We can learn from this...
Of course, the obvious is that in America, you don't have to be white and have a rich daddy to achieve the highest office in the land. In fact, you can even have a name that not only sounds foreign, it can resemble the name of the most notorious terrorist in history. Oh, and by the way, your middle name can be exactly the same as the last name of an infamous middle-eastern dictator.
I'm sorry...if Barack can overcome all of that, how out-of-reach are your dreams? To me, more things seem possible now. Maybe I could be president someday.
Secondly, despite the mess that is the electoral college, I've learned that each of us has a voice and can make a difference. With that knowledge comes responsibility. If the new president or any of the other elected reps don't do what they promised, I HAVE TO USE MY VOICE--not as a radio person but as a citizen. I am obligated to let them know they work for us and hold their feet to the fire if they don't perform. In my view, this has been the missing ingredient and why there is such a disconnect between the government and the people. We've sat on our hands and let them use their jobs to line their pockets and make decisions for all the wrong reasons. When lobbyists have more access than we do, the system is wack. I got all hip hop on ya right there.
The final lesson for me is steadiness. He just kept plodding along, ignoring the haters, staying on point with his central message of change. Newsweek had both candidates on the cover a couple weeks ago with the question, "How important is temperament?" Some called that an obvious effort by the liberal media to point out Obama's biggest strength. Regardless, it's undeniable that Obama seemed unflappable through this entire campaign. He just kept plugging along, ignoring most of the criticism and repeating his central message, which obviously many believed was truthful. There was no in-fighting or inner circle scandal in his camp. Scientists say a flock of birds can fly 70% farther when aligned in their instinctive "V formation". It appears that Obama was able to utilize that secret weapon with his huge collection of staff and volunteers.
I was up until 2:30 last night watching TV, not wanting this historic night to end. I was unduly impressed and touched by Senator McCain's heartfelt, "got your back" concession speech. I think it was his finest moment, and he's had a few to choose from. What a good man. I think he would have made a fine president. Obama's speech to the massive crowd in Grant Park in downtown Chicago gave me chills. It didn't become real for me until then.
I won't lie. While I decided just a few weeks ago that Senator Obama would be my choice, I wasn't an uber-fan. (I'm not real big on paying more taxes or of further socializing our country.) But watching that speech was a life moment...up there with the moon landing when i was just a little kid. That was HISTORY and I was proud of him and especially proud of us for getting over the surface-level objections of his skin color and unusual name.
To those who were passionately supporting McCain, I understand what you're going through. It sucks to lose, especially when you're 100% sure you're right. :) It's easy to dismiss everyone on the other side as stupid or naive. I've done it and there have been times I pre-judged and ended up being wrong. I urge you to reserve judgment and give "the rookie" a chance to prove himself. He overcame more obstacles to get here than perhaps any candidate in history...I think we owe him a grace period.
I'm glad it's over. I know a lot of people are. It's the first election I can remember that had a passion meter up there with American Idol. To me, McCain and Obama were Archuletta and Cook. Both great. I was ultimately okay with either one winning. Finally favoring one but not discounting the other.
Senator Barack Obama will be our next president, and I will pray for him and his family and hope like crazy he can accomplish what he's promised. The nation needs a leader now maybe more than we ever have.
I welcome your thoughts but ask that you try to avoid long dissertations about your views. I tried not to do that so I hope you will too.
"Let America Be America Again"
by Langston Hughes
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.
(It never was America to me.)
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")
Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?
I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!
I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.
Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home--
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."
The free?
Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay--
Except the dream that's almost dead today.
O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!
O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!
--Kidd
Add a Comment
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Comment by Teia on November 11, 2008 at 11:02am - Its a hard call to make..but GReat Blog =)
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Comment by Megatron on November 11, 2008 at 10:36am - This seemingly impossible event occurred because the vast majority of white Americans didn't give a fluff about skin color, and enthusiastically pulled the voting lever for a black man. Not just any black man. A very liberal black man who spent his early career race-hustling banks, praying in a racist church for 20 years, and actively worked with America-hating domestic terrorists. Wow! Some resume! Yet they made Barak Obama their leader.
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Comment by Stepy on November 11, 2008 at 9:28am - I think its funny that people keep saying its history in the making with Obama in the whitehouse. First of all hes not even full black, he's half black and half white, so its like a foot in the door. Second, if McCain won, Palin would be the first women to officially be in the whitehouse (Hilary doesnt fully count, she was like a foot in the door). It is kinda sad that votes were made based on color or sex, people should vote based on morels, views, and beliefs.
