Barack Obama Is our President elect. I could not be more proud of our country for breaking the mold of the Invisible 'no African Americans allowed' sign not the White house. I have not been alive for too many elections (this Is the 5th I've been alive for and probably the second I've really been cognizant of) and yet I've never seen or heard about an objection to a president-elect as I have seen from so many republicans as of late. Throughout the campaign and even now In the hours and ostensibly days since the election of Barack Obama Republican America (or 'Real America according to some Alaskan Governors) the republican supporters have not only been derisive and upset about Barack's election, but have also been whole heartedly offensive.
While cruising facebook in the hours after the election I saw some really Interesting status updates. Things such as 'Great, now we have a baby killer for president' or 'way to fuck up America!' Classics that crop up in any election can be seen such as this one: 'I'm moving to Canada!' or the more exotic 'I'm moving to Italia!' However those are rare and more common are the ones that read more like those I listed above and also ones like this: 'Sorry founding fathers...It was good while It lasted' (perhaps the one that makes me most angry...more on that In a bit).
Facebook was not the only place that held jeering and jabs. During McCain’s concession speech his audience again showed their colors (or perhaps lack thereof) by jeering and booing Obama whenever McCain mentioned him. And despite McCain’s Insistence that they calm their mob mentality they seemed to have a knee jerk reaction to his name.
As evidenced above, It would appear to me that there are some very strong feelings about tonight’s election and rightfully so. It is great to see that so many people felt so strongly about politics. It is rumored the Philadelphia had a 90% voter turn out and that this may have been one of the largest elections in history. Congratulations America for truly representing the Ideals of Democracy!
However, those strong feelings must be tempered with the cooling waters of Intellect. Firstly, to my dear friend who wants to move to Canada when Barack is in office I say this: Canada has been and always will be more socialist than America
Secondly: Socialism is not a dirty word in reality. Most of Europe works on that system and they seem to be doing quite fine.
Thirdly: Barack Obama is not Muslim. One of my favorite Incongruence in Republican slander to Obama can be summed up in these two statements: Barack Obama Is a Muslim terrorist! And soon after: Barack Obama has attended Reverend Wright’s church most of his life! Man...That’s one odd Muslim!
Fourthly (and this Is a pretty good segue): To anyone who thinks like my friend above ('sorry founding fathers, It was good while It lasted') or anything along those lines. Perhaps this is to those who think some fundamental value within America has been betrayed: America was founded on the concepts of acceptance both racial and religious. Our founding fathers were In America because of religious persecution In England and other nations. So If Barack were Muslim; to a true American, one who believes In America and all It stands for, that would not matter In the slightest. Furthermore the fact that he Is black (something I really did not even consider until this evening because It was brought up so much by pundits) should mean even less, except for the relatively remarkable turn around since the civil rights movement.
Fifthly: The demographic that Obama picked up the most votes in compared to his colleagues before him? The educated white male... That Is Information that, if I were so bold, I could make some stunning and inflammatory assumptions and logic lines about. I'll leave that to your own Imagination.
Sixth: America is a democracy, democracy does not mean that one side is right and the other is wrong it means that there are different solutions to every problem and each candidate has their own say. McCain realizes this and that is why he so eloquently urged all of his supporters to back their new president.
Seventh: Backing your president Is Patriotic. Oh...that’s funny...because Barack Obama Is President-elect and I don't hear much support from 'Real America'
on a separate note; I find that this election is a truly pivotal moment in our history. Never before have had two candidates represented opposing Ideologies as these two have. Never before has the nation rallied together for change as It has and then been opposed by the status quo as It was. Both candidates are great men and great leaders. However it truly was time for Barack Obama.
Why? Because the legal definition of Insanity is repeating the same action expecting different results.
Why? Because foreign nations are not only supportive of him, they support him with landslide figures. The country with the lowest support from its studied population? Russia with 53% other nations reach as high as 90%.
Why? Because he is an excellent orator with a diamond for a mind and a fresh new face.
And now I would like to take a moment and Introduce my first 'thing' I have posted a number of thoughts but no 'things'
My first thing, I think, will be the next great American Speech. I'm putting my money on it and I think you'll hear people saying it within the next week or so.
He is smooth, he is confidant. He touches on all of the elements of good speech making (Logos, Ethos, Pathos) he alludes to other great works such as MLK JR's I Have a Dream and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. He uses repetition, and other techniques.
All In all I am happy about tonight and really just hope that the Republican side of the equation realizes that this kind of change is what America Is all about. Btw if any KKK members even think about killing Obama...they should realize that in doing so they would send the entire nation on lock down. We would root them out and destroy them. Racism is not a part of America. It fits no where in our constitution and nowhere in our Ideologies.
Thoughts? Things?
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11 comments:
ummm... i can't finish reading this because it's making me mad. i was just thinking about it a few minutes ago and i cant belive that a lil less than 50 years ago it depended on your skin whether or not you were going to even be treated as a human being (and in some places i guess its still like that). this is a HUGE issue for me and it gets to the point where i can't even think about it any more sometimes without crying in frustration. but i wanted to leave you with a quote: "This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight," McCain said. sometimes i really think some people will NEVER get it.
