Through the palpable anticipation, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pushed his way from behind the curtain as Kanye West's "Touch the Sky" blasted from the speakers (I guess he couldn't find Biggy's "Big Poppa" on iTunes). Shaking hands and making his way to the stage, a friend of mine said it best, "Yo. This man is the truth." That friend, although unsuccessful in trying to adopt a Mos Def-style dialect, was dead on in his Obama description. I was in awe of the presence this man brought, his assertive voice and cool demeanor. I instantaneously supported his message and supported his cause. And I also fear that this man will not be our next president.
With a couple thousand people jammed into the Monona Terrace Convention Center, body odor so prevalent there was the constant taste of curry lingering in all our mouths, my first political rally was about to begin. The crowd was into it. Mr. Obama knew his audience as he commenced with humorous jokes about being a Bears fan in Madison (total courtesy laugh situation). And as the laughter subsided, Mr. Obama began to talk about his plans for the presidency.
It's hard for me to relate to Mr. Obama. It's not because he's black and I'm white. I don't see color, I only see pigment. Rather, it's because I am not ambitious, I am an underachiever, and I am not too optimistic when it comes to the future. Barack Obama is the opposite. Besides changing health care, pulling the troops out of Iraq and limiting global warming, he plans on changing American politics as we know it. There hasn't been a plate that full since The Cracker Barrel offered its $8.99 buffet. Mr. Obama truly believes he can do it all. I just can't relate to that ambitious mindset. I'm the guy whose definition of multitasking is reading The New York Times while going to the bathroom.
Although I was having trouble relating to Mr. Obama, I didn't have any trouble agreeing with him. He's the voice attempting to instill morality into American politics. I want him in office. I truly believe he will keep his promise and change this country for the better. The only trouble is that he's not going to get to the Oval Office.
Mr. Obama is like the friend who watches "Risky Business" and proposes you turn your parents' house into a brothel while they're vacationing in Palm Springs. Mr. Obama is a wide-eyed idealist who is probably a bit too ahead of his time. The public is going to have a hard time electing such idealism because in many ways it'll equate it with irrationality. "He's so naive" will be the phrase weighing heavy on all Obama skeptics' lips.
As Mr. Obama's speech reached its conclusion, something very interesting occurred. A third and final member of the audience fainted, drawing attention from everyone in the crowd. It had the makings of a complete domino affect, a scene paralleling the Beatles' arrival at JFK. Simultaneous fainting hasn't occurred like that since Joey Fatone announced his solo tour. But it never reached that point. In the midst of Mr. Obama chanting his ideals, he assured the crowd that everything was going to be OK. "This happens from time to time, folks. The paramedics will take care of it." Everyone remained calm as Mr. Obama barely broke stride.
If Mr. Obama had told the audience to abandon the fainted individuals, leave them on the ground and act as if nothing happened, they would have done it. In fact, he could have told me to hide the fainted individuals in a nearby closet, protecting him from any bad press; I would have done that as well. An attribute of Mr. Obama, which is perhaps more distinct that his idealism, is his convincing demeanor; he has this reassuring quality to him, and if he can rely on that charm, there's a slight chance he can convince those skeptics that he's not all that irrational. I wish him luck, and I give him my vote because I know he's going to need it.
Jeremy Elias ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in communication arts.
