If Barack Obama was the Mayor of Durham

What would Durham’s “state of the city address” have been like if it was delivered by presidential hopeful Barack Obama instead of Mayor Bill Bell?

Well, first of all, I can guarantee city hall would have been packed (although, it’s likely that even with a packed crowd the public-to-journalist ratio still may have been in the range 10-to-1 range that Kevin referenced in his Bull City Rising blog.)

Independent Weekly editor Lisa Sorg speculated how the annual address might have been different in her most recent column. Her rendition includes some words Obama is known for dropping, such as “hope” and “change.” This may be the most spot on paragraph in her psuedo-speech:

Yes, we have challenges, but we also have hope. We hope someone will visit downtown after six o’clock. We hope someone will pay $60 to see a show at the Durham Performing Arts Center. We hope, someday, someone will speak of Durham without uttering the words “Duke” and “lacrosse.”

Anyone else want to try their hand at guessing what Mayor Bell’s speech would have sounded like if it were delivered by John Edwards, John McCain or maybe even Ron Paul?