The historic nature of Obama’s victory is portrayed in racial terms. But Obama will join William Jennings Bryan (1896), Woodrow Wilson (1912) and Jimmy Carter (1976) as one of the rare Democrats nominated for president in the heady first years of their appearance on a national stage. Five years ago, Obama was a little-known Illinois state senator embarking on an uphill race for the U.S. Senate. Think of all the ambitious Democrats who have eyed the White House in this decade — John Kerry, John Edwards, Howard Dean and all the rest — and realize how Obama just blew past them without ever working up a sweat. This is an up-from-nowhere narrative that puts all modern politicians to shame. Even though Obama’s cool charisma often evokes memories of John F. Kennedy, JFK had spent 14 years dabbling in Congress before he ran in 1960.
Oh, yes. I’ve not forgotten that it’s the anniversary of another epic victory:
On a side note, whenever I skim through the comments on YouTube videos I cannot help but get the impression that a large majority (or at least, a very outspoken minority) of its users are what rational people would deem the scum of the earth. Tragic, truly.
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