Watch it.
Hear the earnestness in the story he here shares.
See the seriousness with which he takes his faith in public service and what we all can do to help the lives of others through that service.
Feel the commitment of his vision for what communities can be when people are inspired to make a difference and attach themselves to causes larger than themselves.
Cherish the living memory of a man who dedicated his life to ensuring that not only his own daughters, but also yours; not only his mother, but also yours; not only he, but also you could enjoy the promises of a truly free and just and hopeful and united society.
This is the man we re-elected to do the work of uniting our nation and moving it into higher moral and economic orbit. This is the man that is proud of us, and the man that we should all—and after watching this video, I imagine you'll agree—be proud of too.
Thank you, Mr. President. We look forward to these next four years with you.
Tidbits and Tidpieces
This happened yesterday, November 7.
It happened at Obama HQ in Chicago.
Obama gets emotional several times, but the human magic happens from 3:22 to 3:59.
The guy that speaks out when Obama starts crying seems to be saying, "Hold on, Barack, hold on", in a sort of communal, sermonic, "testifying" exchange. h/t Torta here
Those dudes by the wall to the right of Obama are David Axelrod (with the glorious 'stache) and Jim Messina (who threw an epic fist pump at 0:03). h/t Trix here
More about Messina: Messina was in charge of the campaign. He was the David Plouffe of 2012. And boy did he knock that out of the ballpark. You can read here about the highly secretive data-crunching team Messina put together that is at the heart of why Obama got re-elected.
UPDATE
As luck would have it, Jim Messina sent OFA an e-mail just now, titled "Thank You". I'm posting it in its entirety, in case you unsubscribed from OFA!:
Friend --
President Obama made a surprise visit to the campaign office in Chicago yesterday to give a heartfelt thank-you to staff and volunteers.
I wanted to pass this video along, because it's a message every single person who helped build this campaign deserves to see. He wasn't just talking to those of us in the office -- he was talking to all of you.
http://my.barackobama.com/...
In his speech on Election Night, President Obama gave you all the title you have spent the last year and a half earning:
"The best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics."
So many times in this election, this campaign was counted out. They said our supporters wouldn't turn out, and we'd never see the kind of voter participation we saw in 2008. They said we'd be buried in money and special-interest influence. And they said that no campaign could overcome the political headwinds we faced.
Last year, a major American newspaper asked, "Is Obama toast?" As recently as two weeks ago, another ran this headline: "Can Obama win?"
Tuesday night, you all answered all of those doubts with a resounding YES WE CAN. By knocking on doors, organizing phone banks, and chipping in a few bucks when you could, you built a campaign that is unparalleled. And you re-elected our president.
You also proved that millions of ordinary people taking ownership of a cause is still the most powerful force in our political process. You showed that grassroots organizing and small donations are not only the right way to win, but also the most effective way.
How we got here must guide where we go. If we're going to accomplish the things America voted for on Tuesday, you've got to be even more involved in getting them done than you were in giving us all the chance.
We'll be in touch soon about how we can get started on some of the President's top priorities in his second term.
For now, I just want to say I am so proud of this team. And I can't wait to see where you take this incredible movement from here.
Thank you -- more to come,
Messina
Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
It's pretty exciting to wonder if this time around, OFA will use its massive database and infinite volunteer mojo to mobilize us at the grassroots level like a lot of us had hoped back in 2008.
UPDATE X2
Psst. Come join The Cave.
And if you have, as the great Napoleon Dynamite would say, "SKILLS", please shoot me or the group a message. We needs you. Cuz we's gonna take 2014 by storm. And by storm, we mean Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate, balance contrarians be damned.