Obama expected to evoke Lincoln in speech
Obama expected to evoke Lincoln in speech
SPRINGFIELD - When Abraham Lincoln warned in a Springfield speech, almost 150 years ago, that America was a "house divided," he was talking about slavery.
When Barack Obama speaks Saturday in the same city he likely will talk about different kinds of political divisions today. But he undoubtedly will invoke Lincoln's words to do it as he launches his expected bid for the presidency.
Springfield's historic, political and architectural connection to Lincoln could figure prominently in Obama's formal campaign announcement. On Saturday - two days before Lincoln's birthday - the freshman Democratic U.S. senator from Chicago is expected to become the most formidable black candidate ever to seek the White House.
It is widely anticipated he will formally kick off his presidential campaign that day after forming a presidential exploratory committee earlier this month.
His race and the unifying theme of his campaign make it easy to guess at how his handlers will want to position Lincoln's legacy among the words and pictures.
"I'm sure that the people who are advising (Obama) are trying to compare him to some of the qualities Lincoln possessed: intelligence, eloquence . . . someone who seeks to unite rather than divide," said Illinois state historian Tom Schwartz.
Invoking another famous Lincoln speech, Schwartz predicted an appeal "to 'the better angels of our nature.'"
But Obama's decision to use Springfield as the backdrop is likely to be about more than just invoking the beloved president. Obama's staff says the setting also is meant to highlight Obama's eight years as a state legislator, which may prove crucial for a candidate whose biggest perceived problem right now is his lack of political experience.
"Springfield is a great place to demonstrate his work in bringing people together to solve problems, whether it was ethics reform, death penalty reform or working to give children and families the health care they need," Obama spokesman Bill Burton wrote in a recent e-mailed response to the question of why Springfield was chosen.
The choice is a departure from the tradition of making presidential announcements in candidates' hometowns or in politically important locales. Obama was born in Hawaii and has spent most of his legal and political career in Chicago.
Still, some say, the choice makes sense for other reasons, most of them symbolic.
"The Lincoln connection would be very helpful to him as a backdrop, and a Springfield audience will show his appeal in smaller communities," said Mike Lawrence, formerly a top aide to Republican ex-Gov. Jim Edgar and now director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. "The backdrop is meant to enhance the message, and (Obama's) message has been about unifying the nation."
Obama's candidacy puts him on a long list of Illinois residents who have sought and, in few cases, won the presidency. Lincoln and President Ulysses S. Grant both were born elsewhere but were Illinoisans at the time of their first-term elections and President Ronald Reagan was an Illinois native and went to school at Eureka College.
The many presidential aspirants who were either born or resided in Illinois have included Lincoln nemesis Stephen Douglas, William Jennings Bryan, Adlai Stevenson, John Anderson, Jesse Jackson, Paul Simon -and Chicago native Hillary Clinton, who announced her presidential candidacy two weeks ago.
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/02/05/news/123171.txt
SPRINGFIELD - When Abraham Lincoln warned in a Springfield speech, almost 150 years ago, that America was a "house divided," he was talking about slavery.
When Barack Obama speaks Saturday in the same city he likely will talk about different kinds of political divisions today. But he undoubtedly will invoke Lincoln's words to do it as he launches his expected bid for the presidency.
Springfield's historic, political and architectural connection to Lincoln could figure prominently in Obama's formal campaign announcement. On Saturday - two days before Lincoln's birthday - the freshman Democratic U.S. senator from Chicago is expected to become the most formidable black candidate ever to seek the White House.
It is widely anticipated he will formally kick off his presidential campaign that day after forming a presidential exploratory committee earlier this month.
His race and the unifying theme of his campaign make it easy to guess at how his handlers will want to position Lincoln's legacy among the words and pictures.
"I'm sure that the people who are advising (Obama) are trying to compare him to some of the qualities Lincoln possessed: intelligence, eloquence . . . someone who seeks to unite rather than divide," said Illinois state historian Tom Schwartz.
Invoking another famous Lincoln speech, Schwartz predicted an appeal "to 'the better angels of our nature.'"
But Obama's decision to use Springfield as the backdrop is likely to be about more than just invoking the beloved president. Obama's staff says the setting also is meant to highlight Obama's eight years as a state legislator, which may prove crucial for a candidate whose biggest perceived problem right now is his lack of political experience.
"Springfield is a great place to demonstrate his work in bringing people together to solve problems, whether it was ethics reform, death penalty reform or working to give children and families the health care they need," Obama spokesman Bill Burton wrote in a recent e-mailed response to the question of why Springfield was chosen.
The choice is a departure from the tradition of making presidential announcements in candidates' hometowns or in politically important locales. Obama was born in Hawaii and has spent most of his legal and political career in Chicago.
Still, some say, the choice makes sense for other reasons, most of them symbolic.
"The Lincoln connection would be very helpful to him as a backdrop, and a Springfield audience will show his appeal in smaller communities," said Mike Lawrence, formerly a top aide to Republican ex-Gov. Jim Edgar and now director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. "The backdrop is meant to enhance the message, and (Obama's) message has been about unifying the nation."
Obama's candidacy puts him on a long list of Illinois residents who have sought and, in few cases, won the presidency. Lincoln and President Ulysses S. Grant both were born elsewhere but were Illinoisans at the time of their first-term elections and President Ronald Reagan was an Illinois native and went to school at Eureka College.
The many presidential aspirants who were either born or resided in Illinois have included Lincoln nemesis Stephen Douglas, William Jennings Bryan, Adlai Stevenson, John Anderson, Jesse Jackson, Paul Simon -and Chicago native Hillary Clinton, who announced her presidential candidacy two weeks ago.
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/02/05/news/123171.txt
posted by presgore19 at 3:11 AM
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