Four years ago, at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, then vice-presidential nominee John Edwards delivered a speech proclaiming, “Hope is on the way”. Everyone seemed to believe that Sen. Edwards was talking about the hope that a new Kerry administration would bring. The next evening, Sen. Kerry picked up the theme and changed it to “Help is on the way”.

Perhaps this was a mistake. We Americans are proud and self-reliant. We don’t want help. We just want a fair chance, a level playing field, a country where all people are created equal and all people have the same fair chance. The hoped for Kerry administration did not come about, and instead the Bush administration, which seemed more interested in protecting cronies with cushy jobs at the head of FEMA or no bid contracts, continued to cause our country to slip further and further behind.

Now, four years later, perhaps we can see that Sen. Edwards’ words were partly true. The Democratic Party would run another candidate who would bring hope to all Americans. That candidate had been the keynote speaker the night before and is now the Democratic Party Presidential Nominee.

If he is elected, will Barack Obama be able to deliver on the goals he proclaimed last night? This is a question I’ve been coming across on various blogs today. With that, I refer back to another Democratic Presidential candidate in 2004. Gov. Dean regularly told people, “The biggest lie people like me tell people like you, is that if you vote for me, I will solve all your problems. The truth is, you have the power.”

Sen. Obama understands that real change comes from the bottom up. He understands enabling those who want to claim and use their power for good, in part, by helping them to have hope again.

So, let’s work together to make sure that this time, hope is really on the way.