'Stars are aligned' for Obama speech
45th anniversary of King's titanic oration frames evening
By Bill Gallo, Special to the Rocky
Published August 28, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Updated August 28, 2008 at 10:45 a.m.
Matt McClain © The Rocky
Nestled in the confines of Invesco Field, the final details for the podium and stage areas near completion for the final night of the 2008 DNC in Denver Wednesday, August 26, 2008.
Photo by Associated Press / 1968
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledges the massive crowd from the Lincoln Memorial following his "I Have a Dream" speech.
Photo by Associated Press / 1963
An aerial view from a helicopter shows the impressive scope of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963.
In the summer of 1963, the Rev. Gil Caldwell was a 29-year-old assistant pastor in the South End of Boston - a man not long out of divinity school and set on conducting a community-based ministry "with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other."
In late August, the young Methodist minister traveled to Chicago for a conference on religion and race. But something didn't feel right.
"Some of us sensed that the March on Washington was more important than the conference, that it was what we were really about," he recalls. "So we boarded a train headed east."
Next stop, history. On Aug. 28, 1963, Caldwell would witness one of the greatest speeches in history - and a moment that helped change American attitudes about race.
It was the day Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" address to a rapt audience of about 250,000 people in Washington and millions who watched the young Georgia preacher on television. Some 2,000 miles away, a 22-year-old college student named Wellington Webb watched the speech, alone, on a TV in Greeley.
"It was a landmark in the history of civil rights," says Webb, elected Denver's only black mayor in 1991. "And now the stars are aligned, with Senator Obama giving his speech on the 28th, 45 years later. There's a line of progression, and it will be another marker on an historic journey."
As Barack Obama prepares to accept the Democratic Party's nomination for president tonight at Invesco Field, Caldwell is struck by the moments leading toward Washington. He recalls the bracing air of solidarity among his group en route to the March on Washington, the massive civil rights protest that - thanks in large part to King's words - was a major mile marker in the movement that transformed America in the 1960s.
"At least on issues of racial inclusiveness, we were of one mind," Caldwell says. "I had not experienced that before."
In the nation's capital, the march's organizers, including A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, had privately worried about turnout.
"Up until the day itself, they weren't sure if they'd have more than a few thousand people," recalls Vincent Harding, professor emeritus at Denver University's Iliff School of Theology and author of Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero.
The morning of Aug. 28 dawned sunny and bright, and hundreds of thousands of marchers emerged from trains, buses and cars to gather before the Lincoln Memorial.
"It was an extraordinary outpouring," Harding says. "It was an affirmation of what had been happening all over the South, especially in Birmingham and Jackson and McComb, Miss. All these people were saying to the movement folks: 'We believe in what you're doing, and we've come to testify to our own participation in it.' "
Caldwell, who 34 years later would become the first black senior pastor of Denver's Park Hill United Methodist Church, was struck by the warm day, the huge, multiethnic crowd and the bold freedom placards held aloft.
"Martin King's persona never got in the way of his message: He was his message," Caldwell says. "That marvelous, slow buildup set the stage and pulled us all together . . . and when he started talking about America, the racial and religious inclusivity of the moment made me stick out my chest with pride. Because what he made us feel is that the civil rights movement was about much more than a particular people.
"It was about the ethos and ethic of America itself, people of all creeds, colors and cultures had come together, and in the end were not disappointed. Dr. King took us to the mountaintop and he kept us there. We all returned home full of new hope and encouragement."
Attending a conference at Notre Dame in August 1963, Harding, then 32, understood something special was happening. But there was more: the March on Washington and King's speech; the killings of four little black girls in a Birmingham, Ala., church; the newly formed Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party challenging the Democratic Party's segregated delegation to the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J. All were waves in a sea change. One that led to this day.
"Consciousness was building up," Harding says. "The Democratic Party had to decide what it was to become, and so did the country. And we face another defining moment now. With Barack Obama's candidacy, we have another opportunity to ask ourselves: What does it mean to create a 'more perfect union?' Where do we, as a country, go from here?"
Post your comment
Registration is required. Click here to create your free user account, or login below.
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.
Featured
-
Through Your Lens
Submit your photos or see the Editor's Choice slide show here.
-
Rocky Multimedia
The news comes alive in our videos and slide shows. Catch up on what's happening today.
-
Holiday Lights
Is your house the jolliest on the block? Submit your holiday lights display.
