Obama's Engine in Full Steam (April 22, 2007)

Each day more and more the Obama momentum seems unstoppable.  This impetus may be due in part to an uncanny historical nexus of a man with the times.

Senator Obama’s apparent  qualities of  statesman and his effervescence outstrip  other presidential candidates of his party and the Republican.   His  sincerity  is  palpable,  and his command of important  issues debunks his detractors’ criticism that there is no time for “on the job training” and the “folly of youth”. These statements  now  seem  vacuous  in  light of Obama’s  rapid political maturation and evident growing appeal to a wide cross section of America.

In essence, Obama  is good for America, and for the world that is yearning for an American leader with intellect and vision to handle the complexities of  globalization and collective security.

 I witnessed Senator Obama  enthrall audiences at both the AME Church in Selma a few weeks ago and the political rally on April 14 on the green at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta.  The rally’s diverse gathering embraced his enthusiastic and empathic appeal, free of demagoguery, that was tastily peppered with fresh ideas  including  developing  meaningful  work programs for felons,  and  extricating  the  nation’s capital from  the prevailing climate of   “power trumping political change”.

 With domestic and international uneasiness over Iraq, endless political bickering in the nation’s capital, and growing disparity at home between the rich and others, Obama’s appeal for change rings a resonant chord, especially among the vast majority who live outside the Washington Beltway.  His refreshing refrain that “ordinary people can do extra-ordinary   things   if   given   a   chance” harkens back to the country’s historical innovative spirit, while evoking a sense of hope for the less fortunate and elderly, as well as the young and enterprising.  There  is  “something  stirring  in  the country”,  he  said, calling for a change from the current administration’s  ethos of “obstinacy”  to one that will satisfy the public’s yearnings,  and  not be separated from its own government.

As the Rev. Joseph Lowery said in Selma and Atlanta, “America is now facing the darkness of fear, doubt, and division”.

 Obama is astute.  As president he will be eminently capable of forging a “diplomatic surge” internationally.  And at home, he can to foster social harmony, economic growth and a climate of mutual responsibility among the citizenry.

It looks like Obama will have the chance to meet that challenge since nothing on the horizon seems likely to derail his campaign train that has gathered the steam and momentum needed to reach the White House.