Whatever side of the political fence you’re on, you must admit that nobody running for presidential office in 2007 or 2008 can deliver a speech quite like Barack Obama. Just like — as both a Democrat but also one who resides in Arizona — I can say many positive things about Senator John McCain, Obama’s ability to inspire, fire up, engage, draw laughter and tears (sometimes within the same five minutes) from the most diverse crowds on both ends of the political spectrum is admirable, enviable, and thrilling. Thus, it makes the endless comparisons to JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. seem warranted and at the same time, reminds us that in the future, other politicians, as Michelle Obama noted in her UCLA rally speech, will be held up to the same public speaking “bar” that he continually leaps over once it's set.
In the wake of 24 hour news channels, political pundits and bloggers, fake news hosts on Comedy Central, and YouTube, it’s easy for speeches to get distorted and misleadingly edited to whatever selective reality the “producer” of the content decides to put forth. So in order to avoid the sound bites and spin that distract and distort rather than engage and inspire, host Pearl Jr. notes that the purpose of the ROCKCITY and MVD’s DVD Barack Obama: The Power of Change was to not only give viewers a chance to own their own personal piece “of history” (making it valuable for school and university libraries) but also present several important speeches associated with Obama’s historic presidential campaign.
Offering viewers the opportunity to jump directly to the speeches they most want to analyze and/or cherish, the well-intentioned yet uneven and poorly executed disc doesn’t quite provide as unfiltered of a presentation as our host had promised. Beginning with Obama’s famous announcement in Illinois, the film footage of what is inarguably one of the most momentous political events of our generation is hindered by home video quality footage that’s difficult to hear at times.
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