-
Holiday Gift Guide
Looking to get a jump-start on the holiday shopping season?
-
Mount Crushmore
Which four Broncos greats should be immortalized on Mount Crushmore? Vote here.
-
Bronco Dean's rant
Listen to Bronco Dean's midweek rant on the Chiefs.
-
Broncos Video
Get the latest from Dove Valley as the Broncos prepare for Sunday's matchup.
-
Calendar wallpaper
Download this month's desktop wallpaper calendar
-
Sam Adams' Open Mic
Open Mic: Stirrin' the Soup with Matt Iseman







August 28, 2008
8:39 a.m.
Suggest removal
jeckelmyhyde writes:
Big difference, Dr. King spoke from his heart,and was not above the common man, but a man who had a dream, a dream of equality and he was right. He was not in it for his own personal gain, unlike Mr Obama, Dr. King was truely godlike but humble. Obama on the other hand is weak, and indecisive,and inexpierenced, basically an empty suit. I am remided of the old sports locker room adage "Obama isn't qualified to carry Dr. Kings jockstrap". So please spare us the comparisons, there are none.
August 28, 2008
8:50 a.m.
Suggest removal
gneubeck writes:
The real Obama. Obama, whose father was a practicing Muslim and whose mother was a radical Marxist, has stated that his mother: "Was the dominant figure in my formative years; and, the values she taught me continue to be my touchstone in the world of politics". Common sense deductive reasoning suggests that Obama's rearing as a child, and his extended 20yr relationships, and obvious conformity, with anti-American fanatics such as Rev. Wright ( the Pastor of his church that promoted the doctrine of Louis Farrakhan and James Cone, the guru of Black Liberation Theology ) ; and, Frank Davis, William Ayers, Gerald Kellman, Bernadette Dohrn, etc., etc., are in fact reflective of Obama's true psychological makeup. A conclusion rigidly re-enforced by Obama's San Francisco commentary denigrating folks from small-town America. Obama's affinity for questionable associates such as Tony Rezco, a convicted felon, raises a myriad of questions. Further, his increasingly frequent petulant responses to legitimate criticism is troubling. This man's initial refusal to wear an American flag lapel pin and to place his hand over his heart on the singing of our National Anthem are conditioned reflexes from his protracted association with disaffected elements in our society; visual images that Obama is certain to attempt to obfuscate in future campaign appearances; even though, he has openly admitted: "I didn't want to offend Muslims and others who don't like America.". Obama is our "home-grown" version of Hugo Chavez. Further, Michelle Obama's angry commentary directed at our country is telling. Fifty-seven (Islamic) State Obama's comments that he would use U.S. Military Forces against Pakistan, a Nation with a sizable nuclear arsenal, and an ally in the war on terror, even without President Musharraf's permission; a Nation that he mistakenly believed to be Arab; his indecision/confusion as to whether Iran poses a serious regional threat; while in other commentary, stating that he would halt the U.S. military's development of advanced weapons systems demonstrates a profound ignorance of the geopolitical threat environment confronting America. His long-term subversive associations, and his immersion in seditious anti-American diatribe have indeed revealed Obama as the real-life Manchurian Candidate. Greg Neubeck
August 28, 2008
8:53 a.m.
Suggest removal
rotten writes:
Check out a funny "Nobama" parody song and video at: www.myspace.com/rogerweber
August 28, 2008
9:33 a.m.
Suggest removal
TDC writes:
If Obama is elected it wont be from any boost given by the Clintons but in spite of it. Hillary talked about what a great candidate she was but never said what a great leader Obama would be. Bubba Bill talked about what a great term in office he had but never said Obama was ready to lead. Both speeches were selfserving and did little to sway the undecided in favor of Obama. Look for the republicans to jump on this. Obama will have to hit it out of the park tonight to overcome the "help" that he got from the Clintons. Shame of the Clintons and best of luck to Obama.
August 28, 2008
10:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
countrymouse writes:
Reading the hateful, vindictive statements about Obama in these comments, I find myself wondering what kinds of scurrilous garbage these commenters would have hurled at Dr. King in his day.
August 28, 2008
10:11 a.m.
RkyMtnDan writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
August 28, 2008
10:15 a.m.
Suggest removal
Sigmond writes:
Al Gore will be giving the warm-up speech.
August 28, 2008
10:17 a.m.
Suggest removal
Sigmond writes:
MLK gave the "I have a dream" speech.
