Barack Obama emerged the morning after winning a U.S. Senate seat in November 2004 and flatly declared, “I am not running for president in 2008.” Not many people are probably aware of that amidst the current Obamamania going on.
The once-obscure state legislator from Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood exploded onto the national political scene only months before, with a celebrated speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Pundits had pegged the charismatic Harvard School Law grad – with his election, the only African-American member of the Senate – as a possible contender for the White House.
But appearing tired and slightly testy, Obama insisted he wasn’t interested.
“The only reason I’m being definitive is because, until I’m definitive, you’ll keep asking me this question – but it’s a silly question,” Obama told reporters at his downtown Chicago campaign office. “My entire focus is making sure that I’m the best possible senator on behalf of the people of Illinois.”
He cautioned people against getting caught up in the “hype that surrounded my campaign.”
Obama’s presence in American politics has only increased since then. He has he helped raise campaign funds for fellow Democrats in Congress, appeared on “Oprah” and wrote a second best-selling book, “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream,” which followed his 1995 autobiography.
“The genie’s out of the bottle,” said Scott Kair of Danville, an early Obama supporter. “It started sneaking out in Boston, and every time he speaks in public or writes a book … we’re not going to be able to put it back in the bottle.”
In October, Obama said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that circumstances had changed and he was indeed thinking about a bid for the White House. But the married father of two young daughters said he would take ample time to weigh the matter seriously. He is expected to make an announcement in January.
Among Illinoisans who have publicly encouraged Obama to run are the state’s senior U.S. senator, Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, and state Comptroller Dan Hynes of Chicago. Hynes, who ran against Obama in the 2004 Democratic primary, said his former opponent has a rare power to inspire people.
“After the election, certainly I went through my own personal introspection and asked the question, ‘Did the voters reject me?'” Hynes said. “For the most part, I’ve concluded, it was more an embracing of Barack Obama. … His victory had everything to do with him.”
– MIKE RAMSEY, COPLEY NEWS SERVICE