The Obama Celebration Party thread

[cardero]

For this country to come from where it was in the early 60's to the point that we can vote for a black man, much less elect him - well - it speaks volumes of how far we've come.

Make no mistake, there is still a long way to go - but when you look back over the last 50 years - it is just unbelievable.

I love this country.

I think Obama’s claim to the presidency could usher in a whole new era of equality. From the duration of his term it may now be realized if it is possible to get the same “screwing” from an African American president as from our past Caucasian leaders

 

[kai]

I think Obama’s claim to the presidency could usher in a whole new era of equality. From the duration of his term it may now be realized if it is possible to get the same “screwing” from an African American president as from our past Caucasian leaders

lets not get too carried away a politicians a politician , and we have saying here "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" Obama has won the most difficult of jobs (in my view he must be crazy to want it) i wish him all the luck, he is going to need it ---we all are!

 

[lilithu]

I hope that green progressives and Libertarians are not excluded from the new world. I hope that even "Air American" liberals don't fall asleep like they did during the Clinton years. I mean, It wasn't Bush who gave us the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which paved the way for such horrors like Fox News and corporately owned mass media (yes, Republicans, you can thank Bill Clinton for Fox News). It wasn't Bush who gave us NAFTA and the WTO. It wasn't Bush who deregulated the banks. It was Bill Clinton.

Clinton won the White House by moving the Democratic party to the right. So much so that we nominated Lieberman for VP in 2000. :cover: So even as I cheered Clinton's victory and supported Gore (because it was still better than the alternative), it was not really satisfying. Obama has won by being true to the best values within the Democratic party. Most notably inclusiveness. The same values that founded the Republican party but they lost somewhere along the way.

Barack Obama may be the next FDR and Abraham Lincoln we all hope he will be if WE can keep a fire lit under that dude's ***.

Please do light a fire under his ***, as you said, to keep him accountable to the people. I plan to. But also remember to give him a little breathing room. The next four years are going to be extremely challenging, and he IS going to have to make compromises that we don't like. So we will have to ask ourselves honestly, whether the compromises he makes are in service of the larger goal of justice or whether he really is serving corporate interests over ours. As Van Jones said, when we "hold people accountable," there should be holding, ie - it should be done with love.

Correction: let's see what we can do. If we don't seriously take ownership of our government, it will take ownership of us.

Amen.

 

[Surya Deva]

I am glad Obama has won, I'd prefer him to win over Mcaine. However, clearly this election became a race issue in the end, and his victory is held as a victory for African-Americans. This is good for its sentimental value, but what about the real issues? Is Obama going to bring change in America?

Call me a conspiracy theorist but I don't think its the president of America that pulls the strings. I think this will be a great test for that theory, as we have the ideal candidate, a democrat, an African american, a libertarian, presumably we should have a completely different America. But my theory tells me nothing is going to change. It will not change until Americans take responsibility for America, rather then letting the government do it for them. It remains to be seen whether Obama's victory has made a difference.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

I am glad Obama has won, I'd prefer him to win over Mcaine. However, clearly this election became a race issue in the end, and his victory is held as a victory for African-Americans. This is good for its sentimental value, but what about the real issues? Is Obama going to bring change in America?

Call me a conspiracy theorist but I don't think its the president of America that pulls the strings. I think this will be a great test for that theory, as we have the ideal candidate, a democrat, an African merican, a libertarian, presumanbly we should have a completely different America. But my theory tells me nothing is going to change. It will not change until Americans take responsibility for America, rather then letting the government do it for them. It remains to be seen whether Obama's victory has made a difference.

It would be nice if you at least let him get sworn into office before passing judgement on his effectiveness and ability to lead.

PS - he isn't a libertarian.

 

[lilithu]

However, clearly this election became a race issue in the end, and his victory is held as a victory for African-Americans.

I am not African-American and I know that Obama's victory is a victory for me.

I am going to venture to guess that the majority of posters celebrating in this thread are not African-American and yet they know that Obama's victory is a victory for them.

Yours is the kind of viewpoint that keeps us mired in racial hatred and divide.

 

[.lava]

at last it is over! election is very annoying and tiring. anyways...i hope this new process brings what you and world need. i can't be sure yet. i need to see what happens in 2 or 3 years.

gObama (second best was Obama shoes)

.

 

[Nanda]

I am not African-American and I know that Obama's victory is a victory for me.

I am going to venture to guess that the majority of posters celebrating in this thread are not African-American and yet they know that Obama's victory is a victory for them.

Yours is the kind of viewpoint that keeps us mired in racial hatred and divide.

This. This exactly. :yes:

 

[Surya Deva]

It would be nice if you at least let him get sworn into office before passing judgement on his effectiveness and ability to lead.