Obama will be giving the " I have a resume" speech.
August 28, 2008
10:29 a.m.
Suggest removal
Eagle_Clan_Yan_yeene writes:
Democrats and Obamacans courting all Republican and Independent voters -
The Chantay's - Pipeline (Lawrence Welk Show)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j09C8c...
Dean Martin & John Wayne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd5xBD...
Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZBUb0...
Obamacan's - “The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry.”
William F. Buckley, Jr. quote
Isaiah 40:31
"But they that wait upon the LORD
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as EAGLES
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint"
Vote Obama/Biden '08
August 28, 2008
10:57 a.m.
Suggest removal
shango12 writes:
Aah, yes. gneubeck, RkyMtnDan, and Jeckelmyhyde ~ The beautiful thing about your unevolved and shameful comments is that nobody with the smallest measure of competence would ever take you seriously . You are disgusting fools, We feel sorry for you and can't imagine what you had to deal with as a child that these things would come out of your mouth. There are professionals that can help you. Evolution will weed you out.
August 28, 2008
11:09 a.m.
Suggest removal
JennyBea writes:
Martin Luther King was a republican. Why do they keep making a big deal of Obama vs. MLK? Because they're both black- nevermind that MLK didn't stand for anything BHO does.
August 28, 2008
11:11 a.m.
Suggest removal
YeilRaven writes:
Its amazing the Stage is built out of plywood! Its very beautiful.
I wonder what McCain's 7 houses are made of? He says he only lives in four of them. I can respect that. My dream use to be just a trailer you know the 10,000 dollar kind. But now I have bigger dreams a nice little studio where I can park my Gary Farmer Pow Wow Highway computer :-D.
America has come a long way since Martin Luther King Jr. But we still have less then 69 days to go. We know whats coming. Right now I'm drinking coffee waiting like the rest of you. I hope I don't cry when Obama speaks. When you are a person of color like me, I never thought I would see a day like this come in my lifetime. I know I will be cheering. When the crowd roars I will jump out of my chair and cheer too.
I see some people mentioned Hillary and Bill on the comments section. They did us Proud. I loved it when Hillay went right into the trenches with the New York delegation and threw her support to Obama. That my friend is a leader. Bill hit it out of the park last night. I wish he could have stayed for the speech. Just so we could thank him. Where ever you are Bill Yes We Thank You! John Kerry was on Target last night. Way to go John! Clear contrasts! Joe Biden rumbled last night against McCain on the issues. He give us all courage. Then Obama surprised us all even us watching on TV. Now that was a thrill! Clear message sent across America the Democrat party is back. That was the Democrat party I grew up with. That is the Democrats I know! Godspeed everyone! Godspeed Obama/Biden!
August 28, 2008
11:14 a.m.
Suggest removal
maddog_salamander writes:
The last I checked, Dr. King was a registered Republican. I have a dream that we stop behaving like Democrats and Republicans, and start acting like human beings that care for one another and the planet where we live.
August 28, 2008
11:29 a.m.
Suggest removal
missmilehi writes:
Right on maddog.
It bothers me that they are taking such pains to compare him to people all the time - Kennedy, MLK - why can't he just stand on his own two feet?
I wish they would stop talking about other people like Kennedy and MLK (why did Michelle spend so much time talking about her father when it was her husband she was there to endorse?), and let us see who Bamster really is.
Oh right, because that's how they rate pop stars, an endless comparison of someone from a previous generation.
August 28, 2008
11:38 a.m.
Suggest removal
chrisim writes:
Please! Apart from skin color, the Dalai 'Bama has nothing in common with Dr. King. What about Dr. King's exhortation to judge people by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin? By that standard, the JUNIOR senator from Illinois is woefully lacking.
August 28, 2008
11:43 a.m.
Suggest removal
bigkid writes:
Obama is King's WORST NIGHTMARE come true! ..remember what the BIBLE says.."they who exalt themselves SHALL BE MADE humble"...watch out from above Barry..lightning can strike..
August 28, 2008
11:56 a.m.
Suggest removal
JennyBea writes:
"they who exalt themselves SHALL BE MADE humble"
Dear, that can't happen soon enough. And when he is made humble, he will call the world a racist.
August 28, 2008
12:30 p.m.
Suggest removal
brooklynkevin writes:
That's right. And John McCain didn't make a "I have a dream speach" for 5 & 1/2 years.
