How Former President Obama Changed His Use Of The 2012 "Fired Up! Ready To Go" Chant In His Speech In Atlanta, Georgia During The 2026 Midterm Elections

LIVE: Barack Obama speaks at a rally with Jon Ossoff in Atlanta, Georgia

Associated Press, Streamed live on Oct 28, 2026

Watch live as former President Barack Obama attends a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, with Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post documents the change in Barack Obama's use of the words "Fired up! Ready to go” in some of his speeches during rallies for Democratic candidates in the United States 2026 midterm elections.

Instead of his previous use of  those words as a call & response chant, in his October 28, 2026 midterm speech in Atlanta, Georgia (and possibly at midterm rallies in other cities), former President Obama used those words as a question ("Are you fired up? Are you ready to go?") The rally attendees then responded to those questions with shouts of "Yes!" along with loud, enthusiastic applause.

The content of this post is presented for historical, political, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to former President Obama for his political and socio-cultural legacy. Thanks to Edith S. Childs for creating the "Fired up! Ready to go" chant. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube.  

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE "FIRED UP! READY TO GO" CHANT
SOURCE #1
From http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/04/the-story-of-fired-up-ready-to-go-119612.html
"The story of 'Fired up! Ready to go' by Byron Tau, April 4, 2012
"Late in the evening of November 5, 2012, towards the end of his final campaign speech of the 2012 Presidential campaign in Des Moines, Iowa, President Barack Obama re-told the story of the fired up/ready to go chant. He then told the crowd of 20,000 persons in attendance at that speech that he had invited the creator of that chant Edith S. Childs to join him & his wife Michelle in Iowa for that last campaign speech. However, President Obama said that Ms. Childs thanked him but said that she wouldn't be able to come to Iowa because she was going to be knocking on doors and helping to get people out to vote in North Carolina on election day November the 6th. President Obama said that showed that she was still fired up. He then led the people in the rally in that now iconic call & response chant:

"Fired up!"
(Fired up!")

"Ready to go!"
("Ready to go!")...

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SOURCE #2
From AI Overview
"Former President Barack Obama used his signature "fired up, ready to go" chant during late-October 2026 midterm campaign rallies to energize crowds for Democratic candidates.

Context of the Slogan in 2026

Campaign Trail Appearances: Obama revived the classic call-and-response chant during rallies ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections, appearing alongside candidates in key battleground areas like Detroit, Michigan and Georgia.”…
-snip-
This write-up continues with information about the origin of this “Fire Up! Ready to go” chant and Barack Obama’s past use of that chant. That information is covered in this 2026 pancocojams post https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-fired-up-ready-to-go-chant-comments.html  "The "Fired Up! Ready To Go!" Chant (Comments & Video) Complete reprint of a 2012 pancocojams post".

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THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE PORTION OF THE VIDEO THAT IS SHOWCASED AT THE TOP OF THIS POST  WHEN FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA USES THE WORDS "FIRED UP. READY TO GO"

[The time stamps for this portion of that video are from 42.16 to the end of that video.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAII15aXfUE

"But Georgia, I also know this.

This election can be a start because if we're willing to be turn out in big numbers across this state across

this country, if we're willing to vote for change up and down the ballot, then this election

might just mark the moment when we begin to leave our worst impulses behind and start aligning our politics with our highest ideals.

*So, I'm asking you right now, are you fired up? Are you ready to go?

Let's go make Keisha Lance Bottoms the next governor of Georgia.

Let's go re-elect your outstanding senator, John Ossoff.

Let's go get on the path to making this country everything that it can be.

Thank you and God bless you.

And may God bless the United States of America.

Come on."
-snip-
This transcription includes my correction of how these candidates' names were spelled in that video's transcript.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
It occurs to me that former President Obama's use of the words "Fire up! Ready to go" as questions to the rally attendees rather than as a call & response chant may be an example of how Americans have come to view political rallies as spectator/theater much more than as participatory experiences. 

"Call and response" chants, by their definition, mean that the group is expected to participate in that vocalization. That participation is near equal if not exactly equal in importance to the vocalization of the caller (the person who leads that chant).