I have nothing against the man. As I said I preferred him over the other guy. I just don't think it matters which party is in power. If everything in the country remans the same, if the attitudes remain the same, if the ruling elite remain in their position, a change in party will not make a difference. I guess I am taking a very Marxist view, which sounds conspiritatol, that the government is nothing more than an ideological state apparatus for the ruling elite. Let us not forget while it was Bush who declared war on Iraq, it was Bill Clinton that initiated operation Desert Fox, which weakened Iraq considerably. It was Bill Clinton that began the mobilization of troops. From Wiki:


To weaken Saddam Hussein's grip of power, Clinton signed H.R. 4655 into law on October 31, 1998, which instituted a policy of "regime change" against Iraq, though it explicitly stated it did not speak to the use of American military forces.[51][52] The administration then launched a four-day bombing campaign named Operation Desert Fox, lasting from December 16 to December 19, 1998.

The above seems to suggest that the politics of invading Iraq were already laid down under Clinton's administration. I can see a perfect continuity between the blue/democratic administration and the red/republician administration. I don't know, again feel free to call me a conspiracy nut, but I think the red/blue thing is nothing more than smoke and mirrors really.

 

[jonny]

I am not African-American and I know that Obama's victory is a victory for me.

I am going to venture to guess that the majority of posters celebrating in this thread are not African-American and yet they know that Obama's victory is a victory for them.

Yours is the kind of viewpoint that keeps us mired in racial hatred and divide.

It is a victory for African-Americans. But it's also a victory for all Americans - 61% of white Americans voted for Obama. Honestly, race was never in the equation for me (I know it was for others though). I voted for Obama because he inspired me and I believe he can inspire the rest of the country and the world and restore our country's reputation in the world. If democracy is to succeed, we can't do it on our own.

 

[Surya Deva]

I am not African-American and I know that Obama's victory is a victory for me.

I am going to venture to guess that the majority of posters celebrating in this thread are not African-American and yet they know that Obama's victory is a victory for them.

Yours is the kind of viewpoint that keeps us mired in racial hatred and divide.

There you go again, Lilithu, condemning what I say before even attempting to understand. If my view was promoting racial hatred and divide, would I say I preferred Obama over the other guy? Would I say it is a good thing that he won?

I am simply saying what loads of people are probably thinking. That this did become about race politics in the end. That is indeed the impression I am getting from the media, which are all celebrating the African Americans. Drawing parallels to Martin Luther King etc. I am not saying that everybody has voted for Obama because they are African American, but I do think race politics has played a huge part in the voting process. You don't necessarily have to be African American to be taken in by race politics.

 

[.lava]

There you go again, Lilithu, condemning what I say before even attempting to understand. If my view was promoting racial hatred and divide, would I say I preferred Obama over the other guy? Would I say it is a good thing that he won?

I am simply saying what loads of people are probably thinking. That this did become about race politics in the end. That is indeed the impression I am getting from the media, which are all celebrating the African Americans. Drawing parallels to Martin Luther King etc. I am not saying that everybody has voted for Obama because they are African American, but I do think race politics has played a huge part in the voting process. You don't necessarily have to be African American to be taken in by race politics.

voting someone else just because he is black IS racist.

.

 

[DallasApple]

I am not African-American and I know that Obama's victory is a victory for me.

I am going to venture to guess that the majority of posters celebrating in this thread are not African-American and yet they know that Obama's victory is a victory for them.

Yours is the kind of viewpoint that keeps us mired in racial hatred and divide.

Im white..and I feel victorious..So does my 19 year old white son.I have no doubt that for black people this must be beyond vindicating..The validation and true equality they must feel right now makes me cry tears of joy for them..

But its also a victory for non blacks and maybe even particularly white people..It tells something aobut us ...IMHO...That we arent "fearful" of change..that moving forward is our goal...We are not seperate...We are all in this together..

And the fact of the matter is..Barrack Obama?..Hes black and white..he was raised by a white woman...He represents all of us..

Anyway Im boiling over with pride for all of us..Im ecstatic I got to live to see history being made...

But as he so humbly put it last night..He needs our help...He has a gigantic mess to start cleaning up and he cant do it alone..And he cant do it overnight..

I for one am energized by him..And need to look at myself and figure out what I can do as far as my part goes..

Love

Dallas

 

[MoonWater]

Has anyone been reading the foreign (non-American) press? The rest of the world seems quite excited, as well.

And Moon Water, in re: your question in #61, if you can't find local initiatives in American sites, go to the foreign papers. They're often more detailed than the American papers.

thanks

 

[DallasApple]

voting someone else just because he is black IS racist.

.

