President Obama's bittersweet political homecoming
| Chicago
At President Obama鈥檚 homecoming speech in Hyde Park Saturday evening, a familiar phrase from his 2008 campaign interrupted, either naturally, or on cue.
鈥�Chicago, just like you did in 2008, you can defy the conventional wisdom, the kind that says you can鈥檛 overcome cynicism in politics,鈥� Obama said, adding: 鈥淚n three days you鈥檝e got the chance to once again say what?
鈥淵es we can!鈥� the crowd shouted back.
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Mr. Obama鈥檚 appearance at the Midway Plaisance, a strip of land buffering the University of Chicago in Hyde Park with Woodlawn to the South, was his first major speech in his adopted hometown since the jubilant rally in Grant Park on the city鈥檚 lakefront election night, an occasion that is still talked about here with reverence.
The Saturday event certainly had elements of that time. Obama remains Chicago鈥檚 favorite son, and that鈥檚 especially true on the South Side, where T-shirts and caps with the president鈥檚 likeness are common sights, even when the man himself is not in town.
But in this midterm election season, where Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, who is running for Obama鈥檚 former US Senate seat, could lose Tuesday, the president鈥檚 hallmark theme of change may not work in favor of Democrats.
Throughout this season, Democratic incumbents are struggling to hold onto US senate and congressional seats as well as governorships from challengers who have successfully redirected middle class anger at the establishment, whether in Washington or at the statehouse.
In his speech Saturday, Obama acknowledged the change in tone from two years earlier.
鈥淪ome of the excitement we had at Grant Park, that fades away. Some of the excitement of Inauguration Day 鈥� I know that good feeling starts slipping away,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou see somebody lose their home, and it gets you discouraged. And then you see all these TV ads 鈥� and everything just feels negative. And maybe some of you stop believing.鈥�
He countered the disillusionment with numbers, arguing that the slowdown in job growth and average household income can be tracked to the beginning of the decade, not just the past two years.
鈥淲e lost almost 8 million jobs before any of our economic policies had a chance to take effect,鈥� he said.
Obama blames Republicans for driving the economy into a 鈥渄eep ditch鈥� and for refusing to come up with solutions to turn things around. He lamented advances by other countries in infrastructure and education.
Although his speech hit such weary points, it did return to familiar themes that Obama established two years earlier: hope and change.
He rallied the crowd by defending his reform of health care and the credit card system and later connected that enthusiasm for getting voters to the polls for local Democrats.
About 35,000 people attended the rally, according to organizers. Cindy Hoover, a single mother who brought her three kids, said she hadn鈥檛 lost faith in Obama but was 鈥渟cared鈥� at the prospect of Tuesday鈥檚 election inflaming further partisanship.
鈥淎ll that work to get [Obama] elected and good feelings it created 鈥� I鈥檇 hate to see the country get so divided even more,鈥� she said.
