Open comments today, but only for readers who were pro-Obama last November.
I'll never forget 11 PM, one year ago today, when the coolest and one of the smartest guys ever was elected as our first black President.
Remember how you felt when you awakened that morning? Your family and friends? How you dealt with any McCain-Palin supporters at work or elsewhere? Your excitement at the voting booth? Raise your hands if you still treasure your Barack Obama memorabilia.
Do you still have hope that he can implement change?
Or, do you suspect or think he's been backed into too many corners of compromise, or worse, co-opted? If so, does this make you sad or angry?
Is the enormous opposition from various hate and pro-war groups crushing the odds he'll succeed, and along with this, our dreams?
I wonder what's ahead if his enemies succeed, most whom are our enemies too (think 'greed' and 'racism'), or for whatever reason, change doesn't come:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
- Harlem, by Langston Hughes 1951
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
- Harlem, by Langston Hughes 1951
Outside of having sex for the first time, or the birth of my kids, that night was the best night of my life!
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I remember the kids down the hall blasting music out the window. I was happy, but other than that I was kind of in shock I think. I remember being worried that he wouldn't make it to the inauguration.
ReplyDeleteThe next day I mostly felt "the more things change, the more they stay the same." On the way to class I got handed a club flier to a "My President is Black" party and guess who was on the flier? Mr. POTUS-elect himself.
I don't think this period will gain its full importance to me until it's over.
Brownbelle, My God! You partied with Barack on Election night?! LOL! How lucky can you get!
ReplyDeleteAnd you said, "I don't think this period will gain its full importance to me until it's over."
I thought we had reached our zenith on Inauguration Day, but you may be right. I hope he leaves office with substantial victories and go down in history as one of our best and most remarkable Presidents.
Rippa, Yeah, and wasn't that a day and night to remember! Black blogs were buzzing like crazy that day, heck, that year, and right through Inauguration.
I think we've lost a bit of our steam, however, as I no longer see the fervor out there. Sometimes I wonder if the hostile elements in the media have had a dampening effect, even on us bloggers.
I still have my hope, because Obama has more to overcome in this world connected and ruled by some of the most horrid and powerful people imaginable who see the non-rich as pawns. With his every defeat and piss-me-off compromise, I keep that in mind.
He has had alot of baggage dropped on him but I hope he can turn it around and make everyone scratch their heads in amazement.
ReplyDeleteI too would like to see him remembered for his substantial deeds as President.
As a person of color who saw it all from afar...having moved out of the states now for five years...it's not at all surprising that he hasn't been able to do as much as promised.
ReplyDeleteIt is still a wonderful and inspiring thing to have a black president of the most influential country in the world...but for those of us who see the states for what its really been about, it's business as usual.
Again, only hearing about the media's ignorant/rampant racism and hostility/fear mongering from friends and family still there (and you all, conscious bloggers) as well as getting it thru the filters (like the national channels here in Brasil, etc.) makes one angry and disgusted but again, that is the SAME OLD SHIT...that they've always done.
What is sad, is to hear that the apathy has seemingly taken a hold of folks (Again) and even in states like NJ and VA these most recent elections were taken by republicans because of lack of voter turn out...
I guess, with the depression/recession and the fear of things staying the same or worse, THE PEOPLE who got Obama into office haven't taken on the continued responsibility to push for the change promised and more.
Please remember that OBAMA believes in representing the people and if the people standing up and shouting have changed their "fervor" and cries, he will respect those changes...
IMHO, the legacy he leaves will speak volumes to the people power that either stands up or shuts up. SO THERE IS STILL A CHANCE, but it means GETTING Y/OUR ASSES OUT THERE AGAIN.
Couldn't vote for him (For some strange reason, Germany get no vote in electing the US-President ;)), but sure I hoped he would win, and I am glad he did.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine what that victory must have been like especially for the black population of the USA.
I still wish him all the best, and many more victories. He sure didn't get an easy term, with the Bush-legacy AND the economic situation dropped on him.
So: best wishes and good luck to President Obama, even though he allowed the shoe to drop on Opel (German car-manufacturer, and belonging to GM. No idea how much of that situation you catch in the US).
His election renewed my faith in the American people. However now, I'd actually like to see some real change.
ReplyDeleteOur president has already gone a long way in restoring the world's faith in our country; which is a helluvalot more than that last oxygen thief we had.
I'm just hoping that the next three years will be more productive than the first one. I'd like to see all of our troops come home and a universal health care bill pass and become the law of the land.
Thanks to the rest of you for sharing your feelings. My biggest "spot" is that for Barack - it's either a correctly placed spot in my heart for him and what I think he's sincerely trying to do, or it's a blind spot because he has to make so many battles and compromises and haters trying to defeat him every step of the way that sometimes I even wonder, hmmmm.
ReplyDelete