Obama
We won. We knew in advance that we'd win, but that doesn't matter because WE WON!
Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel about it. I obviously feel really good about it, very happy, but there's a lot more going on than just that. I'm not sure how to describe it. I'm relieved but also not. We won...but what next? This doesn't mean that our problems are gone, and it doesn't mean that the people who caused them---aka Republicans---are out of the picture. I was hoping for a veto-proof majority in the Senate, but we didn't get it. (I knew it was an overly-lofty goal from the start.) Our "landslide" both is and isn't exactly that. We only won by 5% in the popular vote, but we're probably going to have an 80-seat margin in the House, and about a 15-seat margin in the Senate. So it's not all that close, really.
I guess I'm trying to figure out what's next. Obama certainly has the right ideas: hard work, determination, shared sacrifice. I expected no less from him. But this doesn't mean that the right-wing fuckers are going away. Every news/"news" show (e.g. ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN) is very likely going to continue slanting conservative with their guests and their stories; that's the way the corporate media operates. And the anti-American crowd on the right is still going to be doing their thing (bloviating). We still have to put up with the same assholes pushing us in the wrong direction.
My friend had this status update tonight (thank you, Izzy). "Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so our children can fly." That *is* why Obama ran, and why he won. He envisions an America where we are strong not because of our might but because of our hearts. That's exactly what he said in his speech tonight. It's weird, I realize that this is a huge victory for civil rights, but---being white and privileged (sorry for the redundancy)---that doesn't occur to me right away. He's the best candidate of our lifetimes not because of his skin color but because of his heart and his mind (although his experience of being black improves and enriches his being), and his heart and mind are what I think of first with him. The comparison with Jackie Robinson is rather obvious because they're both firsts, but also because of why they in particular were the firsts. Jackie got the shot because was exceptional at his job of baseball (hitting, running, fielding, etc.). Barack got his shot because he's an exceptional politician (deeply insightful, mellifluous, direct, inspiring, thoughtful, etc.). To talk about either man merely in terms of being The First is to ignore their prodigious skills in their chosen professions. (I'm not at all looking forward to the media's spin, which will be all about his being The First---and no, I don't mean like in Buffy, cos he's quite the opposite of that.) Of course, Obama is still largely potential---but look at what he's already done with his potential. He has evaluated, articulated, and addressed the legion difficulties of a brutally long campaign, and he's done it masterfully and gracefully. His brilliance in that task assures me (yet again) that he's up to the far more complex task of doing the same with the problems of and in our country.
I've bitched a lot about an overly-strong focus on Obama's race rather than his amazing character and political skills, but I must add this. I've thought for a long time that I would see a black president in my lifetime. Racism is incomprehensibly ridiculous, and today's young people aren't as afflicted by its impossibility as were past generations. So I figured we were moving in the right direction and that we'd eventually get there ("there" being a society where a black president is no longer anything special or unusual). But this was all abstract, distant, taking place in the unspecified future. To see it not only happen, but happen in my youth is....... It's safe to say this could never have happened without an exceptional person---and an exceptional supporting team---to make it happen.
I'm sorry for how rambly this is. At the moment I don't have any clear thoughts to organize into something better. But I've had this thought several times tonight. Back in July 2004, I watched and listened to Obama's speech at least a dozen times, and I talked with my liberal friends about it a lot. We all said the same things: "I can't believe how amazing he is." "He says everything I've ever wanted to hear in a candidate." "I wish *he* were running right now instead of Kerry." "I really hope he runs in the future." "God, I would love for Obama to be president some day." And now..."President-Elect Barack Obama." Savor it with me.
Remember this feeling, cos you're going to need it in the near future (especially the 77 days until we actually have a president again; the current "president" is gonna fuck things up in ways you've never even dreamed of). We're finally (finally!) on the right path for our country, and Yes, We Can...but don't forget that this is just step one.
Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel about it. I obviously feel really good about it, very happy, but there's a lot more going on than just that. I'm not sure how to describe it. I'm relieved but also not. We won...but what next? This doesn't mean that our problems are gone, and it doesn't mean that the people who caused them---aka Republicans---are out of the picture. I was hoping for a veto-proof majority in the Senate, but we didn't get it. (I knew it was an overly-lofty goal from the start.) Our "landslide" both is and isn't exactly that. We only won by 5% in the popular vote, but we're probably going to have an 80-seat margin in the House, and about a 15-seat margin in the Senate. So it's not all that close, really.
I guess I'm trying to figure out what's next. Obama certainly has the right ideas: hard work, determination, shared sacrifice. I expected no less from him. But this doesn't mean that the right-wing fuckers are going away. Every news/"news" show (e.g. ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN) is very likely going to continue slanting conservative with their guests and their stories; that's the way the corporate media operates. And the anti-American crowd on the right is still going to be doing their thing (bloviating). We still have to put up with the same assholes pushing us in the wrong direction.
My friend had this status update tonight (thank you, Izzy). "Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so our children can fly." That *is* why Obama ran, and why he won. He envisions an America where we are strong not because of our might but because of our hearts. That's exactly what he said in his speech tonight. It's weird, I realize that this is a huge victory for civil rights, but---being white and privileged (sorry for the redundancy)---that doesn't occur to me right away. He's the best candidate of our lifetimes not because of his skin color but because of his heart and his mind (although his experience of being black improves and enriches his being), and his heart and mind are what I think of first with him. The comparison with Jackie Robinson is rather obvious because they're both firsts, but also because of why they in particular were the firsts. Jackie got the shot because was exceptional at his job of baseball (hitting, running, fielding, etc.). Barack got his shot because he's an exceptional politician (deeply insightful, mellifluous, direct, inspiring, thoughtful, etc.). To talk about either man merely in terms of being The First is to ignore their prodigious skills in their chosen professions. (I'm not at all looking forward to the media's spin, which will be all about his being The First---and no, I don't mean like in Buffy, cos he's quite the opposite of that.) Of course, Obama is still largely potential---but look at what he's already done with his potential. He has evaluated, articulated, and addressed the legion difficulties of a brutally long campaign, and he's done it masterfully and gracefully. His brilliance in that task assures me (yet again) that he's up to the far more complex task of doing the same with the problems of and in our country.
I've bitched a lot about an overly-strong focus on Obama's race rather than his amazing character and political skills, but I must add this. I've thought for a long time that I would see a black president in my lifetime. Racism is incomprehensibly ridiculous, and today's young people aren't as afflicted by its impossibility as were past generations. So I figured we were moving in the right direction and that we'd eventually get there ("there" being a society where a black president is no longer anything special or unusual). But this was all abstract, distant, taking place in the unspecified future. To see it not only happen, but happen in my youth is....... It's safe to say this could never have happened without an exceptional person---and an exceptional supporting team---to make it happen.
I'm sorry for how rambly this is. At the moment I don't have any clear thoughts to organize into something better. But I've had this thought several times tonight. Back in July 2004, I watched and listened to Obama's speech at least a dozen times, and I talked with my liberal friends about it a lot. We all said the same things: "I can't believe how amazing he is." "He says everything I've ever wanted to hear in a candidate." "I wish *he* were running right now instead of Kerry." "I really hope he runs in the future." "God, I would love for Obama to be president some day." And now..."President-Elect Barack Obama." Savor it with me.
Remember this feeling, cos you're going to need it in the near future (especially the 77 days until we actually have a president again; the current "president" is gonna fuck things up in ways you've never even dreamed of). We're finally (finally!) on the right path for our country, and Yes, We Can...but don't forget that this is just step one.