This is the image that will always remain with me.
Granted, I can't stand the son-of-a-bitch. He's a corrupt, race-baiting hack.
At the same time, what an historic occasion. I generally assume noble intentions even with corrupt, race-baiting hacks, and though I may dislike Jesse Jackson, I can only imagine what Barry's election means to a man who has fought his whole life to see this day. How many times people must have said to him, "Not in your life time, Jesse"? Heck, how many times do you think he said that himself?
I got Jesse's picture here from the UK's Daily Mail. They ask whether Jesse's tears are from joy or from frustration that it was Barry who had accomplished what Jesse had not. Who cares? The point is, what a moment it was.
It's a New Day. The page has turned. My last hope for a McC victory was hope for the Bradley effect. It's sad to have hoped for something so distasteful. But it never happened.
History will judge whether Barry will be a good president or not. But the significance of what he accomplished is much larger than any one election or any one presidency. Good for America.
Rather than waxing romantic about how historic this all is, I'll offer up the following somewhat cynical observations:
ReplyDelete1) The age of entitlements and carping about racial disparity ends now. Barry came from modest roots, worked hard, and is now the most powerful man in the world. Time to quit braying about race, pull up our collective pants, get a job, and get to work.
2) Many African American voters flipped this lever because, as I've heard one person describe it, they think he will open the back door to the candy store. Now he has to govern and millions of these folks are going to be sorely dissapointed that he can't deliver the gravy train.
Obama has an historic opportunity to serve as a positive influence on the hip hop generation. Let us pray he does so rather than pandering. His dilemna is that if he exercises leadership, he'll be painted as an Oreo or Uncle Tom. If he panders, he squanders a watershed moment in history. I am encouraged by his comments about black youth and saggy pants. Our youth need to hear more from this vein. Black youth in particular need to hear it from strong black men. The Bill Cosby model of African American leadership is what's needed here.
The cynical side of my head whispers that Jesse's tears are a bit disingenuous. Jesse covets the Chosen's Senate seat for his son. I can't imangine Jesse crying anything in his life but crocodile tears.
The world's eyes are on Obama. Our allies and our enemies will surely test him. I pray there is some substance behind the pretty speechmaking. I'm willing to partially suspend my skepticism and give him his due for now. His likely cabinet picks read like a who's who of liberal ineptitude. The world is a very dangerous place. I will continue to pray.
jts
Yes, Barry's election is to "instutuional" racism as Katrina was to any hope of significant gun control.
ReplyDeleteYes, the gravy train will never reach the station. Systems resist change. Therefore, Barry will either not be able to deliver change or it will be within the bounds that are acceptable to the existing system, i.e. it won't really be anything different. Of course, on this point I may be completely wrong in the face of the worst recession since the Great Depression.
As fer Jesse's tears, it still doesn't matter to me if they were real or staged. If he really, consciously said to himself, "Hey the camera's pointed at me, maybe I should do what Hillary did in NH and cry for the camera," he's done worse things. And it is he who will have to live with himself.