Posted by: Lucie
So, President-Elect Obama.
A Mother’s Grief: This woman had lost her son in Iraq. She wanted people to know that it was not unpatriotic to be against the war and for Obama. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2/11/2007. © Callie Shell / Aurora for Time
I’ve been up all night, and I’m not even American. I went straight into a lecture only a few hours after the results came through, and everybody there seemed to have done the same last night. We can stop worrying about the election for a few years, finally. Hopefully, assuming nobody pulls any weird shit on us.
Our lecturer this morning even took it upon herself to make a speech at the start. We did a show of hands for: those who stayed up, those who managed all night, and those who cried like babies. I’m happy to say that around 80% of all us stuck our hands up and kept them there. Anyway, this got me to thinking about how the entire world has become so drawn into this particular election, there are a few reasons but I don’t think any of them do all the explaining on their own. It was such a combination of hatred for the current administration, tied in with the military-industrial complex and the fake ‘War on Terror’. The prospect of the first African-American President. But, a recurrent feeling I think a lot of people have had over the past 8 years goes something like - Why does it feel wrong that we don’t get a vote?
Also, Rupert Murdoch appeared on the BBC at some point yesterday and revealed how worried he was about Obama’s economic strategies. Duh. Were we supposed to feel sorry for him or blindly listen to him, oh mighty white man in a suit? No surprise that today’s Sun headline is “OBARMY ARMY”. Oh, or that Fox was the station to report on that video of a black community youth group endorsing Obama as though they were some secret agents about to take over the world. But really, that’s just your basic angry black man racism, I guess we should have expected it. Doesn’t make it any sweeter, but yeah it was probably going to happen.
So anyway, I leave you with what must be one of the most phenomenal speeches at the right point in time that I’ve ever heard (and yes, I shed a tear or two):
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. […]
I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there. […]
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people. […]
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.”
13 Comments so far
Leave a reply
It’s a strange situation. Definitely strange that non-Americans aren’t allowed to vote, given the US approach to international affairs (some sort of divinely ordained, militaristic and undemocratic United Nations?). And for Brits, there’s a feeling that this election is just as important to this country as our own.
Clearly, he’s not the ideal president - still talking about interventionist wars and exaggerating the terrorist threat, clearly he’s not going to really question the federal reserve or the banking sector, etc. But then, being realistic about the current political system, I can’t imagine a better candidate actually winning. There was never going to be a President McKinney, or a President Kucinich, or President Paul (though that’s not to say it’s not worth voting for them).
At least there’s going to be some redistribution of wealth (we still can’t manage that over in Britain, the Lib Dems suggested it and were laughed at, for some reason… and worse still, we’re about to elect the bloody Tories). Abortion rights are important, and universal healthcare. And given that the highly educated of America were generally Obama supporters, you’d hope that this would be reflected in better education. (Also, I remember hearing somewhere he plans to sort the whole torture and detention without trial situation as regards ‘terror suspects’… hopefully that would precipitate a similar change in Britain).
I think there is a danger of an Obama presidency making people passively look to him for political change (the whole ‘messiah’ thing - although that’s been exaggerated at times by the partisan right). And that’s clearly bad. But at the same time, his candidacy got many people politically active, voting for the first time, feeling part of the political process. And even if their part in the process was less important than the movement of large sums of money behind the scenes, you’d hope that the sense of political responsibility would stay in the general populace, so that an Obama administration would find it that much harder to fuck up and declare martial law, or whatever.
Because really, with all the raised expectations now, and all his promises and presidential qualities, there would have to be very good (’external’) reason for Obama to fuck up. And that’s sort of worrying, given the suggestion in some quarters that another ‘terrorist attack’, or some such incident, is imminent. Particularly while the patriot acts are still law.
It’s definitely a strange one. I’m cautiously optimistic and worried at the same time… lol.
Look at who he’s appointing - Rahm Emanuel, Vallerie Jarrett, Richard Holbrooke (90%), Maddy Albright and of course ‘Dr’ Brzezinski… hardly progressive liberals!
And as for his connections… The Ford Foundation, Skull & Bones, Goldman Sachs, Trilateral Commission, CFR etc etc
What is the matter with everyone? It’s not ‘News’ that elected officials AREN’T pulling any strings! Eisenhower warned of the revolving door between government and corporations and private finance HALF A CENTURY ago!
And when JFK spoke to the public in his famous #Secret Societies’ speech… he then got assassinated!
Remember the quote “If voting changed anything, they would make it illegal!”
Hey Jim - I’m putting the finishing touches to an article I have written about the likely reason for the US change in foreign policy in pulling the troops out of Iraq to re-deploy them in Afghanistan… It’s called:
‘Wake up and smell the Poppies: Does the Coalition want to end the Afghan war or simply control the Heroin?’
Would you be interested in looking at it / ghost-editing it? My style is more radio-presenter than writer… I could do with some critical input…
As regards Obama’s connections, I think it’s worth playing devil’s advocate in that I’m sure any presidential candidate who wants to get anywhere has to initially cosy-up to certain groups, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that those groups have them completely controlled. Also, do we know what it is exactly that those groups stand for, besides global free trade / government and the like? i.e. so we could tell what policies were influenced by them.