Am I clear about this: 5 & 1/2 YEARS!!!
That's a really, very, long time.
5 & 1/2 years.
August 28, 2008
12:32 p.m.
Suggest removal
brooklynkevin writes:
Hey, I know what really matters. John McCain is a POW! Do you hear me, a P.O.W.!!!!!!
He must be amazing! He must be the right choice for this job!! I must vote for him, hate all others, never think for myself, make fun of anyone else, and stay as ignorant as I can.
After all, he's a POW!
Right?
August 28, 2008
12:44 p.m.
Suggest removal
muslims4obama writes:
MLK: I have a dream
BHO: I have a nightmare
August 28, 2008
12:51 p.m.
Suggest removal
muslims4obama writes:
brooklynkevin, McCain also was a captain in the Navy, served 2 terms in the House of Representatives, and has over 20 years in the senate including in the Armed Services Committee and Commerce Committee.
Let's see, what does your boy have? A little time in Illinois state govt. and a little over 3 years in the U.S. senate. Oh yeah, he's ready to be the leader of the free world.
August 28, 2008
12:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
DiverDan writes:
Hey - I just heard that Paris and Britney will be there! Wow, the three Stooges (sorry Larry, Moe and Curly - you too Shep).
Its interesting that the big story is that Barry will talk to the 'common man' - is that white trash like me or the Nig**as? That he'll finally give specifics about his PLAN for America. I thought his plan was hope, hope, change, hope, wishful thinking (oops, that's me), change, hope.
Barry is an empty suit and nothing more, Nazi Pelosi will be pulling his string - do you really think he'll get respect on the world stage?
NOPE
Remember Barry said Iran is just a small country – hey Barry -I’m sure you can win them over with your personality! I sure feel safe now!
Look at the North Koreans; they’re starting to back peddle on dismantling their nuclear capability – they say its because we, the US, will not give them credit for changes they’ve made. I honestly believe its because they see the weakness projected by Barry Obama’s reaction to Russia invading Georgia and they figure he’ll have no backbone to do anything about it.
Unfortunately should Barry “O “get elected they are probably right.
Vote McCain in 08 and drill Now!!
August 28, 2008
1:26 p.m.
Suggest removal
JennyBea writes:
"A little time in Illinois state govt. and a little over 3 years in the U.S. senate. Oh yeah, he's ready to be the leader of the free world."
Well, there's a big difference between 3 years and in reality- of those three years, he served 145 days. That's 6 months.
August 28, 2008
1:48 p.m.
Suggest removal
ricardo4max writes:
GregN, Thanks for another excellent post! Don't forget about Saul Alinsky, hero and mentor to Hillary Rodham and Barry Hussein!
R
August 28, 2008
1:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
SLK writes:
Wow, reading all the negative comments about Obama is really quite humorous as they are all about the most naieve and arrogent attacks I have read thus far... Seriously where do you people spreading such false information and mudslinging come from? Let me guess....you also think George W. was a fantastic President and better then Bill Clinton...which is a hard sell to make. I would have thought by now after the whole country has witnessed the fanatics in the Bush Administration and how they have crapped up the country along with the Republican party that indeed people who once supported them would come to their senses and support Obama and the Democrats.
Now I have liked John McCain for years, I would NEVER vote for him...but I like him. He is the only Republican that stood up to all the conservative nuts in his party. As much as I respect what he is done for the country, his vision and policies for the future are no better the that of the Bush administration.... Now is the time for all those who supported Bush to come home a realize that this election needs a change, this election needs hope and vision, this election needs a new generation of leaders to take America forward. This election needs Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the Oval office....
SLK
August 28, 2008
1:56 p.m.
Suggest removal
BoardRunner writes:
I think back to Sen. Lloyd Bentsen's remarks at the 1988 V-P debate to put things into perspective on The Great Obama's "historic" speech on Mt. Olympus. SENATOR, YOU'RE NO JACK KENNEDY!
Brother Barry is an oratory shyster who has delusions of grandeur. Please do us all a huge favor today by not spoiling the great legacy of Martin Luther King !
August 28, 2008
2:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
Eric_in_NJ writes:
i have to agree with all of the posts who disagree with any sort of MLK/ Obama connection. the only thing in common is 1. the date and 2. skin color- something MLK admonished us should NOT be an issue. The authour of this article should be mindful of this simple fact and so should anyone who wants to make any similar wrong heaeded comparisons!
