Tuesday night Barack Obama secured the nomination to be the Democratic candidate for president. The first black person to reach that point makes him a truly historical figure. What is even more remarkable is that he soundly defeated a major political figure, Sen. Clinton. It is a monumental moment for a nation built on the blood of slaves, but I have fears that this milestone will disguise the work that still needs to be done not only for racial equality, but for economic and social equality as well. Will people think that because we will elect a black man as our president our society is in a post-racism era? I hope this is just the beginning. Not the end. It would be devastating to the nation at the current historical moment if we were to believe that our racist ideologies are but a memory. We should use this great moment to expand the meaning of civil rights to include a wider demographic.
I applaud Sen. Obama for the outstanding campaign he ran. I hope his call for change will continue long past November. Thanks must be given to Sen. Clinton who did the Democratic Party a favor by being so unrelenting in her bid for the nomination. The “dirty tricks” and “traditional politics” she employed are nothing compared to the evil schemes the GOP is cooking up. I am confident that the bruising Sen. Obama took this primary season has made him a better, stronger candidate to stand up to the GOP and their many minions. Hillary Clinton understands what he’s up against, and that’s why she ran her campaign the way she did. Putting a daisy in the barrel of a M-14 isn’t going to work against the Republican desire for power. It’s time for the real game to start. I give Republicans until next week to unleash hellfire on any and every wrinkle in Barack Obama’s life. The Democratic Party must defend him with equal or more ferocity as the Republicans can attack with. I will fight for my party and our candidate.
Obama in 2008!
