The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was 44 years ago; a few years later cities were burning and the Democratic Party Convention of 1968 very publicly exploded. Today a black man named Barak Hussein Obama takes the delegates needed for the Democratic nomination as Presidential candidate. June 3, 2008.
Hillary R Clinton has made history, she just very nearly became the first female Presidential candidate for a major Party. Just very nearly, for those who haven't paid close attention to the real numbers that separate the two, the difference is tiny. Very small differences could have made the Clinton campaign the winners today. They aren't.
Tonight and tomorrow Barak can celebrate, he has earned it. He has waged a come from behind campaign that was calculated on a 50 state strategy with small beginning resources. He has kept his head in the face of some real severe problems and finally come out onto the top. Perhaps it seems odd to say, but he has now finished the easy part. Whatever difficulties Hillary has made for Obama this was a Democratic Primary, certain restraints obtained. Opinions of how far Hillary went to that edge are varied and what restraints Obama observed then versus McCain are considerably different.
Obama certainly needs most of the voters who chose Clinton in the Primaries. Most of this should be fairly easy. I know about all the heat surrounding Clinton or McCain and it is primarily based on a very small very vocal number. Some of these are quite simply lost to Obama and not worth any of the effort that might be expended on them. The expense that is worth time, effort, and expense is the defusing of the nonsensical issue that Obama is sexist or misogynistic. Along with this effort is the issue of showing voters at large that he identifies with them, that his background is not one of privilege and elitism, it is in fact one of struggle. I could suggest to the Senator the apostasy of supporting the 2nd Amendment, but that is a fairy tale.
There seems to be an idea floating around that blue collar white voters are racist in orientation, I don't buy it. I would put them more in the category of dubious about Obama. These voters see sudden serious change as untrustworthy. The sudden changes of the past 20 years have been almost universally to their detriment. Change has not been kind to them and Obama needs to show them why it is in their interest.
This piece of work by the Democratic Party is something that shows this nation in the very best possible light. You will search the world and history with little luck trying to find such an event involving a person of such a minority race and from as challenged a background to have ever been in the position of Barak Obama today in this nation. I do not pretend to predict the outcome of the General Election, that piece of history will wait awhile, yet.
Congratulations Senator Obama and congratulations Democrats.
4 comments:
Makes so little difference, corporate Amerika win again. In fine detail read about last dimmo president.
For outstanding reading try: America's Democratic Collapse, by Chris Hedges. http://www.alternet.org/
Who better than Obama of those that ran regarding the metric you set forward? We move as much as we can. Politics usually is a matter of degrees, revolution is a bloddy matter of excess - usually.
If Barak Obama can come out of the General with much better than our usual near split maybe he can do better than the past.
I know a considerable number of white, blue-collar, registered Republicans here in Oregon who intend to vote for Obama, in addition to virtually all Democrats.
His victory speech tonight was incredibly gracious, and I genuinely think he can get us past the b.s. of the 50%+1 politics of division that Bush, Rove, & Co. made such an art form out of during the last eight years.
I know a lot of Democrats have been talking about what a butt kicking the Rs will take this year. Down ticket it seems reasonable, but remember how often the sentiment is those states' congressmen, our incumbent is cool. The Pres is going to be a real fight - even in OR.
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