Barack Obama in Kansas!

Okay...most of you who may venture to this blog from time to time know me and know that I am a Democrat. I wouldn't say I'm extremely liberal, but more so than most of the people from this part of the country.

I went to hear Barack Obama speak in El Dorado, Kansas yesterday. There were probably 5000 people standing in a long line outside of Barton Community College in below freezing temperatures in a RED STATE! (I understand he had 10,000 plus in Denver today standing outside in long lines.) My father, brother, brother's friend Shawna and I all went to hear what this junior Senator from Illinois had to say that was causing so many people around the country to get so excited. I wanted to feel the energy of a young, Democratic presidential candidate speaking to people in a mostly Republican state.

I must say that I have admired him ever since his speech at the Democratic Convention 4 years ago when he was just a newly elected junior senator from Illinois. Even then, the democrats recognized him as one of the rising stars in the democratic party. I was impressed...so impressed that I bought his book "The Audacity of Hope" which was the theme of his speech that evening. I've been reading it the past few weeks, and have been more and more impressed with him all the time. But yesterday was the topper.

There were so many people that about one-third of the people who where there in line had to go to an overflow room in the training center to sit on the ground and watch Senator Obama from a large video screen. Yes, we were in that group! At first there were many grumblings from people (including my brother) that "we didn't come all the way here to watch him on a video screen!" Yet I didn't see one person leave. There was this feeling in the air. This feeling that you just didn't want to miss out on history. After around 2000 of us packed in to this overflow room, suddenly there he was! He was coming to see us first! Of course! He came simply to tell us that he was so appreciative of our willingness to brave the cold and then sit on the floor in front of this video screen to see him. He was so gracious and genuine! It wasn't the stuffiness or pompousness you've come to expect from our politicians. And it wasn't the feeling that "yeah...he'll say anything to get elected." He wasn't fake or pompous or stuffy or anything like that. He was GENUINE. Best of all...after speaking to us for a few minutes, he stayed to shake some hands. While he was busy shaking hands to my right, I quietly made my way to the left by the exit as I knew he would have to go by me on his way out. Sure enough...he stopped right in front of me! As I was waiving my book he looked right at me and said, "Put your name in it and give it to my security agent and I will sign it out back. Without hesitation, I scribbled my name in it and handed it to one of his secret service agents, not even thinking how I was going to get it back. Sure enough, within minutes, prior to even beginning his speech, that same agent came back in the room with my book....SIGNED! I was ecstatic! There were people around me wanting and taking pictures of me with my signed copy of his book! It was the feeling that people understood that this guy was going to be our next President of the United States! It was a great feeling. But more than being happy that he signed my book, I was feeling very optimistic about our future as a country for the first time in a long, long time. I listened intently as he spoke with so much passion about what he wanted for our country. He had so many great, no...AMAZING, ideas about how to change things in Washington and around the world. It was as if a light bulb went off, and you just think "why didn't anyone else ever think to do these things?" It's because he's not tainted by years in Washington and all the "business as usual" nay-sayers that are too worried about getting re-elected that they are afraid to go out on a limb for their beliefs. They don't think outside of the box. His "inexperience" in Washington may be his biggest asset!!! But make no mistake, he is SO INTELLIGENT! This guy knows what he's talking about! He's no rookie!

Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, I'm going to ask one thing of you. PLEASE (with an open mind) listen to what Barack Obama wants to do for this country! PLEASE! For the sake of this country, your children or grandchildren, and their future...just listen to him. Listen with an open mind to what he has to say...what he wants to accomplish as President of the United States. I'm not asking you to change political parties or anything...just listen with an open mind. He wants to UNIFY the people of this country and the people of this WORLD regardless of whether you're Black, White, Asian, or Latino...not matter what religion you are or whether you are Democrat or Republican. He knows that we are a much stronger country working TOGETHER than we are fighting about our differences!

Here's a link you can go to to hear him speaking at Martin Luther King's old church this past week. I think this speech really gets across what his hopes for this country are....his "Audicity of Hope".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf0x_TpDris