Obama found voice in '81 speech

[Barack_America]

Obama found voice in '81 speech
BY MARGARET TALEV
McClatchy Newspapers

In February 1981, at the small, mostly white college he was attending in Los Angeles, 19-year-old Barack Obama tried something that shaped the course of his life.

He gave a speech.

Like many students of that era, the sophomore was drawn to the South African divestment movement, which demanded that college trustees drop institutional investments that supported the racial segregation system known as apartheid. Obama's role at the Occidental College rally that warm winter day was to grab the crowd's attention, then be whisked off by students in paramilitary costumes.

"He was so composed in his arguments that I think after that speech a lot of people wondered, 'Who is that guy and why haven't we heard more from him?' " recalled Rebecca Rivera, a classmate.

That debut speech was a turning point; it set a template for revealing a rare talent.

Nearly a quarter-century later, another Obama speech, this one at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, transformed him into an American political phenomenon. It launched him from being an obscure state lawmaker into a celebrity U.S. senator from Illinois and gave him a springboard to become a challenger for his party's 2008 presidential nomination.

http://www.kansas.com/news/nation_world/story/286730.html">More


Sounds like Obama has been working for change for longer than some would like to admit.

Hillary starts her "35 years of experience" when she was in law school. It looks like Obama was gaining plenty of experience when he was in school too.

1981-2008, that would be 27 years, right?

[Barack_America]

1. kick..n/t

[Cha]

2. Rec'd! So good to have

all the history of the candidates we support..thanks, Kristi!

"Life choices

After the campus divestment campaign, social justice, especially for black Americans, became his cause and guided his life choices.

Judson Miner, who heads the Chicago civil rights firm that hired Obama after Harvard, said the first time he had lunch with his recruit, he was so struck by Obama's thought process and by how he drew others into conversation that "I told my wife I just had lunch with one of the most extraordinary people I'd met."

"This was a guy who was interested in having an impact with things," Miner said. "I think he was really wrestling with, how can you be most effective? As a lawyer? In some other role? We never talked about politics, but I wasn't surprised when he came to me a few years later and said there was this opportunity in the state Senate."

It's a gift to be able to draw others into "conversation" and Obama is gifted although, as the article says, in spite of his "odd upbringing". :)

[Barack_America]

3. He has at least 27 Years of Experience*...

* = as defined by Hillary Clinton.

It's now official!

[sandnsea]

4. Interesting

You know Kerry had a lot of things in his background that never made it into the national dialogue. Obama's personal story is not getting out there and it is exactly what's missing. It's important for people to know that the transition in college was based on having a sort of political awakening. Thanks for the article!

[Barack_America]

5. She just mentioned her "35 years of experience" again on CNN...

He needs to question her about that tomorrow. He needs to make her detail the "experience" she gained while in law school and during her 8 years in the White House, with no security clearance, etc.

It is time to attack this fallacy.

BTW, glad you liked the article!

[Cha]

8. The m$$$m doesn't think it's

worthy for Dems to know how interesting their candidates' history has been to guide them to this point in time.

No blowing up frogs or blowing off the National Guard in Texas or anywhere for them.

Just the part about where the hillarys bring up Obama's autobiograpy and his using drugs and how he rose above that to help himself and then he was able to help others.

[AtomicKitten]

6. On digging, Obama has a powerful record of telling people what they need to hear.

Very nice!! Thanks for posting.

[Adelante]

7. I learned from reading that article

Thanks for posting it.

[peoli]

9. Sounds like hes been the same person his whole life!

Who fucking knew?

[Cha]

10. REally! WFK!

Not that everyone is able to have that gift(another one) and build on it..but Obama sure has.

[Barack_America]

11. Giving this a kick. I'm really glad you all enjoyed it!....n/t