In contrast, rally attendees who respond with affirmations including applause to a question that is directed to them doesn't have the same measure of importance and energy output as as rally attendees being the respondents of a call & response chant.

And, with regard to my earlier use of the word "theater", it seems to me that -much more than in the past-attending political rallies is a form of entertainment more than a way that attendees get informed, re-energized, and motivated to take a political action or actions (or- to use the words of that chant- to get "fired up" and ready to go".)

Another-much less important- example of this change from active participant to spectator/audience is the way that sport cheers occur/ed in standard American cheerleading in contrast to the way that sport cheers occur in African American stomp & shake cheerleading. In what I sometimes refer to as "Go Team Go!" standard cheerleading, the cheerleaders spell or say a word, and on cue, the crowd repeats that letter or word. In contrast, in stomp and shake cheerleading, the cheerleaders perform their cheer routines with no expectation or requirement that the crowd does anything more than respond with claps or yells at the end of that performance.

I'm not pontificating here on which way of cheering is better or worse. I'm just offering my reflections about the differences just as I'm thinking about the differences between the use or non-use of participatory call & response chants. I'll leave it to another pancocojams post or to others to speculate about what these differences and changes mean.

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The "Fired Up! Ready To Go!" Chant (Comments & Video) Complete reprint of a 2012 pancocojams post

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is a complete reprint of a 2012 pancocojams post with this title. This reprint includes the comment that I wrote that is the only comment in the discussion thread for that post.

This 2012 post remains in this pancocojams blog.

Comments to that post and this 2026 pancocojams post are welcome.

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/how-former-president-obama-changed-his.html for a closely related 2026 pancocojams post entitled "How Former President Obama Changed His Use Of The 2012 "Fired Up! Ready To Go" Chant In His Speech In Atlanta, Georgia During The 2026 Midterm Elections."

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The reprint of the 2012 pancocojams post begins here:

This pancocojams post showcases the story of the call & response chant "Fired Up! Ready To Go!" that then candidate Senator Barack Obama adopted for his 2008 United States Presidential campaign.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, political, and inspirational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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COMMENTS ABOUT THE FIRED UP READY TO GO CHANT
From http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/04/the-story-of-fired-up-ready-to-go-119612.html
The story of 'Fired up! Ready to go'
By BYRON TAU 4/4/12 12:29 PM EDT

"In honor of the one year anniversary of the kickoff of the 2012 Obama campaign, Chicago has released a video telling the story of the 2008 chant "Fired Up! Ready to go."

The video tells the tale of a 2007 Greenwood, S.C. rally where a supporter named Edith S. Childs helped create a chant that would set the tenor of the 2008 campaign.

"I'm Edith S. Childs from Greenwood, S.C. and I'm the one that got Barack Obama fired up," Childs says in the video".
-snip-
Late in the evening of November 5, 2012, towards the end of his final campaign speech of the 2012 Presidential campaign in Des Moines, Iowa, President Barack Obama re-told the story of the fired up/ready to go chant. He then told the crowd of 20,000 persons in attendance at that speech that he had invited the creator of that chant Edith S. Childs to join him & his wife Michelle in Iowa for that last campaign speech. However, President Obama said that Ms. Childs thanked him but said that she wouldn't be able to come to Iowa because she was going to be knocking on doors and helping to get people out to vote in North Carolina on election day November the 6th. President Obama said that showed that she was still fired up. He then led the people in the rally in that now iconic call & response chant:

"Fired up!"
(Fired up!")

"Ready to go!"
("Ready to go!")

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FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1 : Obama: "Fired Up? Ready To Go!"



