February 10, 2007: Nine Years Later

"On a frigid Springfield day in February 2007, Barack Obama stood before 17,000 supporters 'in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together,' and announced his candidacy for President of the United States.

"It had been less than three years since he became a national figure and he'd spent much of that time building an organization that would spread his message and raise money through cutting edge technology and smart analysis of what it would take to win..."

Excerpt from "Kings's Dream: Barack Obama Becomes President of the United States of America"

Today, exactly nine years later, President Obama returns to Springfield to address the Illinois General Assembly to talk about “what we can do, together, to build a better politics - one that reflects our better selves.”

We can't help but appreciate the values displayed by Mr. Obama and his family throughout the past nine years. Especially at a time when the current election is chock full of bombast, dirty tricks, racism and sexism, the contrast between our president and the 'wannabees' is striking.

And we applaud the classiness shown by David Brooks of the New York Times, an opponent of many of the president's policies, in praising Mr. Obama's character and leadership:

"Obama radiates an ethos of integrity, humanity, good manners and elegance that I'm beginning to miss, and that I suspect we will all miss a bit, regardless of who replaces him."

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For a compelling history of the 2008 campaign, as told by news media, politicians, and ordinary people, see King's Dream: Barack Obama Becomes President of the United States of America.

Biden's the One

In the wee hours of Saturday, August 23, 2008, the Barack Obama campaign sent a text message to supporters announcing that Joe Biden would be the VP nominee. A rally had already been scheduled for the same day, with Obama and Biden appearing outside the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.

In 2008, use of a text message for an important political announcement was innovative for its time. In 2012, the Romney campaign used a smartphone app to make the VP announcement.

Smartphone and social media applications were in their infancy in 2008 compared to 2012. Today, apps like Twitter, Facebook, and others are changing the political landscape. An article in USA Today notes the impact of social media on the upcoming GOP and Democratic conventions.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

On July 14, 2008, The New Yorker magazine released it's next-week-issue that included a cover cartoon depicting candidate Obama as a Muslim and his wife as a terrorist. The Obama campaign, as well as the McCain campaign, quickly denounced the cover as offensive. The magazine stood by its belief that the cartoon was satirical, intended to ridicule the absurd rumors flying around about Senator Obama.

Four years later, absurd rumors about President Obama persist. One is reminded of The Whispering Gallery at the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois, "a twisted, nightmarish hallway where you will hear brutally unkind things said about Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln during their early months in Washington. On the walls are cruel caricatures and barbed political cartoons that attack the Lincolns." Read more about the Lincoln Museum.