It is about us

Of all the great lines and exciting moments at Obama’s Invesco Field speech, none was a bigger “Amen!” moment to me than when he said, “It’s never been about me. It’s always been about you.” To those on the outside of the Obama movement, this sounded like cheap theatrics. The spotlight was on Obama, wasn’t it? He was the big star of the night, the center of all the glory. We were his groupies, the Cult of Obama.

Those were the cheap and easy lines: cultists. The actual fact of the matter is that what he said was the truth: His campaign might feature him as candidate, but he won the nomination because of us, the supporters who decided he was the right person to support. He may become the next president, but that won’t change the fact that we did it. He just got to go along for the ride.

The same thing happened in 2003. Howard Dean, with national name recognition around 2%, decided to run for president (rather than sit around and gripe about Bush). As more and more people heard him speak out strongly, fearlessly and relentlessly against the things they opposed — the Iraq War, above all else — and speak for their beliefs, he found himself riding the crest of a wave. Never did he claim that he did anything more than be himself. He always gave credit for his campaign’s success to the supporters across the country who made that success happen. (The failure of his campaign he owned entirely.)

When Barack Obama announced his candidacy last year, he was given no hope of winning. He had entered too late, had too little experience, and was up against a “real” populist and the greatest political machine of the modern era. And yet he vanquished both. Yes, he ran a smart campaign, along with David Plouffe and David Axelrod. But more important, and more key to his success, was that thousands, and then hundreds of thousands, of ordinary citizens decided he was their candidate — and we took control of the campaign.

Not the message, of course; the big brains at Obama HQ ran the program itself. But those of us in communities across the nation who saw something special — and necessary — in Barack, we are the ones who provided the energy, the funding, the urgency and the votes. Yes, he is an extraordinary speaker, but his words, like those of any great leader, belong not to himself but the people who stand behind him and give him his legitimacy.

Leaders are of two types: imposed or chosen. Chosen leaders require more than the authority to lead; they must possess legitimacy. Their title of office never suffices, nor does the great things they did before. To maintain a position of effective leadership, they must continue, from day to day, to prove themselves both the voice and hand of those they lead; they must represent the goals, hopes and ideals of those people. Barack Obama has great rhetorical skills and an inspiring personal story, but, more importantly, he does indeed represent what millions of Americans hope and believe. As president, those hopes and beliefs will not be words left strewn on the campaign trail; they will be the very real substance of government.

When I heard him say, “It’s about you,” I leapt to my feet. Amen! I was thrilled to be there to see Barack Obama, but what really excited me was knowing that this man, as president, would be the first president of my voting lifetime to actually carry my ideals into the Oval Office. The cynics will never get it, of course, but that’s also part of the point. The attacks on Obama will fail not merely because he and his team are so smart. They will fail because his real power, the American people who support him, will remain solidly in place. We will ensure the success of his presidency just as we will ensure the success of his presidential campaign.

Those pictures of Obama bodysurfing in Hawai’i? Graphic representations of his campaign and government.