Obama Rally on November 4th - Essay Example

My Reaction to the Obama Rally on November 4th After having won a landslide of electoral votes, President-Elect Barack Obama stood in front of a crowd of nearly a quarter of a million people in Grant Park's Hutchinson Field on November 4th, 2008, and declared, that ".change has come to America." And indeed it has. For 21 months, the Obama campaign has stuck to the theme of change as a central touchstone from which it did not move, and it worked. The historicity of the moment, the heaviness of the moment, and the heartfelt joy of the moment are aspects that will never be forgotten regarding the Obama rally in Grant Park.

For sure, the likes of this campaign are such that they will probably never be repeated in history. Over $600 million dollars was spent by President-Elect Obama in his bid for the White House. However, his decision not to take public financing paid off. The fact that he counted on three million donors who gave an average of $86 dollars, mainly on the Internet-accounted for most of his war chest. This allowed him to outspend his rival, Sen. John McCain. In doing so, he was able to be more competitive in traditionally Republican-voting "red" states such as Florida, Virginia, Indiana, and North Carolina, Colorado, and New Mexico-which Obama won handily.

The other, but more important historical factor of note is that we will have, for the first time in the history of our nation, an African-American President. This is significant for a number of reasons. The struggle that many black leaders have encountered over the years in the Civil Rights Movement, and the sacrifices that some gave with their lives, including Dr. King, Jr., and Medgar Evers, for example-are testaments to the many difficulties that African-Americans have suffered through the years, for the right to vote, for the rights to live in a desegregated society, and the right to live lives of dignity within their own communities.

President-Elect Obama's speech encapsulated a heaviness as well, as it was a somber speech. Although it was a victory speech in some ways, mentioning how his daughters had earned the puppy that was coming with them to the White House, there was also pause for seriousness as he talked about the planet in peril. With two wars, an economy that is struggling, and people finding it difficult to afford bills every month, Obama knows that the average working person in our country is having problems staying afloat.

He also recognized the weight that his words had on people listening in other countries, saying that if their intentions were negative towards the United States, that we would defeat them. President-Elect Obama was very sure in the words that he chose, being careful to show that he had not earned everyone's vote, and that he would be everyone's President, not just a President for those who had cast their vote for him but also those who had not voted for him, and promised to earn their respect.

Overall, there was a sense of joy felt in Grant Park. Why First of all, President-Elect Obama is a likeable guy who has the capability to inspire millions. He has inspired millions-to donate to his campaign, to volunteer for his campaign, to work tirelessly on his behalf with little or no pay, to make phone calls, design posters, recruit volunteers, make T-shirts, pass out flyers, do phone-banking, and all other sorts of things. There was in Grant Park a true sense of camaraderie. President-Elect Obama has in essence promised to end the war in Iraq, to have a plan for the financial crisis that bogs down our economy, and to hit the ground running when he takes office on January 20th, 2009.

At the Obama Rally on November 4th, 2008, President-Elect Obama showed the strength of his intelligence which is desperately needed in a Commander-in-Chief. This writer believes he will be an excellent President.