On November 4th, 2008 a Black man was elected president of the United States of America. While this is an incredible sign of the collapsing walls of racism in America, and a very visible change in these early days, if you think this is the most important thing that happened on that great day, you’ve missed the point.
I truly hope that some day we will see a woman in the oval office, as well as a muslim, a gay person, a disabled person, a blind person, and a person belonging to every other often discriminated against.
But even if Barack Obama had been a white man and even if John McCain had been a blind, black, lesbian woman, of the Muslim faith: my vote would have gone to Barack Obama. Because while there are many other ways to show that the walls of discrimination are crumbling in this country, I do believe that Barack Obama represents the best hope for this nation right now.
Sometime during the Clinton Administration this great country became polarized. Nearly every voting American carries with them an “us or them”, “red or blue” mentality. “You’re either with us or against us”. During the eight long years that George W. Bush was in office, he did nothing to discourage such thought. But we are one nation!
In Obama’s powerful victory speech he said, “to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.” Even if you’re in a “red state”, even if you’re a “republican”, even if you didn’t vote for him — you’re still an American, he’s still your president, and we’re all in this together. Once again our nation will be united.
What’s so incredible about being a citizen of one of the greatest nations on this planet if those citizens do not embrace one another and take care of eachother? Without brotherhood, loyalty, and the support of one another, could not any American be just as happy in England, or Germany, or France, or Canada?
Capitalism means that each and every person has the opportunity to seek his goals and acheive his dreams. But America is about more than just capitalism.
America is the land of the free! Freedom of faith. Freedom of speech. Freedom to love who we choose. Freedom to marry who we choose. Freedom to speak any language. Freedom to observe any culture. Freedom to be filthy rich. Freedom to give it all away. Freedom to be whoever we are. And with these great freedoms there is a price: tolerance.
America is the home of the brave! In January of 2009 one brave man will take the reigns of a nation in financial, economic, and social turmoil and promise to give everything he’s got to turn it around. And he’ll ask every brave American to clench their teeth, sacrifice a little of themselves, and dig in right here on American soil and abroad to help in that effort. It will not be easy, but we will be brave.
America is the land of Opportunity. Written on our statue of liberty, the symbolic gateway to this country, are these words: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Rich or poor, black or white, hungry or fed, young or old, gay or straight, it is the duty of every American to rise up and support his country and his countrymen. This can mean carrying a weapon and defending our borders. It can mean becoming part of the adminstration. It can mean paying a few extra dollars in income tax. It can mean buying American goods created on American soil, even if they cost a little more.
I love this country. And now, after what seems to have been such a long, dark time, we are poised for change. Barack Obama is the right person to lead us where we need to be, but he cannot do it alone. With our help, he can.
Obama closed his victory speech saying, “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 doubts 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.”
YES WE CAN.