By Malcolm Shore
Sometimes, a wave of truth can be found within a sea of illusions.
Case in point: When millions of Americans, together with the nation’s talking heads, describe Tuesday November 4, 2008 as “historic,” they are not wrong. I have no doubt I will remember that night for the rest of my life. Should I have grandkids, I fully expect to tell them about being in Harlem at the moment the United States elected its first Black president. How I saw people dancing in the streets and crying tears of joy, and how I witnessed white youth streaming into the nation’s most famous African-American neighborhood to high-five Black youth. How I heard people exclaim, “We did it!” “The Dream Has Come True,” and “I See The Promised Land!”
But it occurs to me that, one day, this political moment will be viewed as historic for a far different reason than the current conventional wisdom allows. In sharp contrast to the pronouncement of the powers-that-be and their mouthpieces in the major media-that Barack Obama’s election marks a major advance and a new beginning for the United States-I wonder if, someday soon, we will look back and marvel at how far humanity has come from November 4, 2008; at how radically the consciousness of millions has changed and advanced since then, how much higher people’s sights have risen, and how dramatically the terms of political discourse in this country have shifted.
I say that by way of introduction to my account of the roughly 180 minutes I spent that night in Harlem’s State Office Building Plaza. My gut tells me that, by and large, I should let the words of those I interviewed-and the sights and sounds I convey here- speak for themselves. I suspect that doing so will also drive home the point I am getting at in the previous paragraph.
Tension in the Air
But first, some quick background is in order. There was, leading up to election night, a tremendous sense of uncertainty and anxiety in the air: What was going to happen? And then, what was going to happen after that? Each of these questions seemed multi-layered, and for many of them, the answer remains to be seen.
For weeks leading up to November 4, polls had shown Barack Obama in the lead. But what if a third consecutive election was stolen, this time for McCain and Palin? Would people recognize this development as an escalation of the fascist direction set in motion by the Bush Regime; as a further declaration on the part of the government that it is finished even pretending to follow the will of the people? And if there was widespread recognition of this within the populace, would millions of people again become deflated and bury their heads in the sand, as they did after the 2004 election? Or would they become outraged, politically rise up, and say, “Not this time.”
And, beyond the immediate aftermath, would people emerge from an election heist more determined to fight the fascist program of our government, as applied by both Republicans and Democrats? Or would resistance to McCain and Palin become subordinated to, and co-opted by, the Democrats?
If, on the other hand, Barack Obama won, it seemed safe to predict the initial reaction for millions-after eight years of Bush and hundreds of years of white presidents-would be celebration. But, in the midst of that, would the revelers shut their eyes to the continuing crimes of their government? Or would they embrace, even in the midst of their joyousness, the necessity and responsibility to resist those crimes?
And, once Obama became president, how would people react when he betrayed the hopes of those who had supported him? Would people make excuses for his crimes, because it was Obama, and not Bush, committing them? Or would they become infuriated upon discovering the candidate of “change” was, in fact, carrying forth much of the same criminal Bush agenda?
Again, many of these questions are yet to be answered. The work that The World Can’t Wait does, in both the immediate and long-term aftermath of the election, could be decisive in determining the answers. But suffice it to say that, on the eve of the election, these were among the questions that lingered most powerfully-on the political scene, and in the minds of World Can’t Wait activists.
On a more local and immediate level, in the final days before November 4, there was discussion within the New York City World Can’t Wait chapter about how people would react to our presence in the instance of many possible election night scenarios: Particularly if Obama won, the question was raised of how people would respond to the message that, “no matter who becomes president, it’s up to the people to resist the crimes of their government.” Some worried that we would be seen as raining on the Obama parade. Others argued that even many of those energized around Obama would agree that the people must continue to resist the crimes of their government; and that those who did not agree would at least be challenged to consider the terms we confronted them with.
Election Night Arrives
A group of World Can’t Wait activists began the night at Revolution Books, which was hosting a discussion based on the Revolution newspaper article: “The Morning After the Elections..and the Change We Really Need” What are you going to do now?” About 20 people gathered at the store around 7pm for a conversation moderated by Carl Dix and Sunsara Taylor. As we talked, we kept tabs on the election coverage on television and computer screens.
One point that was heavily emphasized during the discussion was the need for World Can’t Wait and others to be out among the election night crowds doing outreach, whether or not our message was immediately popular. Dix said he knew from personal experience that sometimes, people need to hear what they are not yet ready to hear. He then related a story from his own political evolution that powerfully illustrated that point.
