History Made

Barack Hussein Obama is now officially the ‘presumptive nominee’ for President of the Democrat Party. (Make nothing of his own spokesperson in an interview with CNN calling him ‘the punitive nominee.’ If it was any Republican with such a slip it would require days of apologies. Anyway, in this case, I’d just chalk it up to ebonics and let it go.) It’s the first time in history that a black person has become the nominee for president of either major political party. Further, to do so he had to defeat the most well-oiled political machine in the country - and the most ruthless.

How did he do it? Obama is seen as representing four things:

1. The ‘new’ multi-cultural America. Up until now, it’s been a quaint idea that minorities from everywhere come to America to enjoy the benefits of America --- while remaining in the minority. No more. The minorities in composite are fast becoming the majority. There is a ‘minority majority’ in many areas of the country already. Obama should better be seen as a ‘person of color’ than a ‘minority’ candidate. Of course, to take it even a step further, he is the son of an inter-racial marriage. He is all that is urban America.

2. A generational shift. Obama is the first presidential candidate whose adult life is completely after the Viet Nam war. He was a kid at the time. There will be no questions about ‘what did you do during the Viet Nam war?” Moreover, he and Ron Paul were the only candidates that inspired participation from new and especially young people (think youtube, facebook, myspace). This election pits not just a white man versus a black man but just as significantly a young man versus an old man.

3. Perceived Change. People are worn out with the same-old. Never have the approval ratings of the both the Congress and the President been so low. People’s homes and retirements have lost value. People’s real wages are down. The dollar continues to fall against world currencies. And there is ‘the war.’ People are weary of it. They are looking for somebody, anybody who might embody change. Of all the candidates in both parties, Obama has been most able to sell that hope.

4. Charisma. He has it. Whatever ‘it’ is, he has it. The intangible aura of energy, vitality, optimism, hope, oratory, and inspiration. Except for a week or so during the Jeremiah Wright thing when Obama looked tired and ‘off his game,’ he has from the beginning out-youthed, and out-charmed all opponents.

My prediction all along has been that he is the next President. I stick with that prediction. I think that the polls will show a widening lead for Obama over McCain, at least in the short run.