Today’s a special day in the short but storied history of Barack Obama’s political career. In an interview with Crooked Media, Obama revealed the importance of this day ten years ago, January 3, 2008.
It was the day then-Senator Barack Obama shocked the world and won the Iowa Caucuses. “That’s my favorite night of my entire political career,” Obama said.
He overcame long shot odds including his opponent Hillary Clinton’s incredibly high profile and his own name – Barack Hussein Obama, which, at the time was enough to give PR experts pause about his chances.
But on January 3, 2008, Obama’s bona fides proved their worth and secured him a victory no one saw coming.
“To me, that was a more powerful night than the night I was elected president,” Obama said.
That’s in part because all he had to recommend him was two bestselling books, a national media profile, and a 2002 video that proved he was the only legitimate challenger to the Iraq War in the Senate. It proved that something of an unknown quantity, with the right combination of know how and integrity could win over voters and start on the road to becoming the first African American president.
Obama’s choice of this auspicious night ten years ago shows just how much faith he has in the voters. He saw them think for themselves and take a risk on a candidate they believed in. Here’s hoping Obama will continue to stay in the public eye, encouraging voters to do the same again in 2018.