In the 1960s, Dix said, he was attending night school and was not particularly active politically. One day, some Black Panthers approached him and tried to persuade him that he should become involved in the radical movements of the time. Dix, recalling that he was impressed by the Panthers but not ready to take their advice, laughed as he recounted “politely” telling them that he wasn’t interested. But about a year later, Dix got his draft notice. Suddenly, the reality of the atrocities committed by his government hit home in a very powerful way, and he thought back to the conversation he had one year before with the Panthers. The rest, as they say is history: and in Dix’s case, that history includes going to prison because he courageously refused to fight in Vietnam.
Moral of the story: Sharply challenging the way people think can have a major positive impact, even if it doesn’t happen right away.
A little after 8pm, we got word at Revolution Books that about 700 people had gathered in Harlem’s State Office Building Plaza, at Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and West 125th Street. With Obama already well ahead in the Electoral College count, it appeared increasingly likely that the Harlem gathering would evolve into a victory celebration. With Dix’s story fresh in my mind, I got on the subway with a group of World Can’t Wait activists, as well as supporters of Revolution newspaper, and headed up to Harlem.
As we exited the train and approached the plaza shortly before 9:30 pm, we heard uproarious cheers as the Jumbotron flashed the latest Electoral College tally: 195-76 in favor of Obama. With a notepad in hand, I began moving among the crowd, interviewing people amidst the increasingly exultant sights and sounds around me. What follows is a sample of the words, thoughts, and emotions I collected in the process.
“I Have Someone Representing Me”
The first person I spoke to was Tiisha, a 26-year-old woman from the Bronx. Despite the early returns that showed Obama with a sizeable lead, Tiisha remained very concerned about a stolen election for McCain. “I feel that they”re going to do something sneaky towards the end of the night,” Tiisha said.
I asked Tiisha what her hopes were for an Obama presidency, and she said, “I hope he don’t go back on his words, as far as making change. I hope that he improves the budget crisis.”
I then explained to her the viewpoint of The World Can’t Wait-that it’s up to the people to independently resist the crimes of their government, and not rely on the candidates-and asked Tiisha what she thought of that. “If you don’t believe in somebody,” Tiisha asked in return,”who would you believe in?”
In terms of what it would mean for Obama to become the first Black president, she said, “I’m proud, but like most Black people, I’m worried for his safety.”
I asked Tiisha to elaborate on the emotions she felt regarding the possibility of the first Black president, and she said, “I feel like I’m more involved because I have someone representing me. It’s not just a Black-white thing. It’s his beliefs.”
What beliefs did Tiisha particularly identify with? “That he knows change is not going to come overnight. He believes in unity, whereas to me, Republicans believe in money.”
What about the situation in America for Black people, I asked Tiisha-would that change if Obama won? “No,” Tiisha said. “It would just encourage the young Black people of the United States that they can do it too.”
Finally, I mentioned to Tiisha that Obama wanted to send more troops to Afghanistan, and asked for her opinion.
“Oh,” Tiisha said. “I don’t approve of that.”
“We Know We Have Somebody Strong Supporting Us”
Next, I spoke to Briana Morrison, 24, who also lives in the Bronx. I asked her if she thought the situation for Black Americans would change if Obama won. “As a people, I think we”ll change,” Morrison said, “because we”ll try to do more positive than negative.”
And what about her hopes for an Obama presidency? “I guess empowerment for both minority and majority. I guess for us to be united as a people.”
I asked Morrison, too, about Obama’s plan to send more troops to Afghanistan. “Not anything negative against Obama,” she replied, “but in terms of sending troops to Afghanistan, with him in office, I think they”ll be in better hands”. But to say it’s the best thing to do, I don’t necessarily agree with that.”
Morrison added that if Obama does send more troops to Afghanistan, she would be “hopeful.”
Why? I asked.
“Because,” Morrison said, “we know we have somebody strong supporting us when we go there.”
“We”re Too Far From That”
Next, I spoke to Noel, a 38-year-old Harlem resident.
“It’s overwhelming to see this many people coming out and voting for somebody who is African-American, and overwhelmingly is winning right now,” Noel said. “So it’s definitely emotional.”
I asked Noel what he liked most about Obama. “He’s straight-forward,” Noel said. “He sticks with the point of what he believes. And he’s also for the people.”
