I'm a columnist for UPI. I'm sick of the critique that Obama makes pretty speeches but fails to deliver practical solutions. I've taken the time to analyze how the Obama phenomenon mirrors a tradition we have in America - acting on the vision cast by inspiring leaders, even a rock star like Bono.

I hope you'll share this article with skeptics.

Barack-Star Obama

If Bono's ability to move Americans to action through arena rock is any indication, Barack Obama may be the best thing to happen to American politics in a long time.

We are but a bundle of needs. Some of us need housing, jobs, education, healthcare, opportunity, less red tape and more connection to our community support systems. Some of us need safe neighborhoods and to not be forgotten. All of us need to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of our economic status, our upbringings, our genders, races or families of origin.

We have other needs too. We need to make a meaningful difference. Most of us find it hard to be happy while others suffer, while there's a lack of justice, when we know about it, when we are connected to it. Michelle Obama tapped into both sides of the "need equation" last night, offering a message I found not just inspiring (the criticism of this campaign), but downright prophetic.

We've been told for a long time (my entire adult life, if I'm honest) that Americans wanted nothing more than security from dangers abroad, monetary success, a well-decorated home, children who could go to college on our dime, jobs that offer medical and retirement benefits, the chance to say and do whatever I want that enhances my lifestyle, lower taxes, more choices, freedom from the burdens others impose on my life, less government.

Last night, Michelle Obama painted a picture of another version of the American dream. She described the struggles of most Americans. We do what's been asked of us, yet we never arrive because the bar keeps being raised as to what constitutes success. It used to be enough to keep a savings account for your child's college fund. Now, that's a laughable solution to tuition demands. It used to be possible to own a home on one income. Now, two are invariably required. Health care no longer represents care, but terror. One misstep, one month off of insurance, one enormous medical crisis can plunge a family into financial ruin.

So even when we play by the rules, do what is asked, many Americans find it increasingly hard to live those decent lives of hard work and family. Michelle talked about her upbringing: her parents, her values, her journey apart from Barack. She grew up on the southside of Chicago. Her dad was a blue collar worker, her mom was a "stay-at-home" mom. She explained that her dad did what he knew he was supposed to do - work every day to provide for his family. And he did. She said that back then (not that long ago as she pointed out - she's 44), if you did what you were supposed to do with integrity, hard work and values, you got what you wanted: healthy family, a home, health care, good education for your kids, the promise of a retirement.

She told us that she would not like to be known as the "First Lady" (should Obama win), but as an example of what a decent public education can do. She explained that her parents sent both she and her brother to Princeton on a blue collar salary combined with student loans. Today, that would not be possible.

Along the way, the bar got raised. She explained that each time we "do what we're supposed to do," it turns out to be not quite enough. You can start saving for college and by the time your kids get there, your savings mean nothing. You can work a decent job but get a sudden illness and lose your house over the debt you incur. She explained that today, most people feel it takes two incomes to make it or you stay home with your kids at great financial sacrifice (I could certainly relate to this as we lived this way until 8 years ago).

So this "moving bar" as she called it has the average American feeling discouraged, fearful and isolated. The repeated messages we hear, though, are that if we could just work harder and figure out the system, we'd be fine again. It just means doing "that much" more.

She went on to describe Senator Obama's biographical details: raised by a single white mother in the 1960s, lived in Indonesia as a child for a few years, a grandmother in rural Kenya... a brilliant student who wound up being the first black Harvard Law Review editor who had the world at his feet (could have done anything he wanted - could have taken a big corporate law job and made his millions). But he didn't. She explained that she and Barack are both lawyers. Then she quipped, "Everyone's a lawyer. This room is probably filled with lawyers. Lawyers, lawyers - they're everywhere and we probably would all like a lot fewer of them." (Laughter) She explained that many politicians start their careers amassing wealth through their lucrative law careers so that they can then run for office.

Barack didn't. He went directly into civil rights advocacy in Chicago. She said that his philosophy is, "When you're given the gift of advocacy, you don't sell it to the highest bidder." She told us that for most of his career, each job he took, he earned less money than the previous job. She and Barack only paid off their student loans three years ago. And that was because Barack wrote two best selling books. "I don't recommend that as a financial plan!" she laughed.

