The Fierce Urgency of Now ... Barack Obama 3 Days Away from the Iowa Caucus

Last night my husband and I drove 1/2 an hour in the blowing snow on New Year's Eve to hear Barack Obama speak. I've heard him live before, but my husband has not. Kevin (the hubby) asked me why it was so important to come to this live event. Afterall, he's a CNN junkie and listens to all the candidates and their opinions. Mr. Independent (the hubby again) came along kicking and screaming.

I explained the beauty of attending a live event is that you can see the facial expressions, the interactions with the audience, the uncomfortableness and how it is handled. You hear the entire speech - not just snippets on the news. You feel the energy (or lack of) in the room. You can look around and see who is there - are they old? young? black? white? In Iowa, we are fortunate to be able to attend these events. They are usually low scale happenings, maybe 500 people in the room. There is the fact that you actually see the person's face versus watching it on a large screen above your head.

Last night Senator Obama arrived about 45 minutes late. It was attributed to the snow storm and bad traffic. The Student Center at the local high school was full. The new signs stated 'stand for change' and were burgandy in color. Instead of having chairs for people on a dais behind the Senator - there were about 20 people who stood throughout the entire speech - stand for change!

Senator Obama had a three ring booklet on his podium and there were type written sheets in it (once again, the joy of being able to sit close and see). He referred to these pages once before he started speaking. I had received a copy of his speech from the field organizer Brian Brothman for Cerro Gordo county. It was the same speech he gave on December 27th in Des Moines.

Yet when I listened to Mr. Obama speak - I didn't feel like it was a memorized, prepared speech. He engaged the audience, spoke clearly and loud, and soon we were all clapping and nodding our heads. About 1/2 of the audience had never caucused before. The Senator asked for our help in caucusing for him. He said his job was to talk to us about why he should be President.

His speech started off with this. "Ten months ago, I stood on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, and began an unlikely journey to change America. I did not run for the presidency to fulfill some long-held ambition or because I believed it was somehow owed to me. I chose to run in this election - at this moment - because of what Dr. King called "the fierce urgency of now." Because we are at a defining moment in our history. Our nation is at war. Our planet is in peril. Our health care system is broken, our economy is out of balance, our education system fails too many of our children, and our retirement system is in tatters. "

Everyone in the room felt the fierce urgency of now. We clapped and whistled. Senator Obama made it clear why he is the agent for change.

He shared stories of CEO's who bankrupted their companies and still took bonuses, Maytag workers whose jobs were shipped overseas, teachers paying for their own school supplies, veterans who fought in this war and still don't understand it. The Senator spoke about other candidates and why he is different. He did not refer to them by name, only by their position. "You can't at once argue that you're the master of a broken system in Washington and offer yourself as the person to change it." "There are others in this race who say that this kind of change sounds good, but that I'm not angry or confrontational enough to get it done."

Senator Obama informed us why he has the right kind of experience to get the job done. He walked away from big money jobs to fight for the powerless, to bring job training to the unemployed. He works across the aisle and brings Democrats and Republicans together. He passed the first major campaign finance reform in 25 years in Illinois, he did it again in Washington with lobbying reform. Barack Obama said we don't need more anger. We need more light. His will be a transparent presidency - with everything out in the open.

The Senator ended the speech portion with these words:
Because I know that when the American people believe in something, it happens.

If you believe, then we can tell the lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over.

If you believe, then we can stop making promises to America's workers and start delivering - jobs that pay, health care that's affordable, pensions you can count on, and a tax cut for working Americans instead of the companies who send their jobs overseas

If you believe, we can offer a world-class education to every child, and pay our teachers more, and make college dreams a reality for every American.

If you believe, we can save this planet and end our dependence on foreign oil.

If you believe, we can end this war, close Guantanamo, restore our standing, renew our diplomacy, and once again respect the Constitution of the United States of America

That's the future within our reach. That's what hope is - that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting for us around the corner. But only if we're willing to work for it and fight for it. To shed our fears and our doubts and our cynicism. To glory in the task before us of remaking this country block by block, precinct by precinct, county by county, state by state.

There is a moment in the life of every generation when, if we are to make our mark on history, this spirit must break through.
This is the moment.

This is our time.

And if you will stand with me in three days - if you will stand for change so that our children have the same chance that somebody gave us; if you'll stand to keep the American dream alive for those who still hunger for opportunity and thirst for justice; if you're ready to stop settling for what the cynics tell you you must accept, and finally reach for what you know is possible, then we will win this caucus, we will win this election, we will change the course of history, and the real journey - to heal a nation and repair the world - will have truly begun.

The crowd of 400 cheered.