What did Noel think of Obama’s plan to send more troops to Afghanistan? “I think we should,” Noel said. “Because Afghanistan is getting out of hand, out of control. You can’t back out of something that hasn’t been finished.”
I told Noel that The World Can’t Wait believes in an independent movement of the people resisting the crimes of its government. I asked him how he views that mission.
“Uh, we”re too far from that,” Noel said. “We”re not there. I think that’s gonna be another 20, 30 years.”
First, Noel said, people in this country must be educated as to how things really work.
I asked Noel if he thinks the situation for Black people in the U.S.-as embodied, for instance, in the tremendously disproportionate numbers of Black men in prison or the police brutality repeatedly committed against African-Americans-would change if Obama were in the White House.
“I don’t think it will change,” Noel said. “I think for a few days, everyone will be happy, and then go back to work.”
“So I Should Look On That Web Site?”
When I introduced myself to Dante Dodge, 20, of the Bronx, and told him I was writing an article for the Web site of The World Can’t Wait Drive Out the Bush Regime, he had a question: He wanted to know if our organization was “a negative thing or a positive thing.”
I decided the fairest way for him to evaluate that was to show him our latest flyer, “No Matter Who Becomes President, Only YOU Can Stop the Crimes of Your Government,” so that Dodge could judge for himself.
“It’s something positive,” Dodge concluded, after reading the flyer.
I asked him why he felt that way. “I think that this right here gives us our own voice,” Dodge said. “It’s saying, “Don’t put the power into the government.””
A few moments later, he added, “These are definitely valid points as far as the individual. Meeting our individual needs.”
I ask Dodge what he thought about Obama’s plan to send more troops to Afghanistan. Dodge said he didn’t know about that plan, and asked me to tell him more. After I elaborated on Obama’s position, Dodge replied, “If he does do that, I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be for a reason. Bush didn’t have a reason to send troops to Iraq.”
“We do need troops around the world, to be honest with you, being that we”re the largest democracy,” Dodge continued. “We want to spread democracy around the world.”
I steered the conversation back to Dodge’s reaction to the flyer: could he elaborate on why he thought it was “positive”?
“Like you guys did bring up good points. I wouldn’t say so much “positive.”” Dodge said. “But we do need a president. Why not vote for the right president?”
I asked Dodge if racism and the situation for Black people in America would change if Obama were elected. “Of course. Of course,” Dodge said. “As far as the racism, that’s only up to the individual.”
How would Obama’s policies represent a difference for Black people?
“Let’s say, for example, the situation with police brutality,” Dodge said. “A guy is beat or short up several times, and no one did anything about it. And then we had Sean Bell, and there’s a lot of chaos going on with the government. I think Obama is willing to help that. And I don’t think the Republican Party will pay enough attention to that.”
As our conversation winded down, Dodge asked me, referring to The World Can’t Wait Web flyer, “So I should look on that Web site [The World Can’t Wait web site, and read up on you guys?”
I encouraged him to do so.
“I Got So Much Inside.”
“All I’m saying is “Obama”” said Tyshawn McBridge, 25, of the Bronx, as our conversation began.
As it turned out, he-and even more so Stacie Mclaurian, 37, who was also part of the conversation-had a lot more to say than that.
What did McBridge think would be the biggest change if Obama won? “Us Black people get the respect we deserve,” McBridge said. “I know he gonna fix it up, “cause he’s Black.”
“They think we illiterate, we stupid, we don’t know how to read,” Maclaurian chimed in. “That we wanna be on welfare. I want a job!”
Maclaurian then talked about her many negative experiences with police. During the Labor Day Parade, she recalled, she saw officers in her neighborhood twirling their batons repeatedly. She asked the cops why they were doing that, and she said they replied, “We waiting for them to get stupid over here.”
Maclaurian said she currently had a lawsuit pending against the NYPD, stemming from an incident in which officers arrested her for marijuana possession; in actuality, she said, the “marijuana” was tobacco. She said cops had threatened to call Administrative Children’s Services (ACS ) and have her 12-year-old son taken away.
I asked Maclaurian if she thought these kinds of incidents would happen if Obama were president. “I don’t know,” she answered. “I would hope not.”
She said she had met police commissioner Ray Kelly earlier that day, shook his hand, and told him what happened to her. She said Kelly had said he would look into the situation.
