The Dream of Today’s Youth, Faith in Obama:
The Dream of Today’s Youth, Faith in Obama:
By: Anthony J. Gerst. 
In the timeless words spoken by men everywhere and throughout time, I say to the reading audience “oops.” The Grand Opening for the new Obama office in Iowa was at Keokuk, not Fort Madison. A little background information on this, Iowa has 99 counties, currently there are 45 offices in the state operating for Senator Obama. The odd thing about this is that there are now two offices in Lee County.
Keokuk Iowa is a very old river town. Situated on the rapids that once divided the upper and lower Mississippi River, it was there this great waterway became one in 1913, with the construction of the first lock and dam system on the mighty Mississippi. Named for Chief Sauk Keokuk, the town has many remnants of an age gone by. Like the Grand Theater, built on the site where the old Keokuk Opera House sat, this theater dates back to circa 1920’s. It was designed in the glory days of theatrical halls of yesteryear. It is believed that this is the first time in Keokuk’s long history that a presidential office has been opened there.
As I have found throughout the Obama campaign in Iowa there is an air of optimistic hope for the future from this candidate. This office already has 23 high school students who have volunteered to help the campaign win this nomination. Another supporter Dave Ireland is a retired sheriff from Lee County. Speaking at the event he had this to say, “Obama walks a path of truth, which is sometimes a lonely road.” He also made the comment that he is, “tired of the bully pulpit, that it is time to give it to someone with some common sense.”
Fred Seay is a drug rehabilitation officer in Keokuk, a proud union member of local 2983 . He said, “Obama can finally move forward with Martin Luther King’s dream.” Listening to the people gathered, young, old and a cultural mix, it is plain to see that Senator Obama restores to the people something we have not had in years. A sense of trust. What has really amazed me about Senator Barrack Obama’s campaign is the amount of literature that is available. The good senator from Illinois is not afraid to make a stand. It has been years since I have seen a campaign with this much devotion to a plan. Usually a politician’s position papers are nowhere to be found, as the positions change upon geographical location and audience.
Bethanie Smith was the first student volunteer to show up at the gathering. When asked why she had joined the campaign she said, “I believe Obama wants to help the people, so do I.” Over the years I have witnessed many campaigns that have been well-oiled political machines. It has been a long time however, since I have seen the devotion and belief represented by the volunteers across our nation, who have come to the cornfields of Iowa, because they too, have a dream. That once again America can be a nation that stands for the ideals and rhetoric, matching our countries historic design.
What, or better yet, who do you believe in America?
