Election Day: ... And the WINNER is.....

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by Gina1201
You know!! At least Gore rode that 2000 election out for the long road. Gore must be someone who likes to ride or die. Aren't they still counting ballots?

What I suspect is that Kerry doesn't want to look like a sore loser. Gore's image took a beating through the ride or die thing.

[Rudey]

If Barak Obama was a black senator in 2000, when the Black Caucus made a move to not recognize the Supreme Court's certification of George Bush, then you would have probably never even seen George again.

-Rudey
--Just thought it was interesting

[lil_sunshine]

Originally posted by Bamboozled
My sister reported a story equally as disturbing. She works for an agency that rented about 50 vans to pick up folks to take them to vote. When they got to the office yesterday morning, the tires had been slashed on ALL 50 vans. Obviously, they weren't able to get as many people to the polls as they had promised. This was in a swing state.

That is really sad and pathetic. I can't believe, in this day and age, that people would stoop this low. But then again, the son of a Bush is in office again......

[Steeltrap]

Let Obama's shining light lead the way for us all

November 3, 2004

BY MARY MITCHELL SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST




I have been gently reminded that a politician will break your heart. And Lord knows, I've had my heart broken more times than I care to remember. So, many of us are hoping. No, we are praying that Sen. Barack Obama will prove to be a new breed of politician.



We've had our fill of charlatans. They steal your heart with their charisma only to betray you with their chicanery.

As only the third African American to go to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction, we know Obama will go to Washington carrying a heavy burden. He will not just be the Illinois senator representing a diverse population, he will be the only man in the Senate that African Americans can look to as one of their own.

Born to a woman from Kansas and a man from Kenya, Obama never ran from his black ancestry. We loved him for that.

He and his wife, Michelle, and their two children, represent an image seen too seldom in the national spotlight -- an intact, loving, black family.

As one of my single sisters put it, it wasn't Obama's electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention that moved her.

It was the image of the coffee complexioned, smartly dressed Michelle Obama on the platform, at his side waving at the crowd.

Brown sugar sister

Black women needed that moment. That this Harvard-educated biracial man, who was raised in a white family, chose a brown sugar sister to marry gave black women all over this country a boost.

The Obamas are now the African-American First Family.

And really, many of us longed for that. Some of us became so impatient that former President Bill Clinton, a southerner from Arkansas, was dubbed the nation's first black president after Nobel prize-winner Toni Morrison wrote an essay defending his character.

I was never sure why so many of us agreed -- whether it was because Clinton looked as cool as Miles Davis when he played a saxophone on national TV, or because he grew up poor in a single-parent home, or because he was dragged through the mud in a sexual scandal.

But after the impeachment proceedings -- sparked by a world leader getting caught with his pants down -- Clinton's membership into the black race was more embarrassing than puzzling.

Still, few black people were fooled by attempts by Alan Keyes, the GOP's Senate candidate, to paint Obama as being "immoral" and having the mentality of a "slaveholder" because of his positions on abortion and gays.

Obama was able to put morality into context. Since entering public life, he has been a consistent voice for poor and working class people. And he has been able to connect with young people who need more than the image of hip-hop stars and athletes to guide them.

Chris Lawrence, 19, for instance, waited in line at a polling place in Maywood with a black do-rag on his head and a ballot in his hand.

A graduate of a private Lutheran high school who works at Toys R Us, Lawrence told me he liked the way Obama presented himself during the debates.

'Don't forget the people'


But like the rest of us, the young man also has expectations about what Obama's trip to Washington will mean.

"I expect him just to keep the average person in mind," he said. "Don't forget about the people who are living in these neighborhoods."

When the celebrations are over, the people in the neighborhoods will still need the means to get jobs and to make perfect their imperfect lives.

And when the victory parties are over, the unabashedly liberal Obama will be expected to raise the "no-touch" issues that disproportionately affect black communities such as the mandatory drug sentencing laws and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

That's why the most important asset Obama brings to the table as a leader couldn't be taught at Harvard, and couldn't be learned in Springfield.

As he so aptly noted in his memoir, Dreams from My Father, the most important thing Obama will take with him when he claims his seat in the U.S. Senate is inheritance.

Although his father strived, he did not reach a position in government where he could fully serve his country. But it is in the African tradition that Obama has exceeded his father's footsteps.

That's the hope that all of us must have for our children.

The fact that so many black families do not have that hope has been devastating for these communities.

Today, too often the fear is many of our children will not even achieve the success -- whether in public service or private enterprise -- that a parent has achieved.

Watching Obama's rise inspired us and made us proud.






It also served to remind us that -- no matter what circumstances we are born into -- we can all be torchbearers of our forefathers' dreams.

[lil_sunshine]

I, too, felt elated when Barack Obama won his seat in the Senate. I loved the fact that his wife is (as you so eloquently put it) a brown sugar sister. I hope that when he gets to D.C., he will do the dayum thing and accomplish everything that his father couldn't and then some. I know that being the only AA face in the midst of soooooooo many White ones may become frightening for a bit, but I hope that he does what he feels needs to be done to uplift the AA race. That's a nice article, Steeltrap!!!