Racism is not apart of America, yet blacks had their biggest turnout at the election. Coincidence?
not neccisarily a coincidence but if you felt as though your race had never been fairly represented in America wouldnt you get everyone you know to get out and vote when you finally had a chance to be heard? I think its not racisim, i think its balance. Whites had their biggest turnout in years as well.
Good point, really great writing btw.
But I feel that people voted because of a color rather than issues
good thoughts dan, all in all, but i have to disagree with you in a few areas. Firstly: "America was founded on the concepts of acceptance both racial and religious" Not entirely true. Racism was rampant in early America but you are right on religious freedom. And i agree that race shouldn't be an issue...but it is. Why did so many blacks turn out to vote for Obama when they didn't in past elections? You're a fool if you think it's anything but skin color. Youtube 'harlem voters' and you'll see my point. In fact, Jefferson didn't want to allow the 'rabble' (non land-owning males) as he called them, from voting anyways for this reason. Politically uneducated people vote for stupid reasons. Following that, voting for one candidate based on race is the same as not voting for one because of race. Voting for Obama because he's black is the same as not voting McCain because he's white. Explain to me how that isn't racism and don't tell me about civil rights and slavery. The only problem i have with Obama is his lack of experience. It's a long winded explanation so ask me and i'll run some numbers by you.
Hey ambiguous miller!lol
I see some of your points but i also must disagree with you on some things. Yea i agree that a large number of african americans made uninformed decisions based on connection through color. The same can be said the other way around. There were a number of whites who most likely voted for McCain simply for the color of his skin, without regarding policy or history. Many elections have been decided through menial decisions as such. A great number of people voted JFK into office because he was young and handsome. Isn't this in many ways the same as voting for someone based on race? if you read up on the comments of mr. Mattpetrillo and then read my counter argument you'll see what i mean. There was not only a record number of african american voters, there was a record number of students and white males and white females and all sorts of different demographics.
Is Barack relatively inexperienced? yes but i feel as though the American Presidency is a position which very few posts can prepare you for in any way. Certainly life experiences can help you be a more informed president and have more things to base your decisions on but in the end its personal intellect and charisma that i believe truly defines a president. Foreign nations have already started saying that they are more willing to talk with us because of Barack.
Thanks for your opinion Miller...now which one are you!?
this is the oldest and best miller. Good JFK point but if you remember there were also many people who voted against him because he was Catholic. People vote for candidates the same way they pick horses at the track. A record number of black voters turn out and vote for the black candidate and it's called inspirational. If the same number of votes had gone in McCain's favor, Al Sharpton would call it racism and accuse the white man of 'keeping him down.' But worse than stupid reasons for voting is that there were only two viable choices. I think the entire system sucks as there is no real choice anyways. Flipping a coin would yield almost identical results as actual voting did. As far as experience goes...yes, there really isn't any way to prepare oneself for the Presidency specifically. But I do believe that certain qualities are needed. Obama, to me, seems too wishful in the way he wants to run Washington. I agree with most of what he says as far as the economy and healthcare goes, but I don't like his proposed methods of doing it. With a nation in debt, I don't think people (especially the inner city black voters) realize how much their taxes will rise now, not forgetting all of the money that will be lost once Obama clears out the lobbyists. But what concerns me about his experience and political record is his lack of commitment decide on difficult issues. As a senator, he abstained from voting on such issues as abortion and gun control. Decisions will be much more important now as the Chief Executive. Also, he headed only one committee in his short time as a senator which never even met once. All in all, from the time he was sworn in to the day he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, Obama had only served for 143 days in the Senate. Kindergarteners spend more time fingerpainting than he has political experience. Also true is that McCain has no executive experience to speak of but a combined 48 years of military and congressional duty gives me much more confidence. Your turn lol...
i agree with the fact that the entire system is inherently flawed. While there are third party candidates the way that Dems and Repubs have mainstreamed themselves unfairly discredits the third parties and independents. I support Obama on this premise which my dad articulated for me the other day: Carly is in a course at Yale and her prof. is a double doctorate. His first is in Poli Sci and his other one is some form of law degree. His specialty at Yale, his point of study, is the American presidency. He studies what makes good presidents. He is also on the short list to become a supreme court justice. His argument is that policy really does not make a good president due to the fact that presidents can only really say yes or no to issues that the legislative branch wants to work on. He may suggest things and make speeches but in reality his main power as the head of the nation is as an image for the world to see. Furthermore, he argues, the main thing that makes a defines a good president is his personal intellect. This Prof. studied pretty much all of our president's writings from Washington to Obama and determined that good presidents are not a matter of their policy but of their intelligence and intellect.
I'll admit to agreeing with you that i really hope Obama has the nuts to pull the trigger on big issues but i think the right thing has happened this time. Whether or not he is the best possible scenario i'm not positive, but he is what America needs, change (not to end on a soap-box cliche lol)
I totally agree about the socialism aspect. People brand it like it's some evil way of life. It's not about opression, it's about sharing. People are especially against socialized medicine. They act as if it's going to be "stalin giving you a colonoscopy" (stolen from Bill Maher." Socialized medicine is simply people looking after one another. Anyways.... I'm with you Dan.
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