changeâ movement, giving it language, symbolism, form, and a visible champion. In fact, the movement predated the 2008 electoral season altogetherâby at least five years.
2003: A PEOPLE-POWERED MOVEMENT IS BORN
In many ways, the movement that elected Obama was born in 2003, taking the form of a massive, desperate effort to derail Bushâs planned invasion of Iraq. Millions of Americans marched, signed online petitions, and spoke out to stop the war. They used the Internet to self-organize in a way that was original and stunning; membership in a tiny, online group called Moveon.org swelled into the millions, and the organization became a household name. Thousands of women flocked to the banner of a new peace group called Code Pink. Activists from antiglobalization struggles brought forward a youthful fighting spirit and creativity, much of it birthed and shaped in the 1999 Battle in Seattle, in which people gathered from around the world to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization. Important coalitions such as Win Without War and United for Peace and Justice sprang up to give voice to the peace-seeking majority of Americans.
In just six weeks, the nascent antiwar/pro-peace movement had mobilized more people against the invasion of Iraq than had been organized to stop the Vietnam War in the first six years of that conflict. And the movement quickly linked to similar mobilizations across the globe. The New York Times declared that the peace effort had become a second âsuperpower,â embodying and expressing the force of world public opinion.
It is especially important to remember that at the head of all this there was no âOne Great Leader.â There was no singular messiah, no superstar stepping in to play the role of savior. There was no single organization, giving orders.
And yet in depth, breadth, creativity, and speed of development, the peace movement was without precedent. With no solitary hero directing its efforts, the push for peace produced some of the largest demonstrations in the history of humanityâwith tens of millions of people self-organizing against the Bush juggernaut.
Ultimately, the antiwar mobilization failed to prevent the war, but it became the signâand the seedâof things to come.
2004: ANTIWAR MOVEMENT BECOMES ANTI-BUSH MOVEMENT
When the bombs started falling in Iraq, the war protestors could have quit, gone home, and given up. They could have thrown up their hands and said, âThis is too hard. We canât do anything about the way things are going in this country.â But they didnât quit. They held onto their âhopes,â and they still wanted âchange.â They refused to give up on America.
As a result, the antiwar movement of 2003 became a movement for nonviolent regime change in 2004. The people birthed a grassroots crusade to unseat a sitting, wartime president. The Democrats nominated a good, dedicated, and accomplished presidentialcandidate, U.S. senator John Kerry. For all his strengths, Kerry was never seen as a superhero. Yet it almost didnât matter; the people were growing a super movement.
Former Vermont governor Howard Deanâs heroic effort in the 2004 primaries had already shown the power of new, online tech tools and unorthodox campaign approaches. Deanâs novel fund-raising model used the Internet to solicit small donations (eighty dollars on average) from a broad base, inverting the traditional high-cost, high-touch formula in which candidates relied on a few wealthy, established political donors for large sums. This was the model the Obama campaign would later perfect and ride to the White House.
All across the country, ordinary people got involved in the 2004 presidential election with unusual passion and fervor. This was especially true for young people (the Millennials), who began to emerge as a major voice and force through edgy new groups such as League of Young Voters, Hip Hop
2003: A PEOPLE-POWERED MOVEMENT IS BORN
In many ways, the movement that elected Obama was born in 2003, taking the form of a massive, desperate effort to derail Bushâs planned invasion of Iraq. Millions of Americans marched, signed online petitions, and spoke out to stop the war. They used the Internet to self-organize in a way that was original and stunning; membership in a tiny, online group called Moveon.org swelled into the millions, and the organization became a household name. Thousands of women flocked to the banner of a new peace group called Code Pink. Activists from antiglobalization struggles brought forward a youthful fighting spirit and creativity, much of it birthed and shaped in the 1999 Battle in Seattle, in which people gathered from around the world to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization. Important coalitions such as Win Without War and United for Peace and Justice sprang up to give voice to the peace-seeking majority of Americans.
In just six weeks, the nascent antiwar/pro-peace movement had mobilized more people against the invasion of Iraq than had been organized to stop the Vietnam War in the first six years of that conflict. And the movement quickly linked to similar mobilizations across the globe. The New York Times declared that the peace effort had become a second âsuperpower,â embodying and expressing the force of world public opinion.
It is especially important to remember that at the head of all this there was no âOne Great Leader.â There was no singular messiah, no superstar stepping in to play the role of savior. There was no single organization, giving orders.
And yet in depth, breadth, creativity, and speed of development, the peace movement was without precedent. With no solitary hero directing its efforts, the push for peace produced some of the largest demonstrations in the history of humanityâwith tens of millions of people self-organizing against the Bush juggernaut.
Ultimately, the antiwar mobilization failed to prevent the war, but it became the signâand the seedâof things to come.
2004: ANTIWAR MOVEMENT BECOMES ANTI-BUSH MOVEMENT
When the bombs started falling in Iraq, the war protestors could have quit, gone home, and given up. They could have thrown up their hands and said, âThis is too hard. We canât do anything about the way things are going in this country.â But they didnât quit. They held onto their âhopes,â and they still wanted âchange.â They refused to give up on America.
As a result, the antiwar movement of 2003 became a movement for nonviolent regime change in 2004. The people birthed a grassroots crusade to unseat a sitting, wartime president. The Democrats nominated a good, dedicated, and accomplished presidentialcandidate, U.S. senator John Kerry. For all his strengths, Kerry was never seen as a superhero. Yet it almost didnât matter; the people were growing a super movement.
Former Vermont governor Howard Deanâs heroic effort in the 2004 primaries had already shown the power of new, online tech tools and unorthodox campaign approaches. Deanâs novel fund-raising model used the Internet to solicit small donations (eighty dollars on average) from a broad base, inverting the traditional high-cost, high-touch formula in which candidates relied on a few wealthy, established political donors for large sums. This was the model the Obama campaign would later perfect and ride to the White House.
All across the country, ordinary people got involved in the 2004 presidential election with unusual passion and fervor. This was especially true for young people (the Millennials), who began to emerge as a major voice and force through edgy new groups such as League of Young Voters, Hip Hop
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