I took a trip down memory lane this evening. I was working out on my property installing a field fence, when I randomly thought about Barack Obama's keynote address to the Democratic convention in 2004. I had heard of Obama before that night as he was running for Illinois Senate, however I had never heard or seen him speak. Of course the speech he gave that night was widely hailed a triumph and really set Obama on the path to the Presidency. What I saw that night was a little different. I saw a caricature of the Democratic party and a person who was everything the Democrats had ever wanted. In a way a made for TV candidate, he was young, ethnic, intelligent, and well spoken. Little did we know it would be his only "great" speech. Eight years later he is still thought of as a great speaker mainly because of this speech, whether most of the public remembers it or not.
Thus, I decided to revisit history and watch the speech in its entirety. My first thought was "damn he looks young!" They say that Presidency is like dog years in terms of aging and I believe it. He looks 20 years younger back then not 8! He was introduced by Senator Dick Durbin and I remembered trying not to vomit as he directed a few platitudes in that old bastards direction. Then he launches right into his sing song cadence which we are now used to, but at the time wowed the pundits! We hear the story of his father an mother. What a crazy American tale! His father was from Kenya! Who knew? And his mother from Kansas! I'm getting sick already!
Anyways his mother and father shared a crazy love! And they believed in a tolerant America where someone named Barack would be equal to everyone else. Looks like his name didn't hold him back! Kudos to us! But, I want to go back to the dreams of his father or whatever that shit is he was talking about. I don't think his father and mother were that in love, I mean didn't daddy split back to Kenya? Maybe he didn't come to America to find the dream after all, but instead to take advantage of our first class education system and then return to his country of origin. But what a live he had! He sired an American President, he had a son who now lives in China and one who lives in a Nairobi slum! I think Obama's dad was the Kenyan Hemingway! What a life!
Okay, back to the speech! He lives the dreams of his parents now, I guess this is sort of a plug for his book. I bet it becomes a bestseller now! Then he talks about American freedom, blah, blah. That our votes are counted, usually. Shout out to Florida there! Then he starts talking about outsourcing, union jobs disappearing, health care, standard Democrat fair now. People can't do it without the government! People want to do it themselves, but they just need that little bit of help, government alone can't do it, but by God they just need that little bit of government! We are so close to utopia, just elect John Kerry and we can do it! John Kerry is the best America has to offer!
Wow, this is embarrassing now. I don't remember this. I can't believe what a saint John Kerry is! WHY DIDN'T WE ELECT JOHN FUCKING KERRY?!?!?! Maybe Obama is secretly sabotaging Kerry here so he can run in 08'? Seriously who is going to believe this stuff about Kerry?! Apparently a majority of Americans didn't in 2004.
John Kerry is Jesus Christ incarnate! Okay, anyways now he gets into partisan bullshit and I do not care anymore. The last thing I heard Barack say was "Shamus was a good looking kid."
Anyways that is what launched the phenomenon that is Barack Obama. I saw that speech, heard David Brooks orgasm on air and knew that he would be President someday. It was inevitable from that point forth, and here we are. The Hope and Change President. The man with the father from Kenya and the mother from Kansas, who was whatever we wanted him to be. He was everything to us and nothing at the same time. So why should we be surprised that this is what we got? Oh well, he is just fulfilling his fathers dreams. Good luck to him in November, he is going to need it, he certainly does not have a record of accomplishment to run on. But man, what a biography!
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