August 28, 2008
2:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
JennyBea writes:
"Now is the time for all those who supported Bush to come home a realize that this election needs a change,"
Agreed..l.but not the change that will be brought from inexperience and socialism.
All these people say we need change, while the economy posted a 3.3% growth in the last quarter- why change that? Change what in Iraq, while the Anbar Province is being turned over to the Iraq's?
Change what exactly? Unemployment has steadily declined, the economy has grown, gas prices are the way they are after 30 years of politicians doing nothing...
Change what? What will he change? Change it into what? And hope for what? They act like this country is doomed and only they can save it.
Oh, and under Clinton's wonderful admin. let's see what made him great: The USS Cole bombing. WTC boming (first). Our embassies. Bin Laden was let go. Lying under oath and subsequent impeachment. High taxes and then how many people killed themselves when the .com bubble burst in 2000? That was Clinton's watch, too.
How many times have we been attacked since 9/11? And how much has out "recessed" economy grown and unemployment declined? Bush ain't the greatest- but he's no socialist with ties to terrorists, receiving sweetheart mortgage deals from convicted felons after having worked 145 days and attending churches with radicals who think we deserved 9/11. Nevermind his brother who lives in a hut the size of my cubicle at work. I wonder if BHO is as invested as Nancy Pelosi in this Big Wind industry- while they talk trash about Cheney and Halliburton.
And to mark their change, they pick a VP who's served in Washington almost longer than BHO has been alive. That's change.
Just what we need. And the angels will come downfrom heaven singing praises to God for this annointed man. (not.)
August 28, 2008
2:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
P_Denver writes:
Would Democrats today for for John F. Kennedy?
- An experienced military man and officer, wounded in action
- An experienced senator; a professional politician (nothing wrong with that - I prefer experience)
- An adulterer (oh, well, no one's perfect)
Who does that sound more like: Obama or McCain?
August 28, 2008
3:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
RogerTheFishwife writes:
The idea that anyone would compare that inexperienced self-serving egomaniac with the humble Dr King is offensive as hell. Dr. King was a great man. The Obamanation is NOT.
August 28, 2008
4:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
RPhillips writes:
When Reverend King delivered his "I have a dream" speech on the steps of a Washington memorial dedicated to one of my ancestral cousins (at least legally, Abe was my cousin), the impression was that he created the speech for the occasion. In fact, the "I have a dream" speech had been given many times over several years in various states of creation, and others collaborated in its composition. The american people who heard it then and hear it now are unaware many had labored for years to create a great propaganda speech, and it has succeeded beyond its creators wildest dreams.
David Halberstam wrote a book about the Civil Rights movement some years ago. One of his aims was to preserve some of the truths and facts of that time before myths and legend had obliterated them. He covered the Civil Rights movement early on, and wrote that he realized the establishment was behind the Civil Rights movement, and that it realized the movement needed a Hero. The establishment decided Martin Luther King Jr. would be the hero, the face of the Civil Rights movement, and they made him a media star.
The media has done the same thing for Barack Obama, maybe moreso than they did for MLK.
The truth shall set us free.................not manufactured images, and not The Big Lie.
August 28, 2008
4:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
Gopher writes:
The holocaust has its "deniers". The Republicans posting here are the equivalent of racism deniers. They are the enemy of civil rights in the US. They get their enjoyment and validation in life by denigrating others. They should be ashamed, but they have no shame or values as human beings.
August 28, 2008
4:29 p.m.
Suggest removal
missmilehi writes:
Wow, there's a lot of generalizations and judgements on this board today.
How sad that THAT is what this so-called movement-for-change has inspired people to do.
August 28, 2008
4:45 p.m.
Suggest removal
Joe_Camel writes:
Quote: "They get their enjoyment and validation in life by denigrating others." (Gopher, Aug. 28 at 4:19 p.m.)
Yup, it's election time again. The Republicans will be denigrating Obama in the hope it will help them get McCain elected. The Democrats will be denigrating McCain in the hope it will help them get Obama elected. It happens every four years, regular as clockwork.
August 28, 2008
5:07 p.m.
Suggest removal
SDaedalus writes:
MLK's appeal transcended politics, while Obama is by definition, a partisan. His nomination is a first, but Obama-as-nominee has more in common with Clarence Thomas during his own nomination hearings to SCOTUS.
And Thomas's words apply equally well to the current treatment of Obama:
“This is a circus. It is a national disgrace....[I]t is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that, unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you, you will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured...rather than hung from a tree.”