Michelle then explained that the core of Barack's message has to do with what he calls an "empathy deficit." Americans have lost touch with the value of community, of pulling for each other. We are pitted against one another instead. To keep up with the demands of making a decent wage and the eroding opportunity for community, most of us don't really know any reality but the one we're living. We are out of touch with other Americans and the realities of their lives.

Yet America's greatness ought not to be based on our big achievements, but on how well we care for the weakest among us. Obama's presidency is not just historical because he is black, but because he brings his own experiences to the table—the realities most of us are living, and then some: connections to life abroad, being raised by a single mother who used food stamps, living between races at a time when race was becoming an enormous issue. Without actually mentioning the Clintons or Bushes, she drew the contrasts sharply - the sense of entitlement and privilege that attend their campaigns and administrations versus the regular lives of the Obamas.

There is within this message a call for sacrifice - not the kind that says "You have to give up your toy for her because I say so" but the kind that says, "If you hurt, I hurt. I have extra. Have some of mine." She talked about the fact that what Obama represents isn't so much change in his own person as much as a changed call or outlook - that Americans want to create a better life for each other, not just for themselves. Leadership in this arena matters. She said that the strong momentum of the Obama campaign is related to this hunger Americans have to do the right and decent thing for each other. They want to know what they can do, how they can do it.

She quipped humorously that they are attacked for being idealistic, vacuous, not substantive in the details of "the plan." "Everyone wants to know the details of 'the plan.'" She went on to say that you can read many of them on the website, but that even more, Barack does care intensely about those details. She said, "And you do want a president who does know the details, believe me."

But then she made this great comment. "Take education. It's no mystery. We already know what makes a good school. We know what classroom size should be, what kind of educational models lead to education; we know what extra-curricular activities enhance the experience—activities that used to be part of the public education system that now cost money and are community based. We know what it takes to give a well-rounded educational experience.

"How do we know that we know we know? Because we have good schools in America. We already have public schools that are doing a great job. We just don't have enough of them. We can look at the good schools and use them as models.

"This is not hard to understand. No Child Left Behind has been a disaster for the power of good teaching and the magic of education. It's time to return to what public schools should be and make them available to every child."

I really liked this common sense approach.

Michelle also went through all the steps in the journey on the campaign. She talked about how each time Barack wins a victory or raises money or meets the latest challenge, they are told that the next hurdle will be the truly defining one. But he is battle tested. This same scenario played itself out when he ran for Illinois Senate too.

What made the difference in that race, what will make the difference in this race, what will matter during an Obama presidency is the commitment and passion to make a difference by participating in the changes we say we want. It will take sacrifices and vision, extending ourselves for others rather than protecting what we've got.

I realized as I was walking out of the auditorium that it's true - we've been told for decades that the good life is a better house, more money, fewer taxes, fewer restrictions on what I want to do. But most of us also want our lives to matter, to make a difference for others. Like JFK before him, Obama is asking us to think about how we can translate our idealism and dreams into practical action that will enhance our communities.

Honestly, I liked the whole night. To think of someone of his background in the White House (not the silver spoon, not the old cronies, not the political insiders)... to imagine someone leading whose aim is to take that advocacy in his background and use it for reshaping how Americans see their "American dream"... well, I'm ready for that. That sounds like change in the best ways to me. That's the kind of experience I'd like in the White House.

With less than twenty-four hours notice, the Cincinnati Obama campaign volunteer meeting convened at New Friendship Baptist a block from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. tonight. Scheduled for 6:00 p.m., I arrived minutes after 6:00 scrambling for a parking place.

Reading Rd. became a gridlock of parking-spot-seeking vehicles. People of every age, color, both genders, both parties streamed into the Baptist church slipping on ice, shaking snow off of coats, squeezing through the narrow entryway, scooting together to make space for one another in the pews, aisles, along the walls. The event organizers had prepared for 5-600 people, but were overwhelmed by the estimated 1,000+ who showed up. They were turning people away from the doors after the event started! (Not until after the late Obama supporters filled out the vital volunteer information sheets, I'm sure!) The traffic jam lasted until halfway through our meeting... so many people kept trying to get to the church.

The event began with a bang! Right out of the gate, chants and cheers spontaneously erupted from all quarters. Any time a speaker moved to the mike, more chants, more cheers, more applause. A call and response of "Fired up?" "Ready to go!" boomed through the sanctuary.

The Obama ground crew who arrived just yesterday from the east coast were blown away by the turn out. As it is, I had several friends who couldn't make it but wanted to go. I shudder to think of how many more would have come had there been "advanced" warning of say, 48 hours or more!

