Format

Entlang Barack Obamas Weg ins Weiße Haus stehen nicht zuletzt - Reden.

Es war seine begeistert aufgenommene Rede beim Nominierungskongress der Demokraten für John Kerry 2004, die ihn der Öffentlichkeit bekannt und zum Aspiranten für Höheres gemacht hat.

Es waren Reden und Ansprachen, in denen es Obama (und seinen Redenschreibern) gelungen ist, eine Bewegung zu erzeugen, Themen in Begriffe zu gießen, eine Idee zu formulieren und im Begriff von "Change" eine Gestalt zu geben, die indifferent genug war, dass jeder darin wiederfinden konnte, was er oder sie an Wünschen und Erwartungen projiziert.

Es war die Rede "A more perfect Union" über das Rassenthema, "die manche Kommentatoren in eine Reihe stellten mit Grundsatzreden von John F. Kennedy und Abraham Lincoln" (taz).



In seiner Rede nun vor hundertausenden von begeisterten Anhängern in Chicago schlug Obama einen Bogen zu seinen Anfängen, zu der Rede auf dem Parteitag der Demokraten 2004, in der er die Einigkeit der USA betonte: "Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America."

In der Rede gestern Nacht klingt das dann so: "It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states."



Die Ansprache geriet insgesamt etwas steif. Der unmittelbare bezug zu Martin Luther King und seiner großen "I see the promised land"-Rede ("And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.". In Obamish lautet das dann so: "We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.") geriet etwas zu bemüht und ungewollt anmaßend. Aber das bleibt bei den überragenden Erwartungen nicht aus.

Hingegen bestätigte John McCains Rede (hier das Transkript), in der er seine Niederlage eingestand, wieder einmal sein Format und seine Fähigkeit, seine persönlichen Wünsche größeren Zielen unterzuordnen und herausragende Leistungen - auch bei seinen Gegnern - anzuerkennen:

"In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving. [...]

Duldet keine "Buh"-Rufe der Konservativen gegen den
gewählten Präsidenten der USA: John McCain

Sen. Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day. Though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.

Sen. Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that." (CNN)

Schon bei dem Wohltätigkeitsdinner der Al-Smith-Foundation zeigte McCain dieses Format, als er am Ende seiner sehr gelungenen Ansprache voller Selbstironie die Größe hatte, den Wahlkampf bei Seite zu legen, und unabhängig von politischen Unterschieden, die Qualitäten seines Gegners anzuerkennen und die Bedeutung seiner bis zu dem Zeitpunkt bereits errungenen Erfolge zu betonen - im Unterschied zu Obama, der - das Weiße Haus fest im Blick - am Ende seiner Ansprache schon die präsidialen Töne der Betonung der Einigkeit der Nation anschlug.

"I don't want it getting out of this room, but my opponent is an impressive fellow in many ways. Political opponents can have a little trouble seeing the best in each other. But I've had a few glimpses of this man at his best and I admire his great skill, energy and determination. It's not for nothing that he's inspired so many folks in his own party and beyond. Senator Obama talks about making history. And he's made quite a bit of it already.

There was a time when the mere invitation of an African-American citizen to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage and an insult in many quarters. Today, it's a world away from the crude and prideful bigotry of that time. And good riddance. I can't wish my opponent luck, but I do wish him well.

Whatever the outcome next month, Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country and I congratulate him."
(Hier das komplette Transkript)