On This Date in 2004
ByI stumbled across this post, entitled “Is there time to get this guy on the ticket?” in the archives, and it got me woolgathering. I thought I’d share it.
Senate hopeful and Progressive standard bearer Barack Obama embodied hope on the stage in Boston tonight. He is an alchemical marvel of racial harmony, liberal justice, and raw energy. From tonight’s speech:
“Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America, there’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.”
Read the Full Text of Barack Obama’s speech. See it on YouTube.
Thoe 1960s-era commercials for Pepsi were really cool, too. Pepsi would “pour it on” and make us part of the “now” generation. And Coke? Why, “things went better with Coke” because it was “the real thing” and made us want to “teach the world to sing”! And all of our favorite athletes chugged a cola when the championship was on the line.
…but you can’t point back to those old cola commercials as proof that the sugary brews are as good for you as the ads claimed. We know better now.
They were just words, designed to make you buy a product.
Was this comment too obtuse?
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Perhaps, a little.
.
It’s a bittersweet nostalgic moment reading those speech lines. I will forever marvel at the fact an African American was elected president in a country entrenched in open racism not even a generation ago. I have long gotten over the childish belief that ANYONE can enter the presidency and not succomb to some level of pressure, or, to find an uphill battle awaiting them for any attempt at progressive change.
That said, I do believe a person can stick to strong personal ethics, no matter what job they have.
Unfortunately, that can too easily end in assassination attempts, or, at the very least, character assassination.
I don’t know about all kids these days, but, I would never wish for one of my children to pursue presidency over our “united” states. We have enough trouble trying to unite a small town.
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