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.So, Obama agreed to speak at the rally.Before some 2,000people in the heart of Chicago, he delivered a speech thatwould prove astonishingly full of foresight in years to come. IIn hIs own words&In The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama expressed his belief that certain corevalues unite all Americans: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, thatamong these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.Those simple words are our starting point as Americans; they describenot only the foundation of our government but the substance of our commoncreed.Not every American may be able to recite them; few, if asked, couldtrace the genesis of the Declaration of Independence to its roots in eigh-teenth-century liberal and republican thought.But the essential idea behindthe Declaration that we are born into this world free, all of us; that each ofus arrives with a bundle of rights that can t be taken away by any person orany state without just cause; that through our own agency we can, and must,make of our lives what we will is one that every American understands.Itorients us, sets our course, each and every day.69Illinois State Senatorknow that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S.occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost,with undetermined consequences, he said. I know that aninvasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without stronginternational support will only fan the flames of the MiddleEast, and encourage the worst, rather than the best, impulsesof the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of AlQaeda.The speech won him strong support in a challenging cam-paign, but Obama was one of seven Democrats vying for aprimary win.One of his opponents was far wealthier; anotherwas the  official candidate of the Illinois Democratic Party.Itwould take a combination of luck and skill for him to win theprimary and an astonishing appearance on the national stageto transform him into a political star.8Campaign forthe U.S.SenateThe first step in Obama s campaign for the U.S.Senate was toraise millions of dollars to finance his effort.This was not aneasy task.When Obama began his campaign, he was still pay-ing off the $20,000 in debt he had incurred from his unsuc-cessful congressional campaign.Obama targeted a group of key donors, including membersof Chicago s black professional class, as well as friends fromHarvard Law School and the University of Chicago.He wasnot comfortable asking for money, but understood that it wasan important part of the process in seeking elective office.According to a New York Times article by Christopher Drewand Mike McIntire, Steven S.Rogers, a former business ownerwho teaches at Northwestern University s Kellogg School ofManagement, played golf with Obama in 2001. By the sixthhole, [Obama] said,  Steve, I want to run for the Senate. And bythe ninth hole, he said he needed help to clear up some debts.7071Campaign for the U.S.SenateObama ultimately raised more than $5 million for the pri-mary alone and that amount came from just 300 donors.For the Senate campaign, he raised $15 million in total.Manyagreed to support his campaign after meeting him.Still, some of his friends urged him to wait when he initiallyannounced his decision to enter the Senate race.They felt itwas too soon after his unsuccessful congressional campaignand that the competition among Democrats was too stiff.TheDemocratic candidates included the state comptroller (whosefamily had strong ties to the state Democratic Party), a multi-millionaire businessman, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley s for-mer chief of staff, and a black female healthcare professional.Obama seemed the least likely candidate to win the party snomination he generally came in third or fourth in namerecognition among the candidates.Obama hired four young staffers to manage his campaignand often spent four to five hours a day calling donors forcontributions.He requested a spot in Chicago s annual St.Patrick s Day parade and was placed at the very end, marchingonly steps in front of the garbage trucks assigned to clean upthe parade route.Obama traveled across Illinois, going wherever friendsor contacts had invited him, meeting prospective voters insomeone s home, a church, or at a bridge club.There weretimes when he would drive several hours to find only two orthree people waiting to meet him.Obama wrote in The Audac-ity of Hope that his focus at these gatherings was on listeningas much as talking:Most of them thought that anybody willing to work shouldbe able to find a job that paid a living wage.They figuredthat people shouldn t have to file for bankruptcy becausethey got sick.They believed that every child should have agenuinely good education that it shouldn t just be a bunchof talk and those same children should be able to go to72BARACK OBAMAcollege even if their parents weren t rich.They wanted to besafe, from criminals and from terrorists; they wanted cleanair, clean water, and time with their kids.And when they gotold, they wanted to be able to retire with some dignity andrespect.These conversations inspired Obama, reminding him ofhis work as a community organizer and why he had chosen toenter politics in the first place.He believed that politics revolvedaround priorities, and that a shift in government s prioritiescould ensure a better life for the families he was meeting.ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAILAs the primary drew nearer, polls conducted by Obama s cam-paign revealed that prospective voters especially suburbanwomen were responding positively whenever he shared hislife story.Without knowing much about his accomplishmentsas a state senator or his positions on the issues, voters likedhim when they heard about his background.Writer Benn Wal-lace-Wells described it as the equivalent of Abraham Lincoln slog cabin.Throughout American history, candidates haveused real or manufactured stories of their background to helpdistinguish them from their opponents and to connect withvoters.Obama s story was unique and presented voters with adifferent picture of the candidate.Obama began to share his life story on the campaign trail,talking about his white mother from Kansas and his Africanfather.In addition to his accomplishments in the state legisla-ture, Obama discussed his life in Indonesia and his experienceswith racism in Hawaii.Despite some successes, Obama seemed likely to lose tobusinessman Blair Hull, who spent some $29 million of hisown money on the race.Hull s campaign collapsed only weeksbefore the primary, though, when the press obtained copies73Campaign for the U.S.SenateWhen Obama noticed that prospective voters responded posi-tively to his life story, he began telling his story while on thecampaign trail.His autobiography, Dreams from My Father,originally published in 1995, was reissued.The cover aboveis from the first edition.74BARACK OBAMAof his divorce records, which revealed his wife s accusations ofviolent behavior.In March 2004, when the primary was held, Obama stagedan upset, winning more than 52 percent of the vote statewide.His closest opponent was State Comptroller Dan Hynes, whoreceived less than 24 percent [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]