Today, what could be perceived as the defining moment in Barack Obama's campaign took place. Following his tremendous victory over Hillary Clinton in South Carolina, Barack Obama got big endorsements from JFK's daughter, Caroline Kennedy and Sen. Ted Kennedy. In an Op-ed for the New York Times, Caroline explained why she decided to endorse the junior senator from Illinois.
OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.
My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.
Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.
- Caroline KennedySometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.
Following Caroline's impassioned editorial was an equally stirring speech from her uncle, Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.
It remains to be seen how much of an impact these endorsements will have. While it's certainly been an attention-getter (even overshadowing the President's recycled State of The Union Address), we will have to wait until Feb 5th to see if it will provide the necessary momentum that Obama will need to push him over the edge. As it is now, Hillary still has a commanding lead in the majority of the Super Tuesday states. And if she is, indeed, able to hold on and take the nomination, the bigger question may be: will the American people forgive her for crushing hope?
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