Just as I know millions of women didnt vote for McCain to get a first time female VP...I do not believe for one second that the majority voted for Obama to get a first time black president..Im sure some did..But I do not think it does him justice for people to accuse him of being voted in simply because he is black..That certaintly is thrilling..But its because a real opportunity was there..His being black is like the icing on the cake..(with a cherry on top)..IMHO.... :yes:

Love

Dallas

 

[Surya Deva]

If somebody did vote for Obama because he was black, they are not going own up to it, in fact they may not even know that is the reason why they did it. This reminds me of the Indian election, the situation is similar.

Sonia Ghandi, an italian born national who had been living in India for decades as part of the Ghandi family, was running for PM. The opposition highlighted the race factor for their campaign and pretty much slandered her(kind of like calling Obama a terrorist) the public were not very happy with what was going on, so Sonia Ghandi ended up winning a landslide victory. (She ended up not taking the post in the end, but the public had officially voted her in)

In situations like these one can become so disgusted with one of the parties and their victimization of the other, which is what happened in India. It is called sympathy vote, routing for the underdog.

This is not to say that Obama had no other merits. I am sure those who are more politically aware made an informed decision on electing him, but the masses usually react emotionally, not rationally.

It is really good to see a black president though and much better to see a non-neo con party in power. But as I said earlier I am not convinced that it is going to make a substantial difference. It remains to be seen really.

 

[texan1]

If somebody did vote for Obama because he was black, they are not going own up to it, in fact they may not even know that is the reason why they did it. This reminds me of the Indian election, the situation is similar.

Sonia Ghandi, an italian born national who had been living in India for decades as part of the Ghandi family, was running for PM. The opposition highlighted the race factor for their campaign and pretty much slandered her(kind of like calling Obama a terrorist) the public were not very happy with what was going on, so Sonia Ghandi ended up winning a landslide victory. (She ended up not taking the post in the end, but the public had officially voted her in)

In situations like these one can become so disgusted with one of the parties and their victimization of the other, which is what happened in India. It is called sympathy vote, routing for the underdog.

This is not to say that Obama had no other merits. I am sure those who are more politically aware made an informed decision on electing him, but the masses usually react emotionally, not rationally.

It is really good to see a black president though and much better to see a non-neo con party in power. But as I said earlier I am not convinced that it is going to make a substantial difference. It remains to be seen really.

I understand what you are saying in your posts, and I'm sure a few people voted because of race on both sides of the ticket. But I believe TRULY that this was not just about race. (And if you recall there have been other black Presidential candidates.) Part of it is that Barack Obama was in the right place at the right time. He ran after one of the worst administrations we have ever had. An administration that was secretive and unpopular at home and abroad. Obama on the other hand is an open, inspirational, organized, intelligent man with a great ability to communicate and has made an effort to reach out to people beyond the democratic base. This election shows, in my opinion that we have become increasingly color blind. You don't win a presidential election by such a decisive margin based on race.

You said yourself that you supported him because he was the better candidate. Just because you saw African Americans celebrating this historic election doesn't mean he was voted in because of his race.

And by the way, McCain was the underdog in this one. I don't think the race card came up much at all in this election.

 

[lamplighter]

You know it's funny how many people in America say he can't do his job, yet our relationship with many countries is about to possibly change for the better on the mere fact that Obama was elected president last night, it seems allot of countries look forward to working with Obama and having an intelligent conversation with the American president for a change.

The news we are receiving on the results of the American presidential election shows that everyone has the right to hope for a freshening of U.S. approaches to all the most complex issues, including foreign policy and therefore relations with the Russian Federation as well.

Instant View - World Leaders' Quotes on Obama Election Win | Reuters

 

[texan1]

You know it's funny how many people in America say he can't do his job, yet our relationship with many countries is about to possibly change for the better on the mere fact that Obama was elected president last night, it seems allot of countries look forward to working with Obama and having an intelligent conversation with the American president for a change. Instant View - World Leaders' Quotes on Obama Election Win | Reuters

Yes. Americans are not the only ones celebrating his victory. This has already helped our foreign relations and he hasn't even done anything yet! And I am so happy to have a President that will be able to speak to us on a regular basis with some intelligence and eloquence instead of hiding out at a ranch somewhere keeping us in the dark.

 

[YmirGF]

at last it is over! election is very annoying and tiring. anyways...i hope this new process brings what you and world need. i can't be sure yet. i need to see what happens in 2 or 3 years.

My sentiments exactly. In Canada just recently, an election was announced and we went to the polls in the space of.... approx 35 days. 2 years of buildup is insane, not to mention 3 billion dollars spent on the campaigns. America, I sure hope you got it right. We'll have to wait and see though.