August 28, 2008
5:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
DiverDan writes:
You Democrats do not get it - I do not give a damn that Obama is black, but what I do care about is his lack of judgement and experience. Hell, he's spent more time running for President than he did in the Senate. The SOB has ZERO experience.
Clinton (billy boy) says he is now ready to be President - unlike when Barry was running against Hillary, he has no experience (granted, paraphased).
So what did Barry do in the course of these few months to gain enough experience to be President? Give a few stump speeches and vacation in Hawaii? I used to teach, talked nice without a teleprompter (although I did use Power Point presentations), and I used to live in Hawaii - so am I now qualified to be the President? Nope - and neither is Barry.
THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I know that some of you don't like to read long drawn out missives...so here's the executive summary.........
Congress Military
John McCain 26 Years 22 Years
Barrack Obama 143 days 0
Summary Concluded – you’ve been schooled.
August 28, 2008
5:27 p.m.
Suggest removal
duckbutt writes:
Ah Gopher, you must be a product of public education. Let's go over history. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 could only be passed because of all the republications that supported it. Folks like Al Gore's father, a senator from Tennessee, refused to vote for it. It only passed because Johnson had the backing of the republicans.
And....republicans had black delegates to their conventions a full 50 years before Democrats allowed them in the 1930s....
History beats out media hype.....
I won't vote for Barack Hussein Obama because he is black...but because he is RED --marxist, socialist and communist.
August 28, 2008
5:39 p.m.
Suggest removal
drjbaust writes:
Those who insist that Obama is a lightweight and not substantive is not listening to him or reading his writings, including his 24 point booklet found online.
Those angered by references and comparison to JFK and MLK might read the words of Ted and Caroline Kennedy or Vincent Harding, who had close relationships to JFK and/or MLK themselves.
Those who want to throw Barrack off his game and rattle him or his supporters into "attack mode" might come to see that he really is inviting us all to our higher natures, to our spiritual renewal, and to centeredness. Some describe this as passive. I would describe it as attempting to choose a higher path.
Those who have targeted him as elitist, or a Muslim, or self-aggrandizing have apparently taken their cues from the caricatures that other's have tried to paint. These ideas do not come from hearing Barack in person or listening to those who have known him and worked with him throughout the years. He did not come from a privileged background; He chose to work in community service rather than a high-powered law firm; and he continues to do "average" things like go to grocery stores for food. Imagine having a 21st century president who uses e-mail (McCain said he does not.)
Barrack is not, nor has he ever been a Muslim. His father left when he was only 2 and his mother was not particularly religious. He searched for his own roots and describes this in his 1st book. This is how he gravitated toward Christianity and the Black Church and the liberating message which gives voice to the poor and the class stuck in the middle, and challenges the rich. In fact, these ideas were offered by Jesus Christ in the sermon on the mount. They're not original.
Perhaps the best that Barrack has to offer is his reminder that we each must do our part to change this country and that no one person can do this alone. This is why he has been successful in getting many who have never voted before to register. What McCain likes to call "rock star status" is genuine enthusiasm, excitement, and interest .... in participating in and creating a different kind of America and a different kind of world. He is tapping into the heartfelt longing of many of us who are weary of years of ignoring science & climate change, rushing to war without allies, and watching the chasm between the rich and everyone else grow.
Those who have written rude, ill informed, and deeply angry comments above underscore precisely why we need a new tone in this country. As for me, I choose life, work for peace and justice, and yes, have the audacity to hope again.
drj
August 28, 2008
5:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
goalbysummer writes:
Lets all get ready for "the change" that Barack will bring. It's called Socialism, Neo-Marxism, Neo-Communism. He honestly means THAT kind of change. The strategy is simple. Make the population THINK they have it tough. That their country is the pits. That they would be better off letting the goverment make all their tough decisions for them.