I mean, it’s possible, especially since the president has been given huge executive powers recently, that Obama could go crazy and actually be quite good, if he really wanted. Of course he’d mysteriously die before anything could get done, but still…
As regards your proposal Seth, I’m not sure I’d have the time to offer any constructive criticism, but I’d gladly give it a read-through. The statistics on Afghanistan’s opium production before and after the war are ridiculous. They produce more now than there’s even demand for, I believe. And the coalition invaded just in time for planting season.
At least when the Taliban declared drugs immoral they didn’t secretly deal them too…
@ Seth: You seem to be missing the point that Obama is not white. It’s kind of a big thing.
Maybe that’s part of the reason why it’s news.
umm… just read what the Trilateral commission puts out, or Brzezinski’s books, or what Richard Holbrooke was saying about Georgia in the lead up to the election… it’s all out there… we KNOW there is a revolving door between govrnment and corporations (and the 40,000 lobbyists for those private interest groups and NGO’s)
You don’t have to be all conspiratorial about it - it’s all out there in plain sight to read….
Yeah, but like I say that’s generally (from what I’ve read of them) the whole global free trade / corporate power in government, control of foreign resources etc… we know that as much from policies (e.g. NAFTA, Afghan/Iraq wars) as from documented statements of intention.
I mean other issues really.
Btw I read one thing saying Brzezinski was a hardcore Marxist? Presumably that’s misguided, or else he’s not really controlling policy, hence the present oligarchy. But yeah… for example what’s the ideology/influence of Skull and Bones as regards social policy?
It’s not ‘conspiratorial’ to recognise the centralisation of power, special interest groups, corporatisation etc, no. Doesn’t mean any assumption made along those lines is necessarily justified.
I am very skeptical of Obama, but no more than I would be of any new president, and I’m happy that he won.
by the way, guys. why don’t you write any thoughts about crisis? really interesting to know your opinion.
Thought that this was extreamly relevant to this post http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/14/barack-obama-plans-to-post-weekly-youtube-address/
@ Olga: Do you mean the ‘financial crisis’? If so, to be honest I wish I knew more… my understanding extends to a rough grasp of the fractional reserve system and fiat currencies. I have no idea why the price of gold hasn’t shot up lately, and I don’t see why the recent ‘bailouts’ don’t just amount to giving free money to banks.
If anyone reading this actually understands the whole process, then feel free to comment.
Seems like there’s such a huge discrepancy between orthodox economic theory (I’m speaking from a position of ignorance here, mind) and what actually happens, i.e. making out like the market is inherently unpredictable and cyclical, regardless of human intervention. Which could seem like a conspiracy in itself, but then I guess it’s to be expected in the ‘marketplace of ideas’… surely the most useful/profitable economic theories will get the most backing, financial and otherwise.
@ Tim: Hmm, not surprising really. Even Gordon Brown’s done youtube videos, supposedly addressing the concerns of individual voters. There was a Q&A process… but as you can imagine only certain questions got answered/acknowledged.
But yeah, you can look at it from the standpoint that all would-be dictators seek to control the new media, via their own Goebbels and Riefenstahls. Then again given that the internet has the potential to be the most ‘democratic’ medium, you can look at it from a perspective of increased accountability. No doubt it’ll end up being a bit of both, though given the fact that this sounds like an exclusive youtube/google deal, and that comments/videos can be censored, probably more the former.
The whole google monopoly is worrying btw. And it’s already a cliche that it’s worrying, which is even more worrying.
What got me most was the image of those people in the streets after the results were clear.
It seemed to me that a lot of them were perhaps not so much there because of ‘Who Obama is’, but because they felt a weight being lifted of their souls.
We can only hope that he is truly willing and capable to take on the role of the new political Messiah in which a lot of people seem to see him, and perform a miracle or two before he gets crucified.
In the meantime, there are several looong, looong weeks of George yet to come.
After which I’d like to see the latter opening a Hamburger-restaurant near the Government buildings in Tbilisi:
A humble wish, but I have grave doubts regarding the idea of someone putting these people behind bars. Call me cynical…
As I have said before somewhere- there is a window which will allow for questions to be asked. It won’t be open for long, and Obama may have the perfect excuse for not making use of it:
He’s got to deal with the economical mess, lest the same people who went to dance in the streets a short while ago are going to turn up in front of the White House singing “Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira…!”
There is nothing which stifles the kind of questions in question more effectively then a large number of people being faced with losing their livelihood.
Thus he may well turn out being far too busy performing economical miracles. Which would leave the roots of the rotting magic mushroom pretty much intact, of course.
Only the most conspirational-minded will see that as the true reason for the economical mess, of course.
So. Tie-burger, anyone…?
It’s a Cult of personality sham
look to his cronies his cronies his cronies…
change? What change?
Do me a favour
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/dec/01/us-china-nuclear-programme
Well…For all it’s worth:
There really *is* a God.
And he really *does* work in mysterious ways.
Just take this example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM3Z_Kskl_U
So he throws the odd lightningbolt at the odd sinner…
And what happens?
The sinner is forced to dodge the most devastating pair of shoes in the whole of human history!!!
Mene, mene tekel…upharsim……..