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Snapshots From The Campaign Trail

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By FRANK SANCHEZ

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 8, 2008

My most memorable moment from Sen. Barack Obama's campaign occurred as we were on the way to a high-dollar fundraising event.

We were late and the scheduling folks were pressing us. But when Sen. Obama saw a group on the side of the road that had been waiting, possibly for hours, just to wave at him, we stopped. He shook every hand, never once looking at a watch or rushing a conversation. It was something to see. You can't fake that kind of concern.

Those with checks had to wait. That's the kind of president we need now. A president who'll represent every person and every family.

That's how Sen. Obama campaigned and how President-elect Obama will govern.

But there are less pleasant memories of the campaign as well. It was one of the longest campaigns in American history, 21 months from beginning to end.

No candidate has ever experienced greater scrutiny and vetting than Obama. For the most part, that scrutiny and vetting is a good thing. It's how the American people get to know someone, and develop confidence and trust in someone.

But there was an ugly underbelly to this year's campaign - a ream of lies and near slander, fueled by the anonymity of the Internet and spread by those without conscience or care for the truth.

At its best, democracy is a competition between ideas and a comparison of philosophies. At its worst, campaigns without ideas begin to grasp and if they have nothing positive to offer, they devolve into the negative - the act of saying anything to win.

It was painful to hear this trash, to see a man and his family subjected to such venom simply because of his political views and because he wanted to help the nation address its problems.

And Sen. Obama, the target of these rumors and lies, was not the only victim, we all were. Many people across the country, not knowing the difference, became confused and couldn't discern the truth from lies.

And when that happens, we're all hurt.

Frank Sanchez is a Tampa attorney and policy adviser to Barack Obama.

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