“We need a change in here,” Maclaurian said. “Our young people is dying.”
I ask Maclaurian what she thought about The World Can’t Wait’s view of the need for an independent movement to resist the crimes of our government.
“Whatever they ask me to do, if they send any literature to my house, I’m willing,” Maclaurian said.
I asked her specifically what she thought about the view that people should not place their hope in either Obama or McCain for change. “Yeah, I don’t want to put my hope into the candidates just because he’s Black,” Maclaurian said.
The conversation then turned to the wars in the Middle East. “I would never send my son to a war. I would never!” Maclaurian said emphatically, noting she was the mother of several young children.
I asked her what she thought about Obama’s desire to send more troops to Afghanistan. “I don’t think he should,” Maclaurian said, “because they should be coming home by now. Children losing their daddies. Mothers losing their sons. It’s not right! Those people aren’t bothering us.”
“It’s all over oil,” McBridge said. “What the fuck?”
“He won’t be sending my son,” Maclaurian says. “I”ll tell you that.”
A little later in the conversation, she returned to the topic of her arrest, for which she has filed a lawsuit. She said officers handcuffed her 12-year-old son to a pole, and that-as a result-her son is now in therapy. And then Maclaurian mentioned the incident on Labor Day again, this time adding in passing that the officers twirling their batons were Black.
At one point in the conversation, as Maclaurian was talking about how her Harlem neighborhood has become so gentrified (she is a 13-year-resident of Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard), she paused.
“I got so much inside,” she said. “And today-it’s like history right here.”
As we finished talking, Maclaurian brandished the orange “Drive Out the Bush Regime” bandana she purchased that night. She added that she planned to tell others to go online and visit our Web site.
“I Felt This Brotherhood With All Kinds of People”
I next spoke to a Black woman who appeared to be in her 40s. ( The woman ended up taking a cell phone call and walking away before I could get her name or age).
When I asked her what thoughts and emotions she was experiencing on this night, she replied, “I went in, and I closed the curtain, and I was in there giggling.”
Why? I asked. “I just felt like everything is just new,” she answered. “Seeing all kinds of people just smiling at one another. I felt this kind of brotherhood with all kinds of people.”
How did she feel about the increasing likelihood that America would have its first Black president?
“I would be so happy,” she responded. “Years ago, you”d say it”d be a long time.”
The woman went on to recount how her grandmother would sometimes walk for miles racked by thirst, only to find that when she did finally come upon a water fountain, it was marked “whites only.”
“And now,” she said, “a Black man was elected to run for president. It’s not just the fact that he’s Black. He’s a person that everyone could identify with.”
I asked what her hopes were should Obama win the election. “Bring the troops home,” she said. “And be more realistic with the country’s budget as far as the needs of the everyday person.”
What did she think about Obama’s plan to send more troops to Afghanistan? “Well, I haven’t really thought about that,” she said. “I don’t know how I feel about that sort of stuff.”
I then pointed out that she had cited “bring the troops home” as one of her biggest hopes for Obama’s presidency, and asked if she viewed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan differently.
“Yes,” she replied. “Because I want America to be respected worldwide. It’s like we don’t have the respect we had before.”
I asked her what she thought about the idea that we need an independent mass movement to resist the crimes of our government, rather than relying on the candidates. “The candidates are supposed to represent the people that put them there,” she said. “Who would be the voice of these independents? They would have to have a voice, so it would still be candidates.”
It was at this point that the woman’s cell phone rang, and she took the call and walked away.
“Idealism Isn’t Going to Save Us Either”
The next people I spoke to were a Black man and a Black woman, both in their forties.
“He’s the perfect candidate,” the man said. “And it’s ridiculous he has to fight this hard to win. He’s a leader, and isn’t that what you want? McCain is an idiot. He picked a Barbie doll for his running mate.”
“Obama has been this way the whole time,” he continued, moving his hand flat from left to right for affect. “The way he should be: neutral.”
“He’s mobilized a movement that no leader in history since Kennedy [has],” the woman said.
He: “I would say maybe Reagan and Kennedy.”
I ask them what they think about The World Can’t Wait’s call for an independent movement of resistance.
She: “It’s not just that he’s representing a party-he’s inspiring people to have a voice in their government.”
He: “Obama’s an independent candidate. I think Obama inspires this independence.”