[ladygreek]

Originally posted by Steeltrap
What I suspect is that Kerry doesn't want to look like a sore loser. Gore's image took a beating through the ride or die thing.

Agreed. I think it was a Party move to set the stage for 2008.

[UpPinkies]

He and his wife, Michelle, and their two children, represent an image seen too seldom in the national spotlight -- an intact, loving, black family.

As one of my single sisters put it, it wasn't Obama's electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention that moved her.

It was the image of the coffee complexioned, smartly dressed Michelle Obama on the platform, at his side waving at the crowd.

Brown sugar sister

Black women needed that moment. That this Harvard-educated biracial man, who was raised in a white family, chose a brown sugar sister to marry gave black women all over this country a boost.

The Obamas are now the African-American First Family.

And I hope White America sees what millions of AA families are intact, with a fther well educated, mother well educated and children whom they know will reach for the stars and be successful in their own right.

How about a Clinton and Obama ticket in 2008? I don't know who would be president or vice.

[vanda]

Although I would love to see Obama in the White House, I think it's too many Good Ol' Boys left to let him do that. I would hate to see his or his loved ones lives in danger. I think he would do a great job in the senate because he has made so many connections with others all over the U.S. during his campaigning for the Senate. I wish him the best of luck from one Hyde Parker to another!

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by UpPinkies
He and his wife, Michelle, and their two children, represent an image seen too seldom in the national spotlight -- an intact, loving, black family.

As one of my single sisters put it, it wasn't Obama's electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention that moved her.

It was the image of the coffee complexioned, smartly dressed Michelle Obama on the platform, at his side waving at the crowd.

Brown sugar sister

Black women needed that moment. That this Harvard-educated biracial man, who was raised in a white family, chose a brown sugar sister to marry gave black women all over this country a boost.

The Obamas are now the African-American First Family.

And I hope White America sees what millions of AA families are intact, with a fther well educated, mother well educated and children whom they know will reach for the stars and be successful in their own right.

How about a Clinton and Obama ticket in 2008? I don't know who would be president or vice.

I just don't see Sen. Clinton winning the presidency. Trust me, the Clinton haters are out there lurking and will come out in force.
And I don't believe in my lifetime that we will ever see an AfAm president because the country isn't liberal.

[MeezDiscreet]

Originally posted by DIVA1177
I think you are right CT4. WAAAAAY back in the day, there was a need for the electoral college. However with the advancement of our society, I think it has outlived its usefulness. I don't think Kerry would run again. I think Obama would make a GREAT candidate but he would run from it like the plauge(who could blame him). I can also see(based on what this Bush fool does for the next four years) a Clinton 2008 bumper sticker coming...Hilary Clinton 2008.

yeah, i see hillary as the next democratic contender for president

[Sistermadly]

Originally posted by DableST_1
It AMAZES me on how the state that had the MOST layoffs are in favor of BUSH!!!!...

Voting is a lot like joining a GLO. When you're evaluating a candidate, many people vote their aspirations. They look at the GOP and see that they're a party of wealth and prosperity (while completely disregarding the nefarious ways that many came by that prosperity). They get 'caught up in the hype' and start to think 'Man, Candidate X has it made. He's a success. I want to be just like Candidate X, so I'll vote for him.' They don't think of where they are, they think of where they'd like to be.

[Steeltrap]

^^
Plus, I was reading somewhere that Bush/Cheney, at least when it came to Southern white voters, transmitted a message of "it's your money, you get to keep it." Read: I'm not going to raise your taxes and divert it to those (insert derogatory term for AfAms) here.

[AKA2D '91]

Originally posted by vanda
Although I would love to see Obama in the White House, I think it's too many Good Ol' Boys left to let him do that.

I agree.
I also agree with Soror ST regarding Kerry/sore loser bit.

I don't think Hilary will run either. The reason above supports my rationale as well as the fact that SOME women probably would not vote for her. You know we can get soooooooo "catty". Many women did not like her as 1st lady. She was too "out there"... too empowered etc. (JMO).


I hope that I'm wrong, but you never know... It's still a WM's world...

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by Steeltrap
What I suspect is that Kerry doesn't want to look like a sore loser. Gore's image took a beating through the ride or die thing.

Truth.

-----------------------

I saw the Obama family! It looks like mine! I was so after spending most of the day . As much as an Obama/Clinton ticket makes me happy, it won't happen. Not only are there too many good old boys, there are too many women out there who are misogynistic enough to think a woman can't do the job.

Why is Al "Motions Extra Strength" Sharpton being so articulate all of a sudden?!

[mu_agd]

Originally posted by Gina1201
You know!! At least Gore rode that 2000 election out for the long road. Gore must be someone who likes to ride or die. Aren't they still counting ballots?

the reason why he conceded that early yesterday was because he realized that even with counting all the provisional ballots, there was no way he was going to take over bush's lead in ohio. there was a lot in the paper in boston this morning about how he also wanted to appear as a gracious loser and hoped it would help start to unite the country. which honestly, i think the country is more divided than ever and it will be very hard to unite it. and part of me just wants to go to sleep for the next four years because i can believe that bush is still our president.