I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
-Martin Luther King at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (August 28, 1963)
And that is what happened last night.
But it wasn’t until this morning that I realized... TRULY REALIZED... what the impact would be of having a Black man elected to the Presidency of the United States.
Yeah... DUH, Bev... he’s been Black all along, how could you not know?
Look, I made no secret that I was against many, if not most, of the Obama/Biden economic plans, but you see THAT is what makes MLK’s words so profound. THAT is the fulfillment of MLK’s dream— to me, Obama wasn’t a Black man running for President, he was a MAN running for President. Period.
But this morning, I saw film of all the Black men and women watching Obama’s acceptance speech with tears of joy on their faces. Repeated over and over again from people from all walks of life- from Black newscasters to just average, everyday Black supporters- was that “For the first time, I can TRUTHFULLY tell my son/daughter that, in America, you can be anything you want to be.” Then, after, listening to snippets of Dr. King’s speech throughout the morning, a speech I’ve heard a thousand times, I got it. I felt the awesome enormity of this historic milestone. And I have to tell you that MY tears started flowing too.
Or as John McCain said about Obama in his gracious and heartfelt speech last night, “...his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.”
And the thing is, it’s not just the Black population that has been inspired by Obama’s election. It’s EVERY minority, and it’s women; it’s people in OTHER countries, and it’s young people of EVERY race.
So, you know what? I think Obama’s election WILL bring about a change for the better. He has excited and united a whole lot of people that felt apathetic toward and disenfranchised by the government of this country and hopefully they will continue to vote, to care, to be involved, to be motivated to make their lives better.
So, now I say to President-Elect Obama, Vice-President-Elect Biden, and to the overwhelmingly Democratic Congress: keep the momentum going-- MAKE THINGS BETTER. You've got a clear path, with few checks and balances. You have no partisan excuses; there’s nowhere for you to point the finger of blame when entitlements are added to important bills. Do right by this country, and leave us in better shape than we were when you took the helm.
As John McCain went on to say, “Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.”
John McCain November 4, 2008:
Barok Obama November 4, 2008 Part 1 of 2
Barok Obama November 4, 2008 Part 2 of 2
Oh, and Arkansas? Consider yourselves slapped upside the head. WHAT were you thinking?! And California? You guys just plain confuse the hell outta me.
6 comments:
Whoa, whoa, whoa, what about Californians? Is this about the gay constitutional rights in that state. I've only heard snipits about what's happening.
You know, I wasn't always in Obama's court, and I did think he was mostly talking sweet rhetoric that people want to hear. But one thing I always did feel about Obama is that I think he does have the capacity to unite both parties, or that he's a lot less threatening than the other candidates were in the beginning. And that he also is someone that the rest of the world could accept and respect, and that goes a long way with me.
On the domestic front, well, lets just hope he can actually get stuff done and that having most of the power now doesn't go to Dems. heads.
As far as this being a momentous moment, I was in awe last night when he was called.Really, I'm so proud that I'm living during this event and that I participated. Although I was a bit pissed that the poles were barely closed here in WA and it was over.
Oh and as far as seeing Obama as black as opposed to just a man, I've never thought of him as black, so that never came up for me. But I did think of McCain as a really old shriveled man. Am I agist????
You know, the only thing that would be even more historic is if he had been a Black WOMAN! LOL Calling Connie Rice!
And yeah, McCain just looked so much older in contrast to Obama, didn't he? Whereas, if his opponent had been the usual old white guy... well, damn... he'd STILL look old wouldn't he?
Oh yeah, I'm referring to the gay marriage proposition in California. I mean it's legal, then it's not, then it's legal, then it's not. Geesh! I always thought Californians were supposed to be cutting edge... liberal... open minded.
And I'm also pointing out that the asshats in Arkansas voted to make it illegal to adopt a child if you are gay. WOW! Hard to believe there's that much ignorance left in this country.
I make no secret that I am an Obama fan (I am the lone democrat in my family)... I was so happy when Obama won, but I think I was more moved by McCains concession speech... I saw the McCain I liked so much in 2000 (and would have voted for then)...
I just hope that the honeymoon lasts awhile, and the politics of division takes a back seat to fixing the problems this country faces... Lets face it, we will ALL be making huge sacrifices in order to clean up this financial mess..
I worry that too many people look at Obama as Santa Claus, no matter who is in power, its going to be a tough several years..
I agree with you about Arkansas and California... I never thought I would see a day where people would vote to TAKE AWAY peoples rights.. wow...
Especially with the adoption thing, jeez, its not like there is a scarcity of foster or kids up for adoption out there... Its scary when hate trumps love... and on a day that people rejected (for the most part) the fear campaign against Obama (my mother is still convinced he is a muslim sleeper and will outlaw her bible the day after he is inaugerated)
wytherin
I mean it's legal, then it's not, then it's legal, then it's not. Geesh! I always thought Californians were supposed to be cutting edge... liberal... open minded.
We've kind of had the same problem here in WA over the years. This year there was a charter amendment protecting gay rights, which has passed. But why it keeps coming up defies logic because we're very liberal here, especially in Seattle area. And I remember being shocked that a gay rights amendment failed a couple of years ago. WTF?
I think what happens is that very liberal minded people maybe aren't as vocal as the religious right who are the main groups that get out there and fight these amendments.
Every time something like this comes up for a vote, you see on the news constantly the religious groups being very outspoken and vocal. And I think that has an effect.
About Arkansas--I wonder why that is even an issue to be voted on? I mean how many gay people live there want to adopt?
I'm sure it's not an epidemic at any rate that citizens have to get all up in arms about their(right)way of life being threatened.
What I find TRULY ironic, is that the unusually high turnout of Black voters is now being pointed to as the main reason that Gay Rights were defeated-- Black churches tend to encourage homophobia.
I do find it interesting that a class of people whom have been so discriminated against are all for discriminating against another class of people...
wytherin
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