DemRapidResponse, Uploaded on Nov 4, 2008

Manassas, Virginia, 11/3/08

Obama: Finally we get to Greenwood. We pull up -- first of all, you don't know you're in Greenwood right away when you get to Greenwood, there aren't a lot of tall buildings there. We pull up to a small building, a field house in the park. We go inside. And lo and behold, after an hour and a half drive, turns out there are twenty people there. Twenty people, and they all look kind of damp and kind of sleepy, like maybe they aren't really excited to be there either. But you know, I am a professional. Ive got to do what I got to do. [applause] So I go around, I'm shaking hands, I'm saying how ya doing, what are ya doing? [applause] Wait, wait. As I go around the room suddenly I hear this voice cry out behind me, "Fired Up!" And I'm shocked. I jump up. I dont know what's going on. But everybody else acts like this is normal and they say, "fired up." Then I hear this voice say, "ready to go!" And the other twenty people in the room, they act like this happens all the time, they say ready to go. I don't know what's going on. So I look behind me, and there's this small woman, about sixty years old, a little over five feet. It looks like she just came from church, got a big church hat. [laughter] And she's standing there and she looks at me and shes smiling. And she says, "fired up!"

Turns out she is a city councilwoman from Greenwood who also moonlights as a private detective -- I'm not making this up. [laughter] And it turns out she is famous for her chant. She does this wherever she goes, she says "fired up!" and everybody says "ready to go, ready to go." So for the next five minutes she proceeds to do this, "fired up" everybody says "ready to go." And I'm standing there and I'm thinking that I am being outflanked by this woman here. She's stealing my thunder. I look at my staff, they shrug their shoulders, they don't know how long this is going to go.

But here's the thing, Virginia -- after a minute or so, I'm feeling kind of fired up. [applause] I'm feeling like I'm ready to go. So I join in the chant. And it feels good. And for the rest of the day, even after we left Greenwood, even though it was still raining, even though I was still not getting big crowds anywhere, even though we hadn't gotten the endorsements of the people we were hoping for, somehow I felt a little lighter, I felt a little better. I'd see my staff, Id say, are you fired up? Theyd say we're fired up boss, are you ready to go?

Heres my point, Virginia -- that's how this thing started. It shows you what one voice can do. One voice can change a room; and if a voice can change a room, it can change a city; and if it can change a city it can change a state; and if change a state, it can change a nation; and if it can change a nation, it can change the world! Virginia, your voice can change the world tomorrow! [applause] In 21 hours, if you are willing, if you are willing to endure some rain, if you are willing to drag that person you know who was not going to vote to the polls, if you're willing to organize and volunteer in the offices, if you are willing to stand with me, if you are willing to fight with me, I know that your voice will matter.

So I've just got one question for you, Virginia. Are you fired up?
["Yeah"]
Are you ready to go?
["Yeah"]
Fired up?
["Fired Up!"]
Ready to go?
["Ready to Go!"]
Fired up?
["Fired Up!"]
Ready to go?
["Ready to Go!"]
Fired up?
["Fired Up!"]
Ready to go?
["Ready to Go!"]

Virginia, let's go change the world. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
-snip-
This transcription was given in the video summary but was reformatted for this post with minor punctuation corrections.

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Example #2: The Story of "Fired up! Ready to go!" - Obama for America 2012



BarackObamadotcom, Published on Apr 4, 2012

"Edith S. Childs is the one that got Barack Obama fired up.

While attending a small campaign event in Greenwood, South Carolina, then-Senator Obama first heard the chant "Fired up! Ready to Go!".

As then-Senator Obama shared in his pre-election night speech in Virginia:

"After a minute or so I'm feeling kind of fired up. I'm feeling like I'm ready to go! So I joined in the chant. And it feels good.

And for the rest of the day, even after we left Greenwood, I'd see my staff and I'd say,

'Are you fired up?'

They'd say 'We're fired up boss. Are you ready to go?'

I'd say, 'I'm ready to go.'

So some people start putting 'Fired up! Ready to go!' on their shirts. Some people start putting 'Fired up! Ready to go!' on signs. Everybody's saying 'Fired up!' and 'Ready to go!'

It shows you what one voice can do. One voice can change a room. And if a voice can change a room it can change a city. And if it can change a city it can change a state. And if it can change a state it can change the nation. And if it can change the nation it can change the world.

Your voice can change the world."

April 4th, 2012 is the one year anniversary of the 2012 campaign.

Help President Obama stand up for working Americans. Join this campaign now. https://my.barackobama.com/firedupreadytogovid">https://my.barackobama.com/firedupreadytogovid"

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ADDENDUM
[revised 11/9/2012]
Structure
The "Fired up! Ready to go!" chant is characteristic of African Americans' use of call & response statements in every day conversation as well as in vocal & instrumental music.

