Near the end of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last Thursday night, there was a moment when you knew the political landscape in America was truly changing. Obama’s lowered his voice but not his energy. The full force of that energy was evident as he punctuated each closing phrase with words carefully selected to leave no doubt about the seriousness of the choice we voters face in November. “The greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result….Change happens because the American people demand it, because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.”
At that moment, I knew we were witness to something rarely seen in politics, the birth of a generational leader, bursting impatiently onto the stage, encouraging all within earshot to embrace his vision. In 1960 Democratic nominee, John F. Kennedy addressed thousands gathered in the Los Angeles Coliseum to hear his acceptance speech and he issued a similar challenge to America, “My call is to the young in heart, regardless of age….the world is changing. The old era is ending. The old ways will not do….It is a time, in short, for a new generation of leadership – new men to cope with new problems and new opportunities.”
An era was ending in 1960, another era is ending in 2008 -- and a new one is beginning on January 20, 2009.
Like Kennedy, Obama reminded us that America’s promise is “the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort….it is what pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen – that better place around the bend.”
Obama is poised to demonstrate that he is that new generational leader best prepared to lead his nation forward.
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