A tall broad-shouldered man walks up to the podium. The town hall, packed shoulder to shoulder, tears itself apart in joy. One group scream chants the candidate’s name. Another group of sign-carrying mothers and daughters frantically fan their home made colored papers. Those standing closest to the stage furiously applaud, shake hands and pat one another on the back. The melodic cacophony builds upon itself until the large man steps to the side of the podium and a slight, much shorter man takes his position in front of the microphone. He raises his right hand. The room instantly falls silent as death, everyone waiting, anticipating the words of whom they have come to know as The Dream Maker.
A small tan-skinned man with thick glasses and slightly crooked teeth, known for an infectious smile and straight talk stands before them. He is a kid from nowhere—no nepotistic beneficiary; someone who could have just as easily been a no-name working as a paper pusher as he could be a presidential hopeful. He had an everyman endearment to his west coast mannerisms.
“Hello, my friends.” The crowd lets out in an uproar. He again lifts his hand—quiet. “It has been a long journey, but we have reached its end, and mine. Tonight is about rebirth, a resurrection and baptism. We stand here on the cusp of a new America. For the first time in decades, we find ourselves embattled with one another, not on a bloodied field but instead we took up arms in the legislature and at the ballot box—the only casualties were archaic ideologies and the fear of change. But tonight, there will be change.”
A quiet whisper pierces the silence. He coughs. His hand cupping his left breast, he collapses. No one saw the blood, not at first. A mass of confusion, a call for an ambulance, and a woman screams. A night for change indeed.
After the commotion and the sirens subsided and the town hall emptied, the broad-shouldered bodyguard sifts around the podium red eyed. He stands where The Dream Maker stood, stifling a sob as he places his hands on opposing edges of the wooden stand. He pretends that he too could make dreams a reality, but he knows that the man that stood there only a couple of hours prior was the real magician. The first person, for as long as he could remember, who was able to bring an entire nation to its feet after ages of kneeling. A stack of white cards with the night’s speech was all that was left of the dream.
Hello my friends. It has been a long journey, but we have reached its end. Tonight is about rebirth, a resurrection and baptism. We stand here on the cusp of a new America. For the first time in decades, we find ourselves embattled with one another, not on a bloodied field but instead we took up arms in the legislature and at the ballot box—the only casualties were archaic ideologies and the fear of change. But tonight, there will be change. Tonight, there will be a rebirth of our belief in the dream that is America. You know me not to be too religious of a man, but I will tell you that this country is blessed by the hand of God. Only a few short years ago, we were on the verge of extinction. This country was near collapse, but we found a common enemy to unite us. We put aside our personal hatred and survived what was potentially catastrophic. Our enemy was failure. In opposition of this dragon, we succeeded. Some say I was the knight that slew the beast and I say they’re wrong. I say it was each and every one of you here tonight and those across the land who could not be here. We combined all of our unique talents together and brought something to this nation that we thought had long disappeared. We brought hope. Some don’t like the changes we’ve made. They don’t like to see people with hope. They say it’s dangerous. They think we’re dangerous and they’re right. There is nothing more dangerous and more worth fearing than a person with hope because as long as they have it they are liable to do something with it; like change the world. That is what we are doing here tonight, my friends. We are changing the world. If I should die tonight before the polls are in, if I should take my last breath, if my fire should extinguish I would not be sad. No, I would not be disappointed and I will tell you why. Because I know that in my absence there is a town hall full of people who could do the job for me, probably better than me. I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every supporter during my campaign for this esteemed office, to thank those who supported me before I knew I was throwing my hat in, and those who gave me the support before I knew anything at all. I tell you all, since you are my closest friends, this was never really my dream. It was a chance I took because others called for it. When I was a little boy, I never said ‘I want to be president when I grow up.’ No, I never really thought I could do it, but it was you, all of you, who said you needed someone or something to believe in again. So I said, believe in me and I can prove it’s worth it. Here we are on the eve of a new morning, and this day will be different. Win or lose, this morning will be amazing. I proved that there are people all around us we can believe in and causes worth dying for. I promise you that if we win tonight, hope will infect each and every breathing American. And I promise that if we don’t get the votes, we will still spread hope to every breathing American. There is no loss for tonight, only how quickly we can effect change. Again, I thank you for your love and your support. You make my dreams.