There are two types of call & response chants. Some call & response sayings are constructed so that the second part - the response - completes the first part - the call. An example of this is the saying "God is good". Those persons conversant in African American culture know that they are supposed to respond "All the time". I refer to this kind of call & response chant as a "completion chant".

From the video of this chant, "Fired Up! Ready to go" isn't voiced as a completion chant, but an "echo chant". The leader calls out "Fired up!" and another person or the group responds by repeating those same words. The leader then calls out "Ready to go!" and those words are repeated by the respondents. However, it's possible that "Fired up!" "Ready to go!" could also be said as a completion chant.

These two basic forms of call & response chants - "completion chants" and "echo chants" - are also found in call & response vocal and instrumental music. The next time you hear examples of call & response in African American music, in other music from Africa, in the African Diaspora, or elsewhere see if you can identify which form of call & response the vocalists are singing or playing.

**
How Ms. Child's Performed This Chant
In the video given above as Example #2 -as well as on her guest appearance on the Lawrence O'Donnell talk show on MSNBC - Ms. Child's chanted "Fired up! Ready to go!" two times with the same notes, but on the third & fourth repetition, she used a higher note* to chant the "fired up" line while chanting the "ready to go" line with the same note that she had previously used. Of course, this doesn't mean that this is the only way that this chant can be performed.

*This terminology may be wrong as I'm not a musician. But the point is that her voice went up the third & fourth time she chanted the words "fired up".

**
Definitions
Here's a vernacular definition of "fired up"

From http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080103005628AAtZUWv What does "fired up" mean [in English]?"

"get started
boot up the computer
load the software

fired up usually refers to get yourself started.
energized

i think its an idiom. phrase used by a culture"
-Barbara, 2007

**
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF CHANTS IN GENERAL AND THE "FIRED UP! READY TO GO" CHANT IN PARTICULAR
As documented by their use in civil rights demonstrations and political rallies, chants help to unify the people who are saying those words. And as also demonstrated by their religious and spiritual use, chants help to focus the chanters' attention and help to re-energize them.

Edith S. Childs' explanation of the reasons why she started the "Fired up! Ready to go!" chant during then Senator Obama's visit to her Greenwood, South Carolina illustrates the above-mentioned psychological functions of that chant.

The psychological importance of the "Fired up! Ready to go!" chant is also illustrated by President Obama's points about how that chant's repeated words helped energize him, and how he & his campaign team's subsequently used the "Fired up! Ready to go!" chant to boost their morale.

-snip-
It's a mark of President Obama's political savvy that he recognized the importance of political chants and the "Fire up! Ready to go!" chant in particular to energize himself and to energize his base.

**
Update - 11/7/2012 1:30 PM
People being "fired up & ready to go" resulted in the re-election of President Obama & Vice President Biden, as well as the re-election and election of a large number of Democrats. Congratulations!!

**
As the result of reading a post about this election, I came across the use of the phrase "fired us up". "To get people fired up" means to anger them. People who are angry may be described as having "fire in their bellies". And that "fire" (anger) may cause them to say or do something which may be needed.

An example is what happened in Florida and Ohio as a result of the Republican Governor's and the Republican Secretary of State's efforts to disenfranchise likely Democratic voters. In those states, those officials instituted various voter suppression tactics, including reducing the number of days and hours for early voting. This caused very long lines for voters on those specified early voting days and on election day. The idea was that in doing so, fewer Black people and Brown people (Latinos/Latinas) would vote because such long lines would discourage them. However, Black people and Brown people discouraged from voting, and other people remained in those long lines for three, four, five, and more hours to vote. These people may have already been "fired up and ready to go" (motivated to vote Democratic). But those obvious voter suppression tactics resulted in them being "fired up" (angry) and as a result of that anger, those Black people and Brown people and people of other races/ethnicity were even more determined to go out to vote and remain in those long lines to vote Democratic. My thanks to them!

