As the most historic presidential election is drawing near (37 days to be exact), I find myself watching more closely than ever to see how things will pan out. Flipping through a hand full of channels on a daily basis - CNN, Fox News, MSNBC - to witness the strategic rhetorical tactics of Barack Obama and the Bush-like approaches of John McCain. Each political party vying for the small margin of swing states and undecideds, that will be the deciding factor on Nov 4, 2008.
I recently attended an Obama rally here in Charlotte N.C, where I witnessed the presidential nominee deliver a speech addressing one of the main issues on every American's mind...the economy. He talked about how our current financial crisis is one of the worst we have faced since the Great Depression (which by the way lasted ten years). He also pointed out that it is decisive bi-partisan efforts that are essential to economic recovery, just before blaming the Wall Street crisis on - Republican policies supported by McCain. He also touched on voter concerns about healtcare, the war in Iraq and the never ending rise in gas prices.
Obama then shifted gears by making a call to action to his 20,000+ onlookers asking us to reach out to any and every one to get them to vote on Nov. 4. He urged North Carolinian's to ban together and continue the grassroots initiative that has been essential to his campaign thus far. He challenged us to make phone calls, to go door-to-door and to take it to the streets to get people to vote for him.
This clever approach coupled with the heavy campaigning by Michelle Obama and Joe Biden, in North Carolina, may be the perfect remedy to winning this battleground state - which historically votes Republican. If you ask me, McCain is taking N.C. for granted and should heed to Obama's tactics to gaining one vote at a time.
Aside from the speech elements, the most intriguing part of the rally was the people. I arrived at around 10 a.m. (Fired up, ready to go) to a screaming crowd of UNC Charlotte students holding poster boards and shouting to passerby's. I parked my car and enthusiastically joined in. We shouted to pedestrians, CATS buses and even to each other - pausing occasionally for a photo op. There was fellowship, smiling, chanting and most importantly - unity. In other settings we may have been divided by our differences, but that day, at that moment in time...we were united.
As the crowd shifted to enter the rally, I looked around at my people making sure to stop and absorb the little things. Young children wearing Obama hats, famalies sporting look-a-like Barack shirts, even an elderly woman holding up a cooling agent that read "I'm an Obama Fan." I had a brief thought reminding me that experiences like this don't come along often. At that moment in time I realized that I would be telling this story to a loved one 20 years down the road. In that instance I was reminded that we need more organized unions to advocate "Change We Need." For a split second I paused, nodded to myself and thought - this is history in the making! I was just glad I could be a part of it.
Go blue - Obama 08!