The bodyguard cannot hold back any longer. He takes the cards to his chest and crumples by the podium. His head rests against the cool wood as tears pour over his face. “You make my dreams.”
A small tan-skinned man with thick glasses and slightly crooked teeth, known for an infectious smile and straight talk stands before them. He is a kid from nowhere—no nepotistic beneficiary; someone who could have just as easily been a no-name working as a paper pusher as he could be a presidential hopeful. He had an everyman endearment to his west coast mannerisms.
“Hello, my friends.” The crowd lets out in an uproar. He again lifts his hand—quiet. “It has been a long journey, but we have reached its end, and mine. Tonight is about rebirth, a resurrection and baptism. We stand here on the cusp of a new America. For the first time in decades, we find ourselves embattled with one another, not on a bloodied field but instead we took up arms in the legislature and at the ballot box—the only casualties were archaic ideologies and the fear of change. But tonight, there will be change.”
A quiet whisper pierces the silence. He coughs. His hand cupping his left breast, he collapses. No one saw the blood, not at first. A mass of confusion, a call for an ambulance, and a woman screams. A night for change indeed.
After the commotion and the sirens subsided and the town hall emptied, the broad-shouldered bodyguard sifts around the podium red eyed. He stands where The Dream Maker stood, stifling a sob as he places his hands on opposing edges of the wooden stand. He pretends that he too could make dreams a reality, but he knows that the man that stood there only a couple of hours prior was the real magician. The first person, for as long as he could remember, who was able to bring an entire nation to its feet after ages of kneeling. A stack of white cards with the night’s speech was all that was left of the dream.
Hello my friends. It has been a long journey, but we have reached its end. Tonight is about rebirth, a resurrection and baptism. We stand here on the cusp of a new America. For the first time in decades, we find ourselves embattled with one another, not on a bloodied field but instead we took up arms in the legislature and at the ballot box—the only casualties were archaic ideologies and the fear of change. But tonight, there will be change. Tonight, there will be a rebirth of our belief in the dream that is America. You know me not to be too religious of a man, but I will tell you that this country is blessed by the hand of God. Only a few short years ago, we were on the verge of extinction. This country was near collapse, but we found a common enemy to unite us. We put aside our personal hatred and survived what was potentially catastrophic. Our enemy was failure. In opposition of this dragon, we succeeded. Some say I was the knight that slew the beast and I say they’re wrong. I say it was each and every one of you here tonight and those across the land who could not be here. We combined all of our unique talents together and brought something to this nation that we thought had long disappeared. We brought hope. Some don’t like the changes we’ve made. They don’t like to see people with hope. They say it’s dangerous. They think we’re dangerous and they’re right. There is nothing more dangerous and more worth fearing than a person with hope because as long as they have it they are liable to do something with it; like change the world. That is what we are doing here tonight, my friends. We are changing the world. If I should die tonight before the polls are in, if I should take my last breath, if my fire should extinguish I would not be sad. No, I would not be disappointed and I will tell you why. Because I know that in my absence there is a town hall full of people who could do the job for me, probably better than me. I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every supporter during my campaign for this esteemed office, to thank those who supported me before I knew I was throwing my hat in, and those who gave me the support before I knew anything at all. I tell you all, since you are my closest friends, this was never really my dream. It was a chance I took because others called for it. When I was a little boy, I never said ‘I want to be president when I grow up.’ No, I never really thought I could do it, but it was you, all of you, who said you needed someone or something to believe in again. So I said, believe in me and I can prove it’s worth it. Here we are on the eve of a new morning, and this day will be different. Win or lose, this morning will be amazing. I proved that there are people all around us we can believe in and causes worth dying for. I promise you that if we win tonight, hope will infect each and every breathing American. And I promise that if we don’t get the votes, we will still spread hope to every breathing American. There is no loss for tonight, only how quickly we can effect change. Again, I thank you for your love and your support. You make my dreams.
The bodyguard cannot hold back any longer. He takes the cards to his chest and crumples by the podium. His head rests against the cool wood as tears pour over his face. “You make my dreams.”
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