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RELATED LINK

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9gWrWMM5Mc&feature=plcp for President Obama Full Speech in Des Moines, Iowa (11/5/12)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Edith S. Childs and President Barack Obama for their fired up & ready to go energy, vision, endurance, and commitment to make the United States and the world a better place for all.

Thanks also to the Obama Presidential campaign for producing and uploading this video and for all the other work that they did to help elect then Senator Obama and to help re-elect President Obama.

We are fired up and ready to go!

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REPRINT OF MY COMMENT THAT IS GIVEN IN THAT 2012 POST'S DISCUSSION THREAD:

Azizi PowellNovember 6, 2012 at 1:37 AM

The comments in my Addendum to this post aren't meant to distract from the importance and motivational aspects of the "Fired Up! Ready to to go" chant.

However, as a community folklorist, I'm interested in documenting, sharing information, and hopefully promoting discussion about the structure & different uses of call & response chants.

I also don't mean to imply that what I refer to as "completion call & response chants" and "echo call & response chants" are the only possible forms of chants.

A non-standard form of call & response chant that I've noticed occurs in a form of children's informal playground cheer that I've named "foot stomping cheers". A signature form of that cheer is that the "call" is actually from the group, and the response is from an individual in the group. The term I use for this form of call & response is "group/consecutive soloist" ("consecutive" because the cheer is repeated either exactly-except for identifying information such as the soloist's name or nickname- or the cheer is repeated with a relatively fixed rhyming lines until every member of the group has one turn as the soloist.

For more information and examples of "Foot Stomping Cheers", visit this page of my cultural website:

October 30, 2016 Update: I've deleted the link for the page on foot stomping cheers that was part of my multi-page cocojams.com website. Here's a link to a comparable pancocojams post:

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-foot-stomping-cheers.html "An Overview Of Foot Stomping Cheers (Part I- Characteristics, Sources, & Videos)". The link to Part II of that series is given in that post.]

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YouTube Video Of Former President Barack Obama Saying "Don't Fall For The Okey-Doke" In His Speech Supporting Democratic Candidates For The 2026 Midterm Election

 Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the saying "Don't fall for the okey-doke" with a focus on Barack Obama's inclusion of that saying before he became a United States President as well as during and after his presidency.

This post showcases a YouTube video of former President Barack Obama's use of the saying "Don't fall for the okey-doke" in his October 24, 2026 midterm election speech in Detroit Michigan. An excerpt of the transcript of that video is included in this post. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/barack-obamas-inclusion-of-saying-dont.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post focuses on Barack Obama's inclusion of inclusion of the African American saying "Don't fall for the okey-doke" before he became a United States President, during, and after his presidency.

The content of this post is presented for historical, political, etymological, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to President Barack Obama for his political and cultural legacy. Thanks to the videographer and publisher of this video on YouTube. 

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SHOWCASE VIDEO - Barack Obama reacts to Republican attacks on Abdul El-Sayed's name: 'This stuff didn't work on me'

USA TODAY,  Oct 24, 2026

Former President Barak Obama responded to attacks by republicans on Abdul El-Sayed name, referencing a controvery started by then New York real estate mogul Donald Trump over Obama's birth certificate. Trump's claims that Obama's birth certificate was fake were untrue, and ultimately didn't prevent Obama from winning re-election.

"We've seen this movie before," Obama said. "This stuff didn't work on me. Not in Michigan. It's not gonna work on Abdul."

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMYN_lnk1uc
-snip-
The saying "We are not gonna fall for the okey-doke" is given at 1:31 in this video.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT THIS TRANSCRIPTION
This transcription is given from 0.00 t0 5:29 of this YouTube video's automated transcript video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMYN_lnk1uc

This transcript is mostly given "as is" without any time stamps.

Two exceptions to that statement are my corrections of the spelling for the term "okey-doke" that was given as "okie-do" [around 1:31 in that transcript]  and my replacement of the name "Abdul" for the words "I do" that is given before the words "didn't like some of the things you did as president.." [around 2:28 of that transcript.]

This transcription also includes two instances of changing the punctuation for the sentence that is given  around 3:17 of that transcript.

In that video's automated transcript that sentence is given as "You think I'm I'm speaking facts now?"

My transcription gives that sentence as "You think I'm - I'm speaking facts now."