But what, specifically, about The World Can’t Wait’s emphasis that it’s up to the people to take political action to stop the crimes of their government?
He: “I agree. I think that in the United States, it’s so difficult.”
Both of them suggested that Obama would motivate people in this country to be more politically aware and active of issues impacting people in the U.S. and the world. He mentioned seeing a recent documentary on PBS about Guantanamo that he found very powerful.
I asked what they thought about Obama’s plan to send more troops to Afghanistan.
He: “Honestly, he wants to take them out of Iraq, and put them in Afghanistan, which is where they should have been in the first place.”
She: “Nobody wants to be at war, but the fact of the matter is the United States has a history that has put us at war.”
War, she added, is a reality that is not going away.
“Afghanistan,” she says, “is where al-Qaeda set up their front.”
I press a bit more. I ask about the Afghani civilians killed by U.S. air strikes
He: “Bush went there. Is he[Obama] supposed to be unrealistic enough to leave the Middle East completely?”
She: “Idealism isn’t going to save us either.”
The Celebration Begins
Shortly after 11pm, I happened to turn on my video camera. The volume of the crowd, at that point, was at a relatively steady level. Within roughly 10 to 15 seconds, it became apparent that Tom Brokaw-displayed on the Jumbotron-was in the process of announcing that Barack Obama had won the election. At that point, the cheers of the crowd grew rapidly louder, as if someone had raised the volume on a speaker. Hands clapped and arms thrust into the night air. On the three-minute videotape I captured, somebody in the crowd can be heard repeatedly yelling “Wooooooo!” seemingly at the top of his or her lungs. Two young Black women-one of them speaking into a cell phone-hugged one another. A young white man in a baseball cap joined in chants of “Yes we can!” Another young white man gave the peace sign with one hand, while taking a drag off his cigarette from the other hand.
People across West 125th Street from the plaza crossed the street to join the rest of the crowd. The news coverage on the Jumbotron showed celebrations happening in different cities across the United States. A young Black man shouted, “I told you! I told you!” A stream of cars along West 125th Street began honking their horns. And I was hardly the only person in the plaza extending a digital camera-wielding hand upward, trying to record everything that was happening. A Black man walked through the crowd, announcing, “Change the menu at the White House! We got collard greens at the White House!”
“If He Wants To Make A Bad Decision, He’s Gonna Make A Bad Decision”
I began moving through the celebration myself, collecting reactions to Obama’s victory. I came upon a young Black man in a Houston Astros hat who was talking to Bob, a World Can’t Wait activist. I heard him incredulously say to Bob, “You didn’t even vote?”
I decided to follow-up with the man-19 year-old Harlem resident Bernard Smith- to get his thoughts on both the elections and his conversations with Bob.
“I figure that McCain [would be] four more years of the same thing,” Smith said. “He’s basically for what Bush wants to implement-tax the less wealthy. Obama, he wants to tax the wealthy and spread it out.”
Smith noted that, because of Obama’s tax plans, the McCain-Palin camp accused Obama of “fascism.” I asked Smith if he actually meant to say “socialism”. Yes, Smith replies; he meant to say socialism, not fascism.
I ask Smith what issues are the most important to him this election year. “People say “the war,”” Smith responded. “But unless you live down south where they get most of their enlistees, or unless there’s a draft, it doesn’t really matter here.”
But what about the civilians of Iraq or Afghanistan? I ask. “Who’s more important?” Smith replied. “They”re [the U.S. government] spending trillions on them, building a historic debt.”
I clarified my question: What about civilians killed in U.S. air strikes? “If they”re innocent, I pray for them,” Smith answered. “If not? Hey””
Since he had just engaged in conversation with Bob, I ask Smith what he thinks about The World Can’t Wait’s position that there needs to be a movement of mass independent resistance to the crimes of this government. Does Smith envision such a role for the people?
“Not really,” Smith said. “We can only elect an official. If he wants to make a bad decision, he’s gonna make a bad decision All we can do is elect an official and hope he doesn’t.”
Lastly, I ask Smith if he thinks Obama’s victory will improve the situation for Black people in the U.S. “It has to,” he said.
“I Guess You Haven’t Swallowed The Kool-Aid”
At this point in the night, I ran into World Can’t Wait national coordinator Debra Sweet, who was proudly sporting an orange “No Attack On Iran” t-shirt.This t-shirt had produced the highlight of the evening, as far as Sweet was concerned: A Black woman in her seventies had seen it, and had responded appreciatively.