*Redistribution of Wealth
*Mandatory Government-run Preschool through Highschool (indoctrination)
*Government Mandated and Run Healthcare (goodbye choice, goodbye excellent healthcare that we currently enjoy)
The far-left ideology became so crystal clear to me one day a few weeks ago reading the Palo Alto daily newspaper here in Silicon Valley where we came to get my son's Kidney Transplant. (And on "regular" consumer driven health insurance...imagine that!). There was an article discussing how many of the chain and lower-cost grocery stores were moving out of Palo Alto, leaving the higher priced more exclusive ones. The city of Palo Alto is all distraught, wondering how they can get these stores (who are operating on supply and demand principles) to come back or to stay. One of the city council member's solution is to mandate that any redevelpment project of commercial space HAS to include a grocery store. She said "There is no incentive like a firm restriction"
Think about that. THERE IS NO INCENTIVE LIKE A FIRM RESTRICTION. So get ready America, if Obama IS elected, there will be Government mandated everything. And any talk against the government will be met with swift silencing and punishment (think China) with the government controlling content of every news organization and radio talk show (think "Fairness Doctrine")
So. First, get the country discontent. Then have a groundswell of grassroots youth usher in some new leader (who is actually just a puppet of those who would seek to take control). Then the military will be at your disposal and you make all the rules. Get ready America. Get ready for the Change.
August 28, 2008
6:07 p.m.
Suggest removal
TipsyUncle writes:
I like Pizza
Go Broncos
August 28, 2008
6:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
LakePowell writes:
The stars turn out??? These are not people who live, represent anything in the real world let's face it. They are over paid people playing for a living! I am so sick of hearing what Hollywood is doing in the political field. I feel most have lost enough brain cells doing drugs, alchohol etc. and most are not informed. They just want to be where it is happening.
Now the comments that continually are being made about "first man of color"...hmmm. Are we not all a color. I mean I am tan living in Arizona. So this push about the first historical, black man nominated is a slap in the face to all american people. I am so tired of the race card being shoved down my throat and the millions of americans who are just good people of all color. I feel this message is adding a bigger divide within the american people and sorry "But the Black Population" is driving it. If he runs, he wins, he should win because he is your best choice...Not that he is black....you are then voting for the wrong reasons and setting our country up big time.
You Hillary voters have run scared and that embarasses me as an american. I am not a Hillary supporter, but she did her best and you 18 million supposedly were not going to cave, and you did! Why? Why not stand up and through it all and not allow a roll call, not allow her to bend either and stand for something. You believed in her, but at the last moment you caved. Hillary should have been nominated...she deserved it, but no one stood to the last. You just moved on and began crying in tears of joy over Obama,
This whole "Martin Luther King" approach tonight with all the wackos from Hollywood there is way over the top. Isn't he the guy who wanted to be just one of us or wasn't he just one of us? I don't think so. People should wake up and smell the "elitism" because it is there. With all the struggles in this world right now to have a "rock show" for him is really over the top.
I strive to see people stand up and be counted for what they believe not what "the guy next door is doing because it is popular". That is what the dems did.
No, I am not a Obama fan...not because he is black but because I am small business owner and my tax dollars will go to support programs I am sick and tired of like "welfare for the lazy 3rd generation", affirmative action which I find offensive for hard working students who can't get because they are the wrong color.
So, people just so you know, many many many Americans are sick of the race stuff...let it go. You come into this world, work hard (like I do at 58) be of good character, treat others fairly and quit whining. We are tired of it.
My wish: Every Democrat get an alarm clock and set it and maybe then you will wake up.
August 28, 2008
6:31 p.m.
Suggest removal
Gopher writes:
Republicans' heads are exploding over Obama's success. They are freaking out because they do not understand what is happening in America. Let me clue them in. It is not about Obama. It is about his supporters. People in America are waking up to the fact that they have been tricked by the Republicans into thinking that America is as good as it gets. The curtain has been pulled back by eight years of the Bush and the Republican Party's breathtaking incompetence and corruption. They now realize how much they have been ripped off by the empty rhetoric of Republicans. It is clear now to many that the world has moved beyond the stale old politics of America. They now have, yes, hope, that this country can take a leap forward, not as in the past to lead the world, but in fact, a leap forward just to catch up with the rest of the world. Humanity has an unlimited potential to fulfill. Republicans represent a zero-sum world of ideas and imagination.
August 28, 2008
7:13 p.m.
Suggest removal
EZBakeOven writes:
Gee, and no rain for his big night. Glad the Jesus Freaks were denied their prayers.
August 28, 2008
7:22 p.m.
Suggest removal
titancain writes:
I guess it's not racist to call the Obama's:
Crack hore
Black Messiah
Black supremist
Black Muslim
Terrorist
Covert Muslim
Registered Muslim
etc.
etc.
The rightwingers are so christian.
You will be trounced in November. After all your lies Obama is still ahead.