I had a nice chat with a Democrat woman as we entered the building. She told me that she had worked the Kerry campaign and had been ambivalent between Hillary and Obama, when a friend invited her to this meeting. She read up on Obama and realized that she really could get behind his campaign and suddenly felt caught up in the momentum and enthusiasm of the race.

I sat with another woman who enthused that she loves being a part of campaigns and was thrilled to hear that it was my first. I was far from alone, however. At that moment, in walked another woman who explained that this was the first time she's ever been moved to be involved in a political campaign. We were all warmly welcomed by the old timers.

So much fun to have these little conversations.

I climbed the narrow staircase with the late ones who didn't fit in the lower level and sat in the balcony pews of the church, squeezed between two white middle-aged women on my left and a white 30 something father of two and several twenty-somethings (girls and guys) to my right. All around us were African Americans too. All together I looked out at the crowd and it was as diverse as any I've ever been a part of: elderly, young couples, children, ex-hippies, preppies, business men and women, Cincinnati orthodox and new-to-towners.

The main speaker (an African-American state senator) declared: "I think we've found a way to get white folk into a black church!" Indeed. At least fifty-fifty white/black and loads of women. Who says women are all for Hillary?

The walls were lined with those who couldn't find seats, those of us in the balconies had to prop ourselves on the backs of pews to see over the railing to the sea of people below. Glowing chandeliers, tall green stained glass, the baptismal hinting blue - all these were backdrop to energy, clapping, cheers, neighbors greeting neighbors. It's true that it felt more like a rally than an organizational meeting for volunteers. An eruption of cheering followed every announcement right down to "pass your volunteer information sheets to the center aisles." By then, the room was giddy with joy.

One woman (who is a major volunteer coordinator for the democrats in Cinci and had worked the Kerry campaign) explained how she had organized the volunteers in the past. She loves grassroots movements. But then she went on to explain: she had never seen anything like this before. The whole team seemed moved and startled by the turn out and gushes of enthusiasm!

We were commissioned to talk to ten people and get them to vote early or by absentee ballot. The team said that it's crucial that we set a pace for Obama before the official election date.

Additionally there was a call to talk to ten local women - we want to let women know why Obama is the better choice over Hillary and bring them to his team. It blew me away how many women are for Obama.

The team from the national campaign is very organized for moving in so quickly. All the areas of Cinci have been divided up with team leaders who've done it all before. No one expected the race to be this tight for Ohio so the campaign is utterly out of yard signs, buttons, t-shirts etc. They are having them special delivered this weekend.

Toward the end of the night, the event organizer asked for Republicans and Independents to raise their hands so he could see just how many were supporting Obama. I sheepishly raised mine. I looked out. Wow! Such a surprising number of R's and Indies!! Just in the balcony, there were 15-20. We got applause and then after we broke, several people stopped to talk to me. The guy on my right was terrific. He told me his wife has been a lifelong R also but that after 8 years with Bush, she is throwing in the towel too and turning to Obama.

One thing he said that I enjoyed hearing: he likes Obama's tone in this race. He mentioned what has troubled me about her stump speeches. She often makes inadvertent negative remarks that reflect badly on conservatives, even the ones who support her. I wondered if I was the only one who noticed that. It was nice to hear a died-in-the-wool democrat make the same observation unprompted by me.

We were urged to email our friends in Ohio about why we are supporting Barack, to write letters to the editor, to call into radio shows. We were then told sternly that this is a positive campaign and that they do not want us attacking Hillary or being negative to get votes. Our job is to tell the world why we think Obama is the best candidate, not to attack any others. Isn't that awesome? The "positive campaign" statement brought thundering applause.

I gave my email address to the woman organizing the women for Obama and met the coordinator for our suburb. We have a honk and wave downtown at 5:15 tomorrow night (for those in Cincinnati interested in attending). We're meeting at Grater's in Fountain Square. Saturday, we'll meet at the Cinci HQ at 10:00 for our first widespread canvassing event. If you want to come, email me and I'll give you directions and information.

Truly an inspirational, exciting time in our city. One of our state level officials (now in his 60s) made the comment that his first election was when JFK was running for office. He said that this is the first time since then that he's had the same kind of optimism for and inspiration from a candidate. Something's different. That's for sure.

Photos were taken before the event started. It was too packed once it got going to take any more!