So here we are. The defining moment of the Baby Boom era. 145 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, we finally have a black man running for President on a major party ticket. And five months from now, we should have a pretty good idea of how far we have come as a nation, and how far we still have to go.
The ideal result would be for race to play no part whatsoever in the election, that people based their voting decision only on the platforms of the respective candidates. Of course, that is merely an "ideal", a fiction, a fantasy. For far too many voters, race will be the major factor in their decision to pull the lever.
I've said before on this blog that I don't believe this country is ready to elect a black man as President, especially one with a Muslim name. Nothing I've seen since has caused me to change my opinion. Obama's victory for the nomination seems, to me, more of an anti-Hillary thing than a clear mandate for Obama. The mere fact that Obama had to struggle through the entire primary schedule before he could declare victory is ominous. Not even his own party could decide on him until months of vicious, bloody campaigning finally took its toll. If it was so difficult to win his own party, how in the world can he possibly win the country?
The one thing I've heard no one talk about is whether it is even safe for Obama to make his run. Let's not forget this nation's history and legacy of assassination. We all know the names: John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, McKinley, Garfield, Lincoln. Is there some fanatic out there right now planning on pulling the trigger, and if so, can that person be stopped? Hopefully, we are past that point as a nation, but I wonder.
So, how does Obama get his message across to all the people out there who can't see past his skin color and his name? How does he relate to all the working class people struggling in this ever-failing economy? How does he get through to all those who believe he is an elitist, an intellectual with no understanding of what it means to be a common person? And finally, how does he convince the country that he is a better choice than John McCain?
John McCain is an American hero, a Vietnam War veteran, who survived a harrowing experience in a prisoner of war camp. McCain is baseball and apple pie, as close to a good old boy as any Presidential candidate can be. McCain is familiar and comfortable, Obama is an outsider to many Americans.
If Barack Obama is declaring victory the morning after Election Day this November, then I will finally believe that this nation has succeeded, that we will have fulfilled the promises of the Declaration of Indepence. Even if he loses, but the election is won on the issues, and not on the sole issue of race, then I will feel satisfied. No matter what, five months from now, we will get a clear view of who we are and where we go from here. Future generations will be watching what we do in the next five months. Hopefully, they will be proud of the legacy we leave.
1 comment:
I agree with everything you say, especially about the likely outcome of the election in November, and your justified fear for Senator Obama's safety.
The only thing is that no matter what flukes, coincidences and close calls were involved, an African American has won the primary process, and is in line to be nominated as a major party Presidential candidate.
If we go no further than that, even if we go no further than that for unpleasant reasons, we have still come a long long way in a short time.
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