Archive for October 15th, 2008

This speech.

Tonight it is over.

“I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.”

Celebrate that we have fulfilled the hope of the constitution. This is truly a great and historic election. We have done well, America. We have fulfilled what we have promised. A low 7+ score from slavery and a slight 50 years from Jim Crow we will soon elect a black man president of this nation. The first minority to be elected chief executive in any western country.

We have done well. We have proven the strength and hope of the American condition. We still have so much to give to the rest of the world and this election should give even the most cynical of us hope, faith and excitement to what we can do.

“If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there is a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription drugs, and having to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief — It is that fundamental belief: I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.

E pluribus unum: ‘Out of many, one..’”

And that is indeed the very hope for us. On our money it says “out of many, one.” This is a social cause, a cause in which we say, I do care for you, and, more importantly, your care is my care.

and he finishes:

“I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity.

I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair.

I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us.

America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion that I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do — if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as President, and John Edwards will be sworn in as Vice President, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.

Thank you very much everybody. God bless you. Thank you.”

I watched Frontline’s 2-hour PBS documentary “The Choice” tonight (and you can, too). If someone’s an undecided voter, this docu won’t sway them, though it will inform them. If someone hasn’t been paying attention, then this will fill in most of the necessary bio/character info. (One detail not addressed: Barack is a poker player, and John is a craps player. Enough said.)

The Kerry/Bush side-by-side Frontline did was amazing; even a dork like me didn’t know the depth of the differences between the lives of those two men. I still refer to points it made in conversation. This election cycle’s docu was more forgettable, though solid. And, simply due to the timing of its production, it doesn’t examine anything post-conventions, which has clearly (Palin, the economy) been pivotal.

Huh. I was totally riveted to the screen tonight, even deferring a trip to the bathroom. A program like this is like porn for wonks. Yet this post is not a glowing endorsement of the show…

…maybe satire is the best way to examine this election. More power to the court jesters: Fey, Stewart, Colbert, hopefully Grier’s new show, and boy do I miss Chappelle.