I find myself speechless, in awe of what has happened in my country this week. History was written, hope was rewarded and courage restored. We, the people, can look each other in the eye once again and relate to our neighbors and strangers alike. We can have conversations with people outside our country and be proud without defending our people without defending the atrocities done by our Government, a Government we DID NOT ELECT. In the past few days I have cried eight years worth of tears…tears for the democracy and liberty we had stolen from us, tears for the forced alienation from one another, convinced we were too different we simply drifted alone, tears for the loss of all we were taught to aspire for and work towards.
In the past eight years I have been shackled in a fear-driven silent withdrawal. Constantly reminded of the ridiculousness of it all through not-so-subtle innuendos about a lack of patriotism for those of us who had mindfully dissented against the tyranny of the Bush Administration. And after so many years, I must admit, I felt broken … incapable of making change. I grew weary of defending myself and my point-of-view. I continued to speak against torture, against warrantless spying, against the injustices and the loss of liberty but I started to believe there was no going back, I started to lose hope. I was afraid to hope.
Barack Obama gave me and others the right to hope that we can reverse the damage done to our Democracry, to the Constitution. Barack Obama restored our courage to have hope. This is our moment. We believed, we had hope and it paid off. Here’s to hoping the next four years we see some of the damages and neglect tended to in a way that restores our international and domestic legitimacy. Here’s to hoping we can stand tall next to one another and work our way towards a brighter future for our children and our children’s children. Three cheers for hope!
I missed you. I missed me. I feel as if a part of me has returned home after a long absence. I am bewildered and excited but I fumble the words in awkward earnest. I am grateful. I am hopeful. I am humbled. And I am ready to march forward together to restore this country to its greatness.
Thank you Obama for returning to us our hope.
Thank you for restoring our faith in one another.
Thank you for bringing us all together once again.
Thank you for pointing us towards what we have in common.
Thank you for showing us we can make a change.
Thank you for allowing us to have hope that no matter how it turns out at least we stood up again.
Thank you for caring about us when we had all but given up hope.
Thank you for wanting to make a difference.
Thank you for preparing yourself to do just that.
Thank you for understanding what our country needed.
Thank you for staying positive when things were so bleak and ugly.
Thank you for promoting light and never darkness.
Thank you for having a level-head and a calm demeanor.
Thank you for reflecting your calm confidence onto our country.
Thank you for running for President despite your unlikely win.
Thank you for believing in the American people and giving us a chance to believe in you and ourselves again.
Thank you for standing tall despite the constant personal attacks during this campaign.
Thank you for being practical and having good sense.
Thank you for surrounding yourself with intelligent people who feel hard work is important.
Thank you for choosing Joe Biden as your Vice President running mate.
Thank you for paying attention to situations and making informed decisions upon them.
Thank you Joe Biden for giving us the slogan, “Get up champ!” to turn back to in the roughest times.
Thank you Joe Biden for caring about the working people.
Thank you Joe Biden for demonstrating thorough knowledge of both domestic and international situations.
Thank you Joe Biden for joining Barack Obama in this tumultuous time to restore the American Dream.
Thank you Joe Biden for being someone I know I can believe will do the right thing for the citizens.
Thank you Joe Biden for struggling against deep-rooted politics and doing what is right.
Thank you Joe Biden for talking straight, even if others think you are long-winded. I think you are genuine.
And thank you both for being genuinely intelligent and likeable people who will lead our country back to its original stance in the world, the real beacon of hope.
And thanks to your campaign managers because they did an awesome job rounding up all of your supporters and giving them back the power in the electoral process, something that had been stolen from us the past two elections.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! =)
I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work! I do not need to wait till January 1st. You are MY president TODAY!!!! WHERE TO NOW BOSS? Let’s get to it… together we can restore the American Dream, the American Reputation and the faith in one another.
I am fed up with the nonsense about Barack Obama’s character.
The incessant question, “Who is Barack Obama?” The over use of his middle name and inferences to terrorists and the “unknown”, pathetic attempts to manipulate xenophobia and racial fears in the less educated. These are dangerous and irresponsible tactics which are failing to help John McCain, while putting Obama in harm’s way. The accusations brought against Obama by the McCain camp seem to be some strange new form of political projection. Not only are these outrageous accusations ridiculous and offensive, they are more accurately applicable to Senator McCain and Governor Palin.
