despite his politics, had been criticized Obama during much of the race for not sticking it, so to speak to McCain. Obama wasn't tough enough. Buchanon wanted Obama to go for the juggular. And with speech in hand just minutes before Obama took the stage, Buchanan was flabberghasted. A former speechwriter, he remarked "this is a speech."
After the speech, fellow pundits stood silenced as Buchanan gushed over the magnitude, the power, the reach of the speech. He sounded like a proud father reading Obama's speech point for point and his fellow pundits were speechless. Chris Matthews, another reporter who once reported that Obama's speeches made his thigh tingle, said "to hell with his critics" and hailed this moment as a great in American history. Matthews even thanked Buchanan for crossing party lines and admitting to the glory of the hour.
And for a moment I could feel people putting politics, decorum and special interest aside as they stood receptive to change.
I'm glad I stayed home to witness history. Even if it came live via the small screen, it was a big moment that I'll remember.
I watched MSNBC as an excitable Keith Olbermann, with a released version of the golden speech in hand, read three powerful paragraphs nearly spoiling the whole surprise of it all. Granted, he was caught up in the magnitude of history, too. But imagine some giddy reporter on that memorable day before the Lincoln memorial "teasing" the audience with King's "I Have A Dream." "Oh, this is amazing. And then he says' Let freedom ring . . "
I called my girl Gina and complained that this guy was reading the speech before the speech, but my rants were putting me off focus. History was on speed dial and I needed a videotape to record it all. I hit the streets and rushed to a drug store and like Superbowl night or the legendary Bulls Championship games, the far South side was a ghost town. Not a kid or a straggler in sight. And no one was at Walgreens either, which is why I bought the tape in two minutes flat, catching Joe Biden's intro on NPR as I raced to get back home.
The speech was amazing. And lest I be criticized for mimicking Michelle Obama's misread comments on being proud of her country for the first time, I will say that I felt uniquely American and felt a rush most people get from watching action flicks. But this wasn't Morpheus' speech to Zion in the Matrix, it was real life. The sentiment was echoed by Gina who called me afterwards yelling "Democrat's, What?" And then we agreed to buy U.S flags.
Sometimes with the racial and class issues we tackle in this country, we can forget that our struggle and quest for civil rights is born in the promise of a Constitution that promises so much, including the pursuit of happiness. Every struggle and protest in our history was an effort to make good on that promise. Obama spoke of the American Spirit. He said our nation's wealth isn't in how many millionaires we have or the might of our military or our culture. It's in the American Spirit.
And it's this American Spirit that we all buy into. The belief is that if you work hard you can be whatever you want to be, you can live the life you choose, you can provide for your family. It's a core belief echoed by ministers, teachers, rappers, parents, and volunteers alike.
But the icing on the cake was watching Pat Buchanan, a staunch Republican who in his previous commentary on the election walked a tight rope between party punchlines and glee over the gut fighting of the race, was stunned by Obama's speech. Buchanan, who in watching these pundits, I've come to respect as a savvy guy with key insights into campaigning despite his politics, had been criticized Obama during much of the race for not sticking it, so to speak to McCain. Obama wasn't tough enough. Buchanon wanted Obama to go for the juggular. And with speech in hand just minutes before Obama took the stage, Buchanan was flabberghasted. A former speechwriter, he remarked "this is a speech."
After the speech, fellow pundits stood silenced as Buchanan gushed over the magnitude, the power, the reach of the speech. He sounded like a proud father reading Obama's speech point for point and his fellow pundits were speechless. Chris Matthews, another reporter who once reported that Obama's speeches made his thigh tingle, said "to hell with his critics" and hailed this moment as a great in American history. Matthews even thanked Buchanan for crossing party lines and admitting to the glory of the hour.
And for a moment I could feel people putting politics, decorum and special interest aside as they stood receptive to change.
I'm glad I stayed home to witness history. Even if it came live via the small screen, it was a big moment that I'll remember.
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