The writing was on the wall, and today he made it official: Barack Obama announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee, with a formal announcement due in Feb. 10 in Chicago.
Obama’s move dramatically punctuates the extraordinary arc of a political career for a man who said he had trouble even renting a car to attend the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in 2000. But his stirring speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 catapulted him to a hybrid status of politician as celebrity that continued with his election to the Senate and his status now as the first African-American candidate considered a leading contender for his party’s presidential nomination.
He is expected to face two daunting challenges, one to raise up to $100 million for his campaign and the other, to compete with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, among many others, in what would be the longest and most expensive presidential campaign in history.
His announcement today was the filing of a presidential exploratory committee, a step that allows him to immediately start to raise money in advance of a more formal announcement of his candidacy, which Obama said would come next month.
By any reasonable measure, Obama enters the race in the top tier, which now appears to be a triumvirate of John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, and Obama. Anyone who doubts whether the rookie senator can make a serious run for the nomination is underestimating a rare political talent who inspires supporters, can raise money with ease, can compete anywhere in the country, has a top-notch staff, picked up quite a few chits campaigning for other Dems throughout ’06, and enjoys rock-star appeal everywhere he goes.
What Obama lacks in experience, he makes up for in vision, intelligence, and natural leadership skills. Anyone who’s ever seen Obama in person knows he’s a force to be reckoned with. I remain entirely neutral on the race — indeed, there are about six likely Dem candidates I could support enthusiastically — but objectively speaking, I expect Obama to do very well.
As for this morning’s announcement, the video is online at Obama’s website and on YouTube. Because I know many of you can’t watch clips on your work computers, I’m including a transcript below:
“As many of you know, over the last few months I have been thinking hard about my plans for 2008. Running for the presidency is a profound decision – a decision no one should make on the basis of media hype or personal ambition alone – and so before I committed myself and my family to this race, I wanted to be sure that this was right for us and, more importantly, right for the country.
“I certainly didn’t expect to find myself in this position a year ago. But as I’ve spoken to many of you in my travels across the states these past months; as I’ve read your emails and read your letters; I’ve been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics.
“So I’ve spent some time thinking about how I could best advance the cause of change and progress that we so desperately need.
“The decisions that have been made in Washington these past six years, and the problems that have been ignored, have put our country in a precarious place. Our economy is changing rapidly, and that means profound changes for working people. Many of you have shared with me your stories about skyrocketing health care bills, the pensions you’ve lost and your struggles to pay for college for your kids. Our continued dependence on oil has put our security and our very planet at risk. And we’re still mired in a tragic and costly war that should have never been waged.
“But challenging as they are, it’s not the magnitude of our problems that concerns me the most. It’s the smallness of our politics. America’s faced big problems before. But today, our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can’t tackle the big problems that demand solutions.
“And that’s what we have to change first.
“We have to change our politics, and come together around our common interests and concerns as Americans.
“This won’t happen by itself. A change in our politics can only come from you; from people across our country who believe there’s a better way and are willing to work for it.
“Years ago, as a community organizer in Chicago, I learned that meaningful change always begins at the grassroots, and that engaged citizens working together can accomplish extraordinary things.
“So even in the midst of the enormous challenges we face today, I have great faith and hope about the future – because I believe in you.
“And that’s why I wanted to tell you first that I’ll be filing papers today to create a presidential exploratory committee. For the next several weeks, I am going to talk with people from around the country, listening and learning more about the challenges we face as a nation, the opportunities that lie before us, and the role that a presidential campaign might play in bringing our country together. And on February 10th, at the end of these decisions and in my home state of Illinois, I’ll share my plans with my friends, neighbors and fellow Americans.
“In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for your time, your suggestions, your encouragement and your prayers. And I look forward to continuing our conversation in the weeks and months to come.”