We’ve heard on the various news programs that it’s a day of history and yet it felt like it was just words. I thought about the big picture and here’s what I saw:
White men with property were the only voters for a chunk of time in history. They made the financial decisions for their homes, towns, cities, states and the country. It’s not that they didn’t want a better tomorrow for themselves and their families because they did, but they were fairly limited in their vision; one sided.
In 1870, we saw the first of many steps taken toward equalization in the form of the 15th Amendment, which prevented states from preventing any person from voting due to race or skin color. Big moment.
The next big step in history was made in 1920 with the passing of the 19th Amendment, which opened the polls to women. Obviously a big moment in history.
Another big moment in the steps of history was made in 1971 with the 26th Amendment which lowered the voting age to 18 years.
Now I think back and wonder about Martin Luther King Jr. and President Kennedy and John Lennon and so many other fighters from the days of slaves to the 60s to now...can you imagine taking a step back in time and looking to the future? Can you imagine telling one of those fighters that one day a black man will be nominted with the high probability of being an American President? What would they tell you?
These aren’t the lone steps that took us forward in our American history but they are big steps, big moments in time. Clearly we lived to see a new large step taken yesterday with the first African American being nominated by a major party. Make no mistake, it’s a great time to live through and to witness. I’m glad I’m here for it.
So – to the speeches:
Bill Clinton was the key note speaker and did a pretty impressive job in explaining his reasons he has for backing Barack Obama. He, or course, articulated what many of the previous speakers had done, which is to emphasize that John McCain is too much like George Bush, so if you want to continue to feel like you might lose your home, job and future, vote for him.
I really liked that one line he said: “People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power….The choice is clear. The Republicans will nominate a good man who served our country heroically and suffered terribly in Vietnam. He loves our country every bit as much as we all do. As a Senator, he has shown his independence on several issues. But on the two great questions of this election, how to rebuild the American Dream and how to restore America's leadership in the world, he still embraces the extreme philosophy which has defined his party for more than 25 years, a philosophy we never had a real chance to see in action until 2001, when the Republicans finally gained control of both the White House and Congress. Then we saw what would happen to America if the policies they had talked about for decades were implemented.”
I missed John Kerry and Joe Biden last night, but caught up on Biden’s speech today. It’s clear why Obama likes him and chose him: experience, tenure and leadership.
Biden said so much and I feel I can identify with:
“Like millions of Americans, they're asking questions as profound as they are ordinary. Questions they never thought they would have to ask:
* Should mom move in with us now that dad is gone?
* Fifty, sixty, seventy dollars to fill up the car?
* Winter's coming. How we gonna pay the heating bills?
* Another year and no raise?
* Did you hear the company may be cutting our health care?
* Now, we owe more on the house than it's worth. How are we going to send the kids to college?
* How are we gonna be able to retire?
That's the America that George Bush has left us, and that's the future John McCain will give us. These are not isolated discussions among families down on their luck. These are common stories among middle-class people who worked hard and played by the rules on the promise that their tomorrows would be better than their yesterdays.”
I would love to quote his whole speech here, but it’s worth the watching and the listening.
Tonight, a much anticipated speech as Barack Obama accepts his nomination from the Democratic party. I'm so excited to watch the energy created as it explodes around the world. I'm excited to hear his thoughts and plans for the future of this nation. I am so excited to be part of history, and watch him accept this nomination. It's a sure thing: everyone will feel his presence, everyone will know his name.
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