Mick Clifford: Even among celebrities, Obama remains the star attraction for Democrats
Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Philadelphia on Monday. Picture: AP/Matt Rourke
Donald Trump’s old nemesis forensically took apart his character in Philadelphia on Monday, but it remains to be seen who will have the last laugh.
Barack Obama was the star attraction at a rally for Kamala Harris while she was campaigning elsewhere.
Bruce Springsteen also showed up, along with fellow singer John Legend.
But it was Obama whose entrance set alight the 10,000 strong crowd in the basketball arena on Temple University in a Philly suburb. He remains the star attraction among Democrats and it’s not difficult to see why.
Historians can argue over his performance during eight years in the Oval Office, but if you’re looking for somebody who has the oratory skills to touch and even lift an audience, he’s still your only man.
With the polls tightening, this was an effort by the Democrats to sprinkle their star power across different corners of swing states. As Harris traversed Michigan, Obama and Springsteen were in Philly in an attempt to get out the vote, particularly in the counties that ring the large city. It is here the difference could well be in determining who will win Pennsylvania, considered the most vital of the seven swing states.
It was also in sharp contrast to the almost exclusively white audience at Trump’s rally in central Pennsylvania last Saturday. The whole tone was more upbeat, the music on a higher plane, with the audience dancing in the aisles as they awaited the gig to kick off. Speeches appealed to people’s better nature rather than base instincts. Make America Great Again was replaced by let’s give America a chance.
It kicked off with a blast. Cherelle Parker is the first female mayor of Philly, sworn in this year. She was born to a teenage mother and raised by her grandparents, and if her persona is anything to go by, she will be a star of national politics.
“We know what it’s like to be underdogs in the city of Philadelphia,” she said. “But we know what it’s like to be resilient. Although I’m a mayor, I’m an English teacher by profession and we have an English teacher in the house. But right now I need you to do the math.”
She went on to point out that in 2016 Trump won the state by just 44,000 votes and how important each and every ballot was.
Then she introduced John Legend, who ambled on like he was auditioning to be the coolest man on the planet. He took the mike and swooned into Sam Cooke’s 'A Change is Gonna Come'. With a voice equal parts hope and hurt, Legend evoked a high moment where politics and art, aspiration and inspiration melded perfectly. If a song could denote victory at the ballot box, this would have been a landslide.
But, of course, as the succession of speakers pointed out, hard work is what’s required to win an election.
Bob Casey, the local senator who’s in a dogfight to hold his seat, introduced The Boss. He came onstage sprightly, 75 going on half that age, and spoke as if maybe nobody in the room knew who he was. “I’m Bruce Springsteen and I’m here to support Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” he said. The three-song set was completed by soulful rendition of 'Dancing In The Dark'.
Typical of the vibe, the person detailed to welcome on the main man was not a celebrity or politician, but a young local person by the name of John Sullivan, who told the crowd he worked in the community locally, having been given a second chance in life.
Obama was his usual self — cool, articulate, knowing when to go high, when to step back and let his words sink in. The contrast with Trump’s schtick was stark. He spoke with empathy for the large swathes who have struggled through recent years, but explained how the country had been through so much with the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
“I get why people might want to shake things up, I understand that,” he said.
He went on: “Here’s a man, a 78-year-old billionaire, who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down that golden escalator nine years ago. He’s still tweeting at all times of night, all cats. When he’s not complaining he’s trying to sell you stuff. He wants to sell you a Swiss watch, $100,000, but they can’t find where exactly in Switzerland it is actually made. He wants to sell you a Trump bible.”
When the crowd booed, Obama held up his finger like a conductor. “I want you to understand. Nobody can hear your boos. But they can hear your votes.”
But it’s not and Philadelphia isn’t America. It isn’t even Pennsylvania, where roughly half the voters are, according to the polls, destined to vote for Trump.
There is form between these two former presidents. At a 2011 White House correspondents dinner, Obama eviscerated The Donald, who was in the room. Trump had, over the previous years, pushed the birther theory that Obama wasn’t even American and now the sitting president was taking sweet revenge.
Observers suggest that was the night Trump decided he was going to challenge for the presidency. Five years later, Trump ate his own revenge dish cold as he took over from the outgoing Obama. And here they are again, so far down the line.
On November 5, one of them will have the last laugh but it’s safe to say Obama’s concern about this election are far more weighty than getting one over on his old adversary.
For Trump, there is a mountain of evidence to suggest that as far as his political persona, his political compass, his fidelity to the concept of public service, is concerned, it’s all personal.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
