Senator John Kerry and the Rise of President Barack Obama

The one you help to climb today may turn out to be the ultimate changer of your destiny. Not many people could pronounce the name of the handsome and Ivy League-educated Senator from Illinois until the Democratic National Convention of 2004, which was held in Boston, Massachusetts. On July 27, 2004, Senator Obama delivered the keynote address, and he left no one in doubt that he is here for the long haul. Thanks to Senator John Kerry, who was the Democratic presidential candidate at the time, Senator Barack Obama made his national debut as a gifted communicator and a budding star to watch out for in the Democratic establishment and on the national stage.  

That he was set for the big ticket was not lost on us in his speech. The following lines speak volumes. "Now, even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America." And that was the beginning of the journey to the White House.

Senator John Kerry ran and was defeated by Governor George W. Bush Jr., the Republican candidate. The gist around the Beltway at the time was that Senator Kerry's goal was actually to be the Secretary of State (Minister of Foreign Affairs). Here is his dilemma. You can put your Presidential ambition to the test by participating in the presidential primaries. The culmination of that dream is in the hands of the people - the electorate. On the other hand, becoming a Minister or Secretary of State is at the mercy of another individual, not the electorate or the people. 

Another gentleman at the time who was and has been nursing a Presidential ambition was a fellow Senator, Mr. Joe Biden, whose ultimate goal was to be the President of the United States of America. Several times, he tried, and several times he failed to cling to the ticket. He never made it through the primaries, much as he tried. 

Then came the 2008 Democratic Primaries, involving Senator Barack Obama, Senator Joe Biden, Senator Cris Dodd, Senator Mike Gravel, Senator John Edwards, Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor Bill Richardson, Governor Tom Vilsack, and Mr Dennis Kucinich, a House of Rep members from Ohio. 

Midway into the primaries, most of the candidates dropped out and endorsed Senator Barack Obama. One of those who did was Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, and he was the first to endorse Barack. It was a huge gamble on his part because Senator Hillary Clinton was favoured to win the primaries. I still remember hearing Senator Joe Biden on national TV, declaring "yes" to a question whether he would accept if asked by candidate/Senator Obama to be his running mate.  

Contrary to all expectations, when it was all over, Senator Barack Obama edged out Senator Hillary Clinton and went on to cling to the Democratic ticket. Following Senator Obama's victory, this author, like most Democrats, wanted Senator Obama to pick Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. And thank God, he did. And for eight years, he was the eye and ear and the ultimate political confidant of President Barack Obama.

Today, former Senator Joe Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden, is now the 46th President of the United States of America - the culmination of a childhood dream thought to be insurmountable. His decision to withdraw from the Democratic Primaries on January 03, 2008, ahead of other candidates, opened the floodgates for a nationwide endorsement of the Senator from Illinois.  And he did it when he had nothing to gain and when the chances of Senator Barack Obama winning the Democratic Primaries and the Presidential election were not assured. 

Now, let's do a flashback on the Democratic Primaries of 2008. When Obama won the primaries, Senator Hillary was indisputably the most popular choice for Secretary of State. And she got it ahead of the Presidential election. So, it was quite understandable why Senator John Kerry didn't get it. However, when President Obama came back for his second term, defeating Governor Mitt Romney, the natural choice for Secretary of State was Senator John Kerry. 

I still remember vividly hearing the now-late Senator John McCain addressing Senator John Kerry as Secretary of State inside the Senate Chamber when he was yet to be nominated by President Barack Obama. Evidently, his colleagues knew from the outset the dream of his heart. And President Obama wasted no time appointing Senator John Kerry as his second-term Secretary of State. He was in office from February 2013 to January 2017. 

Today, former Senator John Kerry and former Secretary of State John Kerry are in the news again. He is President Joe Biden's pick as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. Another globe-trotting national assignment.

Thanks to Senator John Kerry for being there for Senator Barack Obama when America didn't know his name. The 2004 Democratic National Convention blasted the newly minted Senator from Illinois into the limelight. And the keynote address was delivered with the ferocity of a man, not just destined to lead the free world, but one who is already prepared to do so. So far, so good, Senator John Kerry has gotten more than he ever anticipated when he opened the door to Senator Barack Obama in 2008. 

Search your mind, are you sitting on the ambitions and dreams of others? You may never know, you might be Senator John Kerry or Senator Joe Biden, who opened the doors of their dreams when they gratuitously extended the ladder to the ambitious Barack.