My addition of a hyphen indicates that former President Obama was going to say something else, but switched to the words "I'm speaking facts". Those words are often shortened online and offline to the word "Facts" and means that the person wants to emphasize that words that are being said are really the truth.

Former President Obama wasn't asking the rally attendees if they thought he was speaking facts (telling the truth). With that remark (given as an aside) , he was emphasizing that he was speaking facts (telling the truth) that his wife, Michelle Obama, doesn't agree with everything he says and lets him know that.

As it is given in that transcript, that sentence doesn't make any sense as a question in either African American Vernacular English or in standard English.

I believe that this particular transcript correction is an example of why it's important to factor in cultural nuances into transcriptions.  

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EXCERPT OF THE AUTOMATED TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS VIDEO 

"Now, I almost and I I emphasize almost feel bad for their Republican opponents.

Almost because after spending the last couple years, just singing this president's praises, doing anything he asked.

They've now come to realize, oops, folks are kind of upset with all these broken promises. So, so what are they doing? Well, there are a number of strategies.

Number one, they're pretending they've never heard of the guy.

Donald who? What? No, you know, don't know the guy. They avoid the subject ey're doing, which is part for the course, is running all kinds of scary ads to make you think Democrats or radicals or communists or jihadists or the woke police that will come arrest you and force feed you tofu instead of hamburgers.

We are not going to fall for that okey-doke.

We are not going to be bamboozled like that.

We're clear about the choice in this election.

Abdul is fighting for change. Real change. [cheering] Change that will bring an end to this war.

[cheering]

Change that will get money out of politics and put money in your pocket.

[cheering]

Change that will finish the job we started with the Affordable Care Act and guarantee quality affordable healthcare to every single American.

[cheering]

He's taking on He's taking on crony capitalism and corrupt politics that only benefits people with enough money and power to game a broken system in Washington at your expense.

And and and I'm you hear people say this is somehow radical. What What is radical about that? Wanting everybody to have healthcare, how's that radical?

Wanting everybody to have a place to live that they can afford. How is that radical?

Now, it doesn't, by the way, I you know, I want I want to talk about this. Some some of these folks say, "Well, you know, Abdul didn't like some of the things you did as president." Let me tell you something.

We are not going to agree on every detail of every issue,

[cheering]

you know. Yeah. So, Abdul didn't agree with some some things we wanted to do that we our administration was doing when I was president. You know who else doesn't agree with everything I I do?

Michelle Obama.

[cheering]

Michelle Obama. I'd say about five times a day, says, "You you knucklehead." What? Why you do that?"

You think I'm - I'm speaking facts now.

Disagreeing on means is different from disagreeing on ends on on our goals.

We when people who share your fundamental values are are are arguing for I think we can go this way and do it that way. That's the kind of disagreement we want in a democracy.

And Abdul shares my values of wanting everybody to get healthcare. who shares my values. That if you work hard every day, you should

[cheering]

have a living wage.

And you should be able, if you're a young person starting a family, to be able to buy a house that you can afford.

And that you shouldn't have to pay six bucks every time you fill up a tank of gas to get to work.

We share those values of making sure everybody gets a fair shot in this society and that the system's not just run for those at the top for the high and mighty, those who can afford a lobbyist.

And I can also tell you this from experience. Whenever a movement builds to challenge that broken system, the people who benefit from the status quo will say and do anything to stop that train from coming.

They will use lies and they will use fear and they will use division and they may even use your name or your faith to somehow suggest that you are dangerous and and less than trustworthy and less patriotic and less American than they are. We have seen this movie before. I starred in it.

I was I'm I'm I'm I'm the I I was I was I I I've got a a long form birth certificate." ....

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Barack Obama's Inclusion Of The African American Saying "Don't Fall For The Okey-Doke" In His Political Speeches From 2008-2026

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on the African American saying "Don't fall for the okey-doke"/

This post focuses on Barack Obama's inclusion of inclusion of the African American saying "Don't fall for the okey-doke" before he became a United States President, during, and after his presidency.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/former-president-barack-obama-includes.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post showcases a YouTube video of former President Barack Obama's inclusion of the African American saying "Don't fall for the okey-doke" in his October 24, 2026 midterm election speech in Detroit Michigan. An excerpt of the transcript of that video is included in that post. 