Is their official campaign strategy to accuse Obama of anything they could LEGITIMATELY be accused of themselves?
“Obama is inexperienced”has Palin written all over it.
“Obama pals around with terrorists”Oh…look, Palin again. See above (Anti-American Alaskan secessionists)
“Obama wants to raise taxes”despite the repeated attempts to explain that 95% of American households and small businesses WILL NOT SEE A TAX RAISE but rather TAX CUTS under Obama’s economic plan!!!
John Sidney McCain is still using this as a talking point because he has NOTHING except lies and racial fear to use in a sad attempt to scare people into voting for him. Nobody really supports McCain. Most of his supporters support the Anti-Women, Anti-intellectual, Anti-reality Palin or are simply anti-Obama voters. An anti-vote may go in his pocket but it is not a vote of confidence in McCain’s ability to run the country or popularity.
The irony is that McCain’s own economic plan would not give relief to the majority of people and even the parts that resemble relief (tax cuts, etc.) for the majority of people are not well-defined or well explained. Funny, the only part that is laid out in a clear and concise manner is his tax-relief plans for the uber-rich, professional stock traders and corporate fat-cats shuffling money off-shore to avoid paying taxes. Furthermore, the minute cuts he proposes for the Joe population all have loopholes which will end up costing “Joe” even more (i.e. education with no funding, promised support for special needs children, veterans, elderly, etc. which are all contradicted by his “spending freeze”, $2500 for each family for health care rebates but then taxing employer provided health care, in essence discouraging employers from providing health care in the first place and despite the average family cost of $1200 for health care a year.)
BOTTOM LINE ON TAXES: McCain’s tax cuts will help the obnoxiously wealthy and I am not referring to Joe Sixpack, Joe the Plumber, Joe Blow, Sloppy Joes or Joe vs. the Volcano or any Joe that has a small business. Obama’s tax cuts will POSITIVELY effect the economy by putting money in American’s pockets… if we have money, we’ll spend it… and 95 (NINETY FIVE) 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 (do you get it yet?) 95% of people in our country will benefit. What part of this is so difficult? Just because McCain says something, doesn’t make it true. It actually, statistically, probably makes it untrue. Read for yourself his plan, read it thoroughly. Read them both.
Under Mr. Obama’s plan, the middle of the middle class, or those earning $37,595 to $66,354, would see taxes cut by $1,042 a year. Under Mr. McCain’s plan, taxes for people in that category would also fall, but by $319; the largest chunk of the benefits would go to those making $2.8 million a year or more. Larry Rohter, Will the Real Tax-and-Spender Please ‘Fess Up, NY Times, Jun. 13, 2008.
McCain’s strategy has always been see what is working for Barack, steal it… change it only slightly, repeat Barack’s stance on it verbatim and claim it as his own under the mighty (and flimsy) shield of Maverick-ism. This is ridiculous. It is clear to see McCain does not have the best interest of any Joe at heart. And don’t even get me started on his policies for Jane.
BOTTOM LINE ON PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AND DANGEROUS PALS: This, too, seems to be more a Palin thing than a Obama thing. He was 8 when this Ayers fellow engaged in horrific acts. I don’t think they were “palling” around. But who exactly is Palin’ around with anti-governmental Alaskan secessionists who believe that violence is acceptable to win the “war” they are waging against the U.S.? Shouldn’t you be more concerned with this woman and her shady ties or at least as equally concerned?
Who is Barack Obama? There is so much information out about him. Information-filled biographies; his website where he states clearly his stance on every issue and it has been consistent ALL ALONG. Stop being ridiculous. If you have doubts about who Obama is, um… then you either you are a closet racist or you are simply lazy. The information is a google search away or at your local book store. The same cannot be said about Mrs. Palin who avoids interviews, questions, etc and dodges answering anything directly even when she is cornered (i.e. the VP debate). She is a trained monkey keeping secrets while giving lip service to campaign words like “maverick” “change” “transparency”.
You cannot reasonably question whether you know Barack enough but believe you truly know Sarah Palin. We have had ten times the exposure into Barack’s life as we have into Palin’s. SO when you ask “Who is Barack Obama?” are you really asking because you can’t find out what you want to know? Or are you asking because it is your polite mavericky way of saying, ‘but he’s blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccccccck’.
