Barack of Fire
This fall American politics was something to be marveled at as the Presidential race grew tighter and drew closer to election day. I found myself not only paying attention, but actually kind of liking one of the candidates.
Never before did I have such an interest in the Presidential election. I have always thought it was important, though I barely paid attention. This year, though, it was different. I was actually kind of excited. I regularly watched the news and tried to make myself aware of each of the candidates and the coverage surrounding them. It was like watching a sporting event. Somehow, I became engrossed, and less interested in other things.
On Election Day, I voted as did millions of other Americans.
That night I watched the coverage on the TV eagerly anticipating the outcome.
As the votes were tallied and the states got colored in on the map, it resembled a basketball game or a football game, each team getting closer to the magic number as time was expiring.
I heard people outside my window shrilling with enthusiasm before I heard the networks declare Obama the victor. Brooklyn went berserk. The neighborhood was boisterous as their candidate secured the election. I went to the rooftop with my roommates to try to get a feel for the atmosphere. Other people were on rooftops. People in apartments and in the street were yelling and screaming. Cars blared their horns as they drove down Bedford Avenue. I added to the ruckus by banging a kitchen pot with a spoon (the poor man's noisemaker) along with some standard hootin' and hollerin'.
What surprised me more than the near landslide victory of Obama over McCain was the reaction from the neighborhood and the immediate celebration and the effervescence that it seemed to create. It was rowdier than when the Giants won the Super Bowl. Fireworks continued well into the morning hours, delaying my sleep.
Then when the concession and victory speeches were made, I was not only impressed by what each of the candidates had to say, I was moved. I couldn't believe how swept up I had become in this movement. I surprised myself.
I suppose, though, it has more to do with the candidate I was rooting for than my own personal stake in politics, which is only slight.
Barack Obama was a different kind of candidate than had ever run for President before. He was new and exciting. He was eloquent, articulate, sensible, steadfast, and informed. He is the kind of person, at least to me, that not only do I not mind listening to him, I'm also kind of interested in what he has to say.
What he did in the campaign and in the election was to make the process not only tolerable, but interesting. It wasn't the same old bread and butter the American people have been fed every four years. It was encouraging and inviting and yet mind-bogglingly simple. The outcome had to be different.
No matter how you feel about Obama, the one thing that can be said about him is that he certainly draws a crowd. We have been looking for someone like him in politics for a very long time. Too often the public has condemned its politicians as opponents instead of friends. Every election came down to the argument of who was the lesser of two evils. After such a long period of time where the politicians in Washington have done their best to exercise their power and alienate the American people, it was about time when we had somebody at the forefront who could unite us again. We are, after all, the United States of America.
Obama is a man who, like many public figures before him, has the wherewithall and the fortitude to rally people behind him responsibly and move us forward to accomplish things that are ideally American, and to follow through until completion. This is the kind of leadership that America needs now, that every country needs all the time.
His victory signals a new kind of political landscape in the U.S. Not everything is going to be fixed or even helped, and certainly not right away. It does not mean we are on easy street now, and it certainly does not mean he is not worthy of being wary of. A large portion of the country will be concerned with the things he has to say and with his transition and progress into the position of President. We all should be. It is our right as Americans.
No matter what you have to say about Obama's character, his track record, his strengths or weaknesses, what he has done as a Presidential candidate has brought us together, the majority of us anyway. Those with a clear head will listen to what he has to say despite how they voted, and go along with what they think is in the best interest of the country. Even though we are all different, Obama appeals to us as a leader.
America has changed. We are changing continuously. We are finding new ways to voice our opinions, to accomplish our goals, to communicate with each other, and to advance as a country. We are strong. We are different than most nations. We are colorful and thoughtful. We are black, white, gay, straight, old, young, and a million other things. But when inauguration day comes, and every day following, we all know the words to "America, the Beautiful."
Never before did I have such an interest in the Presidential election. I have always thought it was important, though I barely paid attention. This year, though, it was different. I was actually kind of excited. I regularly watched the news and tried to make myself aware of each of the candidates and the coverage surrounding them. It was like watching a sporting event. Somehow, I became engrossed, and less interested in other things.
On Election Day, I voted as did millions of other Americans.
That night I watched the coverage on the TV eagerly anticipating the outcome.
As the votes were tallied and the states got colored in on the map, it resembled a basketball game or a football game, each team getting closer to the magic number as time was expiring.
I heard people outside my window shrilling with enthusiasm before I heard the networks declare Obama the victor. Brooklyn went berserk. The neighborhood was boisterous as their candidate secured the election. I went to the rooftop with my roommates to try to get a feel for the atmosphere. Other people were on rooftops. People in apartments and in the street were yelling and screaming. Cars blared their horns as they drove down Bedford Avenue. I added to the ruckus by banging a kitchen pot with a spoon (the poor man's noisemaker) along with some standard hootin' and hollerin'.
What surprised me more than the near landslide victory of Obama over McCain was the reaction from the neighborhood and the immediate celebration and the effervescence that it seemed to create. It was rowdier than when the Giants won the Super Bowl. Fireworks continued well into the morning hours, delaying my sleep.
Then when the concession and victory speeches were made, I was not only impressed by what each of the candidates had to say, I was moved. I couldn't believe how swept up I had become in this movement. I surprised myself.
I suppose, though, it has more to do with the candidate I was rooting for than my own personal stake in politics, which is only slight.
Barack Obama was a different kind of candidate than had ever run for President before. He was new and exciting. He was eloquent, articulate, sensible, steadfast, and informed. He is the kind of person, at least to me, that not only do I not mind listening to him, I'm also kind of interested in what he has to say.
What he did in the campaign and in the election was to make the process not only tolerable, but interesting. It wasn't the same old bread and butter the American people have been fed every four years. It was encouraging and inviting and yet mind-bogglingly simple. The outcome had to be different.
No matter how you feel about Obama, the one thing that can be said about him is that he certainly draws a crowd. We have been looking for someone like him in politics for a very long time. Too often the public has condemned its politicians as opponents instead of friends. Every election came down to the argument of who was the lesser of two evils. After such a long period of time where the politicians in Washington have done their best to exercise their power and alienate the American people, it was about time when we had somebody at the forefront who could unite us again. We are, after all, the United States of America.
Obama is a man who, like many public figures before him, has the wherewithall and the fortitude to rally people behind him responsibly and move us forward to accomplish things that are ideally American, and to follow through until completion. This is the kind of leadership that America needs now, that every country needs all the time.
His victory signals a new kind of political landscape in the U.S. Not everything is going to be fixed or even helped, and certainly not right away. It does not mean we are on easy street now, and it certainly does not mean he is not worthy of being wary of. A large portion of the country will be concerned with the things he has to say and with his transition and progress into the position of President. We all should be. It is our right as Americans.
No matter what you have to say about Obama's character, his track record, his strengths or weaknesses, what he has done as a Presidential candidate has brought us together, the majority of us anyway. Those with a clear head will listen to what he has to say despite how they voted, and go along with what they think is in the best interest of the country. Even though we are all different, Obama appeals to us as a leader.
America has changed. We are changing continuously. We are finding new ways to voice our opinions, to accomplish our goals, to communicate with each other, and to advance as a country. We are strong. We are different than most nations. We are colorful and thoughtful. We are black, white, gay, straight, old, young, and a million other things. But when inauguration day comes, and every day following, we all know the words to "America, the Beautiful."
posted by Leland J. Fischer at 8:34 PM
<< Home