The content of this post is presented for historical, political, etymological, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to President Barack Obama for his political and cultural legacy. Thanks to AI Overview and Chris Sunami for researching and sharing this information that is presented in this post. 

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INFORMATION ABOUT BARACK OBAMA'S USE OF THE SAYING "DON'T FALL FOR THE OKEY-DOKE"
These quotes are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Additions and corrections are welcome.

SOURCE #1
From AI Overview  [This write-up is the result of my October 29, 2026 query about the meaning of this saying and whether it was from African American Vernacular English]. 

" "The okey-doke" evolved to mean "a con" or a deceptive trick through ironic semantic shifting from the cheerful agreement of "okey-dokey," and it has a rich history deeply tied to African American Vernacular English (AAVE).

Origin and Meaning as a Con

• From Assent to Deception: "Okey-dokey" arose in the early 1930s as a playful, rhyming reduplication of the word "OK".

• The Irony of Agreement: The shift from a harmless sign of agreement ("sure thing, everything is fine") to a noun meaning a setup or swindle relies on irony. "The okey-doke" describes a situation where smooth talk, false friendliness, and faux-assurances are used to lower a person's guard right before they are exploited or betrayed. To "fall for the okey-doke" means letting yourself be fooled by a polished presentation.

Is it from AAVE?

• Early African American Usage: While the base term "okey-dokey" began as general American slang, the specific noun usage meaning a trick, scheme, or con ("that's just a bunch of okey-doke") was heavily shaped and popularized within African American speech during the 1930s.

• Cultural Preservation: Over the decades, it remained a prominent fixture in AAVE and Black radio culture before entering broader mainstream American political and cultural lexicon."...

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SOURCE #2
From https://popculturephilosopher.com/dont-fall-for-the-okey-doke/ "Don't Fall For the Okey-Doke - The Pop Culture Philosopher" by August 25, 2016 Chris Sunami

…."If, as some have speculated, Trump doesn’t care about his perception among actual black Americans, and is merely trying to rehabilitate his racial reputation among queasy white Republicans, perhaps this is enough to turn the trick.  But if his aim is to actually improve his standing in the black community, then I contend –in opposition to Adams’ belief that persuasion is everything –that Trump could deliver a speech penned by Dr. Cornel West himself, and barely move the needle.  The reason is the okey-doke.

Many people were first introduced to this term when then-candidate Obama used it during the 2008 primaries, or when he used it again recently in reference to the Republican agenda.  As many have speculated, it’s coded speech aimed directly at a black audience, but I’ll be glad to here explain it openly and directly:

The term is a parodic reference to the characteristic Midwestern phrase “okey-dokey,” itself a jocular varient of the word “okay,” meaning everything is great.  “The okey-doke” is when people smile at you, and make overtures of friendship, and assure you all things are fine, and that they have all your best interests in mind; when the real truth is the exact opposite.  To fall for the “okey-doke” is to believe that someone wants to be your friend when he is really just biding his time waiting to betray or exploit you –or is in fact already doing so.

The truth is that the black community has fallen for –or at the least been exposed to –the okey-doke so many times, that the community as a whole has built up a certain level of resistence to persuasion, even as delivered by a master.  Even if the media has already forgotten, we still remember Trump started his career discriminating against black people in his housing, and throwing us out of his casino. We still remember his race-baiting vigilantism in the case of the Central Park Jogger. We certainly haven’t forgot his weakly disavowed endorsement from Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke.  Above all, we know that when someone begins his political career with a promise to deport all Mexicans, and follows up with a call for banning all Muslims, it’s only a matter of time before he works his way around to some sort of final solution for the “black problem” as well.  For all those reasons, and despite “friends” like Dennis Rodman and Omarosa, or endorsements from Dr. Ben Carson and a host of prosperity-preaching pastors, Trump isn’t going to get much beyond his current 1% black support, no matter how many persuasive speeches he makes.

[…]

America, don’t fall for the okey-doke."

