Barack Obama speaks at a rally in Jacksonville, Florida.
The final day of a history-making, 21-month-long presidential campaign turned out to be a bittersweet one for Barack Obama, as he learned that the white grandmother who had helped raise him had died in her sleep, and would not live to see whether her grandson would become the nation's first African-American president. Madelyn Dunham "was one of those quiet heroes that we have all across America," Obama told supporters on a rain-sodden field at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. "They aren't seeking the limelight. All they're trying to do is do the right thing." As Obama spoke, tears rolled down his right cheek; at that display of public anguish by a candidate who almost always has his emotions in check, the crowd of 25,000 went briefly silent.
Less than two weeks ago, Obama had suspended his campaign to make a 22-hour trip home to Honolulu for a last visit with his 86-year-old grandmother, who had been in poor health for a long time. The Illinois Senator learned of her death around 8 a.m. on Monday, but carried on with his campaign schedule without making it public until late in the afternoon. "He was prepared for it, and he knew. I think he was very, very gratified that he had been able to say goodbye," his chief strategist David Axelrod said, in explaining Obama's stoicism. "He feels he has a job to do here, and he's doing it. And that's what she would want."
Nor was that the only sad news of what was supposed to have been a triumphal day for Obama. Terence Tolbert, Obama's Nevada state director, died suddenly of a heart attack Sunday at the age of 44.
The Democratic nominee spent the last full day of his presidential campaign in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia-all three of them states that George W. Bush won four years ago and Obama is either tied or leading in. "I have one word for you-tomorrow. We are one day away from changing the United States of America," he declared at every stop. "Tomorrow, you can put an end to the politics that would divide a nation just to win an election." He recalled how he began his quest for the nomination as an underdog in February, 2007, on the steps of the state capitol in Springfield, Illinois. "We knew this was going to be a steep climb," he declared at his final rally in Manassas Park, Va, to a late-night crowd of 90,000. "This happened because of you. We are going to change this country because of you."
Obama continued his criticism of John McCain, but began it with an expression of respect for his GOP opponent. As he put it to the crowd in Jacksonville, Fla.: "Sen. McCain has served this country honorably and at the end of this long race I want to congratulate him on the tough race that he has fought." But Obama added: "The truth is John McCain has stood with President Bush every step of the way. . He still hasn't explained to the American people a single thing he would do differently from George Bush when it comes to the economy."
In the one unscheduled stop of the day, less than an hour after Dunham's death had been announced, Obama popped into his campaign office in Charlotte and made a few phone calls to uncommitted voters. He did not mention his grandmother to the campaign volunteers there, who were stunned and thrilled at his arrival. But his upbeat mood suddenly changed in the middle of one of the telephone calls, when the voter to whom he was talking brought up the subject of home health care for the elderly.
"This is happening in my own family, and in addition to Social Security and Medicare one of the things that I think is really important is [utilizing] home care a lot more," Obama said, suddenly looking sad and tired. "My grandmother was able to stay [at] home all the way until recently."
(See pictures of Barack Obama's family tree.)
(See pictures of Barack Obama's campaign behind the scenes.)