Redefining Audacity
DENVER–Moving a political convention of 20,000 to a different venue on day four was the easy part. Lifting the weight of that charged day of August 28 was the more difficult task. The lines in front of the Denver Broncos’ stadium, where Barack Obama would accept the Democratic Party nomination, were six miles long; Broncos legendary quarterback John Elway could not have generated such enthusiasm. Who would wait four hours to see an NFL game, as two women in section 517 admitted that they and many others did in a historical moment at the feet of the Rocky Mountains?
As if this set-up was not challenging enough, his Obama’s team scheduled the acceptance speech exactly at the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s legendary address at the feet of another giant–Washington’s Lincoln Memorial. Barack Obama redefined the audacity of ambition by speaking in front of more than 70,000 supporters, at the same time vigorously positioning himself and his campaign within this trajectory of Martin Luther King. Emancipation, gospel, and progressive politics were evoked by timing his larger-than-life venue to be a continuation of the most American of all struggles.
The orchestration of the convention’s last day was close to perfection. Everyone stuck to the script, the surprises were planned, and the emotions calculated. Here the differences with regard to the historical model in 1963 became obvious. Martin Luther King did not stick to his manuscript; instead of referring to the prepared formulation of an “Association for the Advancement of creative dissatisfaction” as written in the manuscript, he started improvising, reportedly at the urging of Mahalia Jackson who had performed immediately before. “Tell them about the dream, Martin,” she is said to have insisted. He responded with his legendary, iconic, and Jazz-like rifts that became part of American political heritage: “I had a dream,” “seen the mountaintop,” “free at last”.
Forty-five years later, everything is scripted to the very end. The aversion toward improvisation and the controlled audacity possibly found its most telling expression in decreed abstinence–not even Colorado-brewed Coors Light was sold in the stadium, a form of responsible redeployment of fun.
There were many historical analogies and comparisons being made to transform Barack Obama into a transcendental figure. It was mentioned that, if he were to be elected, he would be the third U.S. President from Illinois after Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Al Gore was even more explicit and described the candidate as someone capable of reaching past political divides and thus reaching a “common humanity.” Such idealization can be a trap. Fittingly, the new stadium of the Denver Broncos was inaugurated by The Eagles, the famed California rock band, which in one of their most popular songs described the dilemma that Barack Obama might find himself in when trying to dim the ecstasy that surrounds his person: “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
On the other hand, things have changed so rapidly, that looking back half a decade to the time of Martin Luther King sometimes seems like a journey to a different world. After his 1963 speech above the Reflecting Pool, the Washington Post did not even mention him in the write-up the next day. Later, it was seen as a crucial success that whites and Jews (two different groups back then) had become important supporters of the Civil Rights movement, condoned the inclusion of blacks, and documented the success of the movement.
Today this relationship is inverted: Whites, especially in rural areas are struggling not to be left behind as America moves forward faster and faster. Old modes of thinking are rapidly aging out. On Thursday evening, the historical dynamism and transformative power of the Obama campaign was embodied by scores of Latino teamsters, unionists, and diehard Clinton supporters that rallied to Obama’s support in a deafening way. Barack Obama is forging a new coalition that resembles a 21st century version of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society. But the task is infinitely more complicated today because of the heterogeneity of U.S. society–which is a challenge and a chance at the same time. At that memorable night in August, the crowd in the stadium was so diverse, they could only be addressed as Americans.
(Note: The views expressed above are the author’s alone.)