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SOURCE #3
From AI Overview [This write-up is the result of my October 29, 2026 request for a chronology of Barack Obama's use of the saying "Don't fall for the okey-doke" along with those comments.] 

"Former President Barack Obama has frequently used the African-American slang phrase "Don't fall for the okey-doke" (meaning a trick, scam, or deception) as a signature campaign trail idiom. Throughout his political career from 2008 to 2026, he deployed the phrase to warn voters against getting hoodwinked by political opponents or falling into voter apathy.

The primary dates, contexts, and comments of his most notable uses include:

1. The 2008 Presidential Campaign

 • Late 2007 / Early 2008 (Democratic Primaries): Obama heavily popularized the phrase on the trail in South Carolina (such as a notable speech in Sumter) and Mississippi.

            • The Context: Hillary Clinton’s campaign suggested that Obama could serve as her vice-presidential running mate.

            • His Comments: Obama explicitly told a crowd in Columbus, Mississippi, that the VP suggestion was an example of "the old okey-doke," adding that the Clinton camp was trying to "bamboozle" or "hoodwink" voters into thinking they could vote for her and still get both of them on the ticket.

November 2, 2008 (General Election Eve): Speaking to crowds in Columbus, Ohio, just before winning the presidency.• The Context: Countering economic promises and policy pivots made by Republican nominee John McCain.

• His Comments: "Don't be hoodwinked... don't be bamboozled, don't fall for the okey-doke." 

2. The Presidency & Midterms (2016) 

• June 1, 2016: A major economic speech delivered in Elkhart, Indiana.

            • The Context: Criticking the Republican party's economic platform and anti-regulatory rhetoric during the emerging general election cycle.

            • His Comments: He urged working-class voters not to fall for the conservative talking points regarding deregulation, framing their economic promises as a deceptive trick.

• November 1, 2016: Campaigning for Hillary Clinton in Columbus, Ohio.

            • The Context: Attacking Donald Trump's populist appeal to working-class Americans.

            • His Comments: "This guy? Don't be bamboozled. Don't run for that okey-doke."

November 7, 2016: General Election Eve rally in Ann Arbor/Flint, Michigan.• The Context: One final push to mobilize the Democratic base against Donald Trump.

• His Comments: "Manufacturing jobs have grown at the fastest rate since the '90s... So when I tell you that Donald Trump is not the guy who's going to look out for you, you need to listen. Do not be bamboozled. Don't fall for the okey-doke." 

3. Post-Presidency Midterm Rallies (2018–2022) 

• November 2, 2018: Campaigning for Florida Democrats (Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson) in Miami.

            • The Context: Warning voters about being distracted by late-campaign GOP talking points and fear tactics.

            • His Comments: Using a pop-culture analogy, he said: "Remember Peanuts right?... Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football... She pull the ball away and he'd fall on his back... Don't be Charlie Brown—don't fall for the okey-doke. Don't be bamboozled."

• October 2022: Midterm campaign blitz stops in Wisconsin (October 29) and Las Vegas, Nevada (November 1).

• The Context: Combating voter apathy, disillusionment, and the urge for young voters to "tune out" the toxic political climate.

• His Comments: "If you're scared, if you're anxious, if you're frustrated, don't complain... Don't get distracted. Don't get bamboozled. Don't fall for the okey-doke that says nothing you say or do matters... Get off your couch and do what? Vote!" 

4. Midterm Campaigning (2026)

• October 24, 2026: Midterm mobilization rally in Detroit, Michigan.

            • The Context: Pushing back against aggressive Republican attack ads labeling progressive and mainstream Democrats as dangerous extremists.

            • His Comments: Chuckling at claims that his party was composed of "radicals or communists or jihadis or the woke police," Obama told the crowd: "We are not going to fall for that okey-doke." He went on to defend standard platforms like affordable housing and universal healthcare as fundamentally common-sense rather than radical."
-snip-
I recall watching a YouTube video of former President Barack Obama including the saying "Don't fall for the okey-doke" during his similar speech at the midterm political rally on October 24, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. That Cleveland, Ohio rally was held prior to his speech on the same day in Detroit, Michigan. 

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This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.

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