For all of you questioning who is Barack Obama but not who are Sarah Palin and John McCain (because I am quite certain you didn’t know much about him before this and maybe the last Presidential campaign and I would even venture to say you still don’t), I encourage you to look up the following:
John McCain’s original 2008 Presidential Platform concerns.Note: His now adamant concern with the energy crisis is an extremely recent stance for McCain. It was just a few short months ago that he was making fun of Obama for his focus on energy reform.
All of the candidate’s voting records on a UNBIASED source. Pay particular attention to McCain’s voting record with regards to veterans, oil companies, deregulation, financial institutions and tax cuts.
And please use some common sense, think. Money must go into the pot before going out of the pot. If John McCain allows the multi-billion dollar corporations to skate past the post… well, there will be less money in it to spend, even for his conflicting promises to support veterans (not supported in his record) and special needs children. It is a sneaky way of spending folks and he has it down to an art.
So, ask if you must but then also ask, “Who is John McCain?” and “Who is Sarah Palin?” and why did he pick her anyways?
“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” — Socrates
This new approach by the McDesperate campaign is completely wrong. It is not just about the campaign, it is about endangering someone else’s life. What kind of President would McCain make if he is willing to encourage blatant xenophobia, giving a socially acceptable face to racism. Stirring up this kind of hate in the fringe lunatics is dangerous. It does not help McCain’s campaign but it does put Barack Obama in harm’s way.
We have had some twenty years of fear shoved down our throats. ENOUGH!
Obama is NOT a terrorist.
Obama is NOT a Muslim.
Obama is NOT an elitist.
Obama is NOT going to raise anyone’s taxes.
Obama is NOT pretending to be something he is not.
Stop with the lies. You are the terrorist, John McCain. You invoke terror in the ignorant and the frightened, you try to get others to believe Obama is palling around with a terrorist. This is simply not true. He is not a threat to our country or to the citizens.
Shame on you John McCain for inciting fear and hate. It is simply NOT acceptable.
This is one more way you demonstrate how you are not prepared to be President. You can’t even run a political campaign that is different than the last two. Act responsibly. What kind of Senator puts a fellow Senator in harm’s way? Not the kind we need in Washington.
You should stop asking, “Who is Barack Obama?” and start asking who you want to be… you are a bit old to be struggling like you are with identity issues. You have changed your stance on almost every issue during this campaign and now when we are headed straight for a depression, and you are losing, so you are milking the xenophobia surrounding Obama but you not stopping there. You are filling the minds of hate-mongers with rhetoric and encouraging them to get more riled up. These people are dangerous. Why would you allow a crowd that you stand before to scream obscenities and ridiculous but harmful lies and not say SOMETHING? Do you hope someone will kill Obama? Is that your plan? Is that your campaign strategy? Is that your hope? If not, then stop inciting so much anger and hate towards him. You are trying to win an election, I hope not trying to get someone killed.
Who are YOU, John Sidney McCain? A spineless, corrupt Corporatist willing to say anything and do anything to become President, even if it means getting another Senator killed? The man who pushed for deregulation and now is full of empty rhetoric about regulation? The man wanting to help out corporations and banks while taxing the American people? The man who didn’t utter change until it worked for Obama in the polls? The man who talks about supporting veterans but hasn’t?
Who is Barack “Hussein” Obama? Watch for yourself…
Barack is a man with a strange name…so what!? Barack is more like you and me then John McCain will ever be. Do not allow these scare-tactics to immobilize your common sense, please.
Stop for a moment and breathe. Listen to the quiet voice of reason. Watch the video, let go of the ridiculous rhetoric on the five o’clock news. Obama wants to help make this country what it once was, to restore the balance of wealth and power to the majority of people. Obama wants to help us get out of the recession and live a better quality life. He wants to help us live the American dream. McCain wants to be President and wants to help the Corporations. We can help business by helping ourselves first.
It would seem McCain doesn’t want to discuss the economy anymore. He would rather “turn the page” on this issue (he clearly doesn’t understand how important it is right now) and start his ridiculous lying campaign against Obama again. This is stupid. McCain WILL NOT and CAN NOT help us economically, he is corrupt. He was almost convicted once of an economic crime at what he described as the lowest point of his life. He is not trustworthy.
