I Knew Obama When…
What do P. Diddy and Barack Obama have in common?
I talked with both at the 2004 DNC in Boston, Massachuesettes. Not at the same time; not in the same room, but both men making an impression on the folks flooding into beantown to promote whoever was running as the democratic nominee in that year ages ago.
As for one of the men, he was knowledgeable, well-spoken, stylishly dressed and opinionated. Then there was Obama. Okay so they were bothall of those things; Diddy just had more bodyguards. I had seen Puff perform before. Barack had not yet rocked the country. But he sure did that night. It was a performance that made people ask, “Who is that guy?” I actually heard someone say, “He’s a local preacher.” Ahh, no. But he definitely began to spread the gospel of his democratic future that night.
His voice was strong, the language surgically precise. When Obama left that stage the audience went wild. It was more like a nominee acceptance than a keynote warm-up act. There was something about the way he carried himself, commanded respect and exuded confidence. I wasn’t the only person to look around and wonder not “if” this guy would someday run for President…but “when”?
And yet, once the buzz of Obama’s performance died down, I started trying to tick off the specific issues he talked about; the meat of any message. Nothing stood out; nothing had burned a brand in my brain. But I really liked the way the guy worked. Like a great rock concert or a firey sermon, it wasn’t the message as much as the messenger. And in the four years since that convention the messenger blossomed. The message; “change.” Obviously a message embraced by the majority of voting Americans.
Now we begin this period of historical significance, a time for pride in this country for coming so far, finally. Yet, I still don’t know much about the messenger. I ‘ve heard the platitudes; the canned comments; no different than any other politician. It’s just that with Obama the package could not be better. This is a candidate, now President-elect, who has all the goods. He looks Presidential; he sounds Presidential; he’s the prototypical politician for the new millineum in a beautiful box with a big bow.
And that’s what scares me. What’s in the box?
MJB