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Comment by Kathy on November 10, 2008 at 9:05pm - First, let me say that I am a Southern Baptist, not Catholic, and opposed to abortion. However, I do not believe that I nor anyone else has the right to be condescending nor judgemental to someone based on his/her choice for President. If a person votes for a candidate whose platform is in direct contradiction to his religious beliefs, that's between him and God. I'm sure every Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, (I would add more denominations but some are just too hard to spell.) can easily think of a decision that he/she made that was in direct opposition to what was taught in the Bible. I don't even want to think about my own decisions that were contradictory to what I've been taught in church!!! Anyway, my point is this: quit complaining about how other people voted and do something positive... like praying for our new leader and our country. No offense intended to anyone. Kidd, I am just impressed that you actually read these responses! That's so impressive to me! By the way, how tall are you actually? :-)
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Comment by TxKat on November 10, 2008 at 1:58pm - You know, I agree that the Republican party has certainly not done enough, but they have at least done some things. NARAL certainly seems to be concerned about what they've done (see http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/files/Abortion-Access-to-Abortion-FOCA.pdf). It's not just about having a Republican president who will appoint a SCJ to overturn R v. W. You are right--slim chance. But it is about a pro abortion Democrat who wants to pass legislation, the so-called 'Freedom of Choice Act', that will stretch the limits of the right to kill the unborn to unprecedented and unfathomable limits. Racism, torture, genocide, immigration, war, and the economy are all important issues, and we could discuss each one individually, but I know that's not what you intended to do with this blog. None of those issues hold a candle to 50 million dead babies who, by the way, are also victims of racism, torture and genocide. The US Council of Catholic Bishops made this clear and I think there is no doubt where the Holy Father stands on this issue. Thank you for allowing me to express my view and giving a response. I have been a listener and fan of yours since before Caroline was born and it grieves me have this conversation with you. If you would like to continue to discuss this privately, please e-mail me.
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Comment by Kidd Kraddick on November 10, 2008 at 9:08am -
That was a very tough call for me, I'm not going to lie. Abortion is a key factor for me but not the only factor.
I had to ask myself (and others) if a Catholic can support a Pro-Choice candidate. Can there be a reverence for life that embraces a larger set of values?Just like Bishop Zavala of the archdiocese of LA said, "I believe what the church teaches... that one abortion is too many. That's why I believe abortion is so important. But in light of this, there are many other issues we need to bring up, other issues we should consider, other issues that touch the reality of our lives." He went on to say that racism, torture, genocide, immigration, war and the impact of the economy on "the most vulnerable" -- should play a role in Catholics' voting decisions. My faith does not require me to vote for a party that seems to make a pretense of opposing abortion. They have had numerous opportunities to do much more to end abortion and haven't even tried. I feel like they dig up the anti-abortion line every four years to get the votes of the faithful. The slim odds of having a Republican president appoint a Supreme Court justice that will overturn Roe v Wade did not (to me and me alone) justify ignoring all other issues. That's partly why I became one of the MAJORITY of Catholic voters who chose Obama.
I respect your view though and thank you for expressing it.
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Comment by TxKat on November 10, 2008 at 1:12am
- I'm with Baylor/Midway mom. I don't think I am as nice as she is, though. As a Catholic, I have to tell you that I am really disappointed in your decision to vote for someone who is so vehemently pro abortion. When you announce to the world that you are Catholic and then do something in direct opposition to the faith that you claim to hold, it's a huge let down.
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Comment by Spurgeon's possee on November 10, 2008 at 12:26am - What an awesome election process. The news media and commentaries were full of enthusiasm. The vote was the winner here this day. Everyone cared enough to go out a make the personal effort to select a candidate. The President Elect-Obama is responsible for igniting the average person to vote. Now we need to be aware of all the issues we NEED to vote in our own city/county areas. The people should feel empowered! Our economy needs more every day man's votes -change the destiny of your town or city..vote more often. See what a difference it can make?
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Comment by Spurgeon's possee on November 10, 2008 at 12:21am
- I was so proud to have been able to vote. Women were not eligible for nearly 100 years to vote in America. Now-we the people of all generations/colors and religions are voting! Wow..think of what we can do to this economy if we all continue to get out of our "comfort zones." My daughters can say they saw history! I know we have a future with better things for our selves and our next generation. Now is the time for our nation to unite and divide and conquer our enemies. Make America the world power she is truly meant to be. Let's bring the energy crisis to a halt by letting our great minds and scientist be allowed to consider alternate sources. Let the big lobbyist for oil go home empty handed. God Bless American and guide all the new leaders
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Comment by Kidd Kraddick on November 9, 2008 at 11:00pm
- Hi Baylor Midway Mom. Thanks for saying that "your family will continue to love me." That's a really nice thing to say and makes me much more open to any criticism you may have to offer.
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