Obama has Democrats daring to dream big

By Sumana Chatterjee
Knight Ridder Newspapers

Barack Obama, a rising star for Democrats.

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Barack Obama, who delivered Tuesday night's keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, had delegates buzzing yesterday about the eventual possibility of seeing him as the nation's first African-American president.

"Wow! It was a phenomenal speech! He hit it out of the ballpark. Obama in the White House is definitely possible," David Kahn, a delegate from Portland, said over thumping music at an after-party honoring the Democrats' rising star.

Kahn and many others left FleetCenter impressed by how Obama, an Illinois state senator and law professor, reached across political lines, calling for unity and compassion. Within hours, they were citing the speech almost word for word: "There's not a liberal America and a conservative America. There's the United States of America."

In the crush of well-wishers at his after-party at the fashionable Vinalia restaurant, Obama was barely able to take two steps at a time as he moved across the room. Supporters cheered the rock-star politician, who captivated audiences with his story of a "skinny boy with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too."

His campaign said 300 new volunteers signed up on his Web site after the speech. The site's number of "hits" skyrocketed from 15 per second Tuesday afternoon to 355 per second that night, they said.

Asked if he would run for the White House, Obama, who's favored to win a U.S. Senate seat this fall, responded: "I just need to win the Senate right now."

Even if he wouldn't talk about his long-term ambitions, there were plenty of people ready to dream big dreams for the son of a Kenyan immigrant and a white woman from Kansas.

"If anyone can do it, Obama can," said U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., who studied at Harvard Law School when Obama served as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review.

"Compared to where he came from, it's no more of a reach to say he could become president than to say he could be a senator," said Blair Butterworth of Seattle, a Democratic consultant.

Keynote speeches aren't known for launching political stars, said Martin Medhurst, who's helped compile a list of the top speeches of the 20th century. While Obama's "was well above average," it won't be remembered as a masterpiece like Mario Cuomo's keynote speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention, he said.
 
Still, Medhurst said, Obama did exceptionally well for his maiden televised speech, in attempting to reach middle America and possibly convert undecided voters.

"Obama may help break down the stereotypes that an African-American politician is someone only for other blacks," said Davis, who's black. "When Obama runs for the White House, he will run not as a candidate for blacks. He has the capacity to run as a candidate for everyone."

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, an Illinois native, was talking with a friend about the man she hopes to welcome as a colleague in January. "He said, 'What kind of name is Obama?' I said, 'It's Swahili for Bubba.' "

Conservative commentator Robert Novak gave the speech a B-minus, saying it "totally lacked substance." But delegates were star-struck, especially in the Illinois corner, where one Chicago alderman was seen with tears during the speech.

Solidifying this broad appeal is the challenge and opportunity that await Obama on the national stage. He's proved he can cut across racial and geographic divides in the Illinois state primary, where the Chicagoan won his home turf, the white suburbs and southern counties.

His keynote speech showed he could translate centrist appeal to a national audience. "I think it is much too early to say" what's ahead, said Medhurst, a professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. "The man has yet to serve a day in the United States Senate."

Another question is whether the nation will be ready for a black president.

The only way an African American can be elected to the White House is "if he runs not as a black politician but as someone with a serious set of ideas and a message for everyone," Davis said.

Davis said, "White America needs to raise its ceiling" on expectations of black politicians. "Obama reminded white America that there are talented black politicians who are every bit as able to handle substantive and deep issues as white politicians."

Many say time, luck and circumstance probably will determine Obama's future. "It's too early to tell, but I think Democrats are just enthusiastic that we have rising stars too," said Jeff Nussbaum, a Democratic speechwriter.

Information from The Dallas Morning News about the remarks from Clinton and Novak is included in this report. Information about Obama's Web site and the Seattle delegate were from an Associated Press story.