“She points at my-shirt and says, “I guess you haven’t swallowed the Kool-Aid, because that’s what Obama wants to do”” Sweet said.
“I’m Just Trying To Live My Life Day By Day”
The next person I spoke with is Ronell Jones, a 31-year-old Bronx resident who had already purchased one orange “Drive Out the Bush Regime” bandana.
“I just think it’s really overwhelming,” Jones said of Obama’s victory. “You can’t really explain it. For Black people, or people of color, it’s a big change. We have something to look forward to.”
Jones said he doesn’t think Obama’s victory will mark the end of racism, but he did feel that his victory will improve the situation for Black Americans, including in relation to harassment and brutality at the hands of the police.
“There won’t be no more racial profiling,” Smith said.
In reference to police brutality more generally, he added, “I don’t think it”ll stop, but it”ll help. The police is always above the law.”
I asked Jones his thoughts on Obama’s plans to send more troops to Afghanistan. “I don’t really know too much about it,” Jones said, “but if that’s what he wants to do, he must have a reason why.”
I then asked Jones his thoughts on World Can’t Wait and its call for mass independent resistance.
“Everything’s different,” Jones said. “I’m just trying to live my life day by day. You never know what’s gonna happen.”
I press a little further in relation to Obama’s plan to send more troops to Afghanistan, and his vote for Bush’s spying program.
“If he’s down there to spy on people to see if they”re gonna harm the U.S. that he’s supposed to be running, I’m all for that,” Jones said.
At the end of our conversation, Jones asked if I could deliver a message to World Can’t Wait activists in the crowd. “Send me another bandana,” he said.
As our conversation concluded, the night was filled with the sound of car horns honking, and with the sights of white and Black people dancing in the streets together and high-fiving one another.
Amidst the Celebration, Messages that Point to A Radically Different Future
After Obama’s victory two World Can’t Wait activists unfolded, and displayed, a banner that read: “No Matter Who the President is” It’s Up to US to Resist the Crimes of Our Government/ Stop the Endless Wars For Empire”
As they passed out flyers to the crowd streaming by, a young woman stopped for a moment, and grabbed the flyer. She then shouted “Wooooooo!” and continued marching with the crowd.
Meanwhile, supporters of Revolution newspaper displayed a banner that read: “To All Those Who Put Your Hopes in Obama: It Won’t Work- We Need A Revolution”
“We”ve talked to a lot of people who realize, to some degree or another, that this election is not gonna fundamentally change things,” a supporter of Revolution newspaper told me. “But what people have is a lot of hope against hope.”
He estimated that he and others had sold roughly 100 papers over the course of the evening.
“It’s a real struggle,” he continued, “for people to put together what they understand about this system and how it works with what Obama represents.
“What I Truly Feel Is That He Gets It. He Understands.”
My last interview of the night was with a 62-year-old Black woman who is a lifelong resident of Harlem.
She said that while Obama’s victory does not mark the end of racism, she nonetheless viewed it as very significant that a Black man had achieved something previously deemed unattainable for African-Americans.
“I think it’s gonna be very encouraging for young people,” she said.
“The beauty of it all,” she added a few moments later, “is he’s an African and he’s white.”
Surveying the diverse crowd assembled in the plaza, she said Obama’s theme of “hope” had brought people of all races together on this night.
“Look at how unified is this crowd,” she said.
I asked her what she thought about Obama’s platform. “What I truly feel is that he gets it,” she said. “He understands.”
She said Obama has a good grasp of the need to fix the nation’s health care system, and the fact that the U.S. should not have gone to war in Iraq.
I pointed to the World Can’t Wait’s banner and asked what she thought of its message.
She suggested it was necessary for the people to give Obama a chance. “He just got here,” she said. “But let’s keep it in his face that these are the issues.”
What does she think of Obama’s position on Afghanistan? “Yeah, that whole issue’s something else,” she replied. “That” s a whole “nother issue. I haven’t really gotten into it. We don’t know what’s going on in other countries, really.”
But she mentioned one difference she saw between the foreign policies of the current and future president. “What he [Obama] says is he will sit down and talk with people,” she said. “Bush talks at people.”
Towards the end of the conversation, she noted, “Everything is not going to be OK because Obama’s president.”
“I Think it’s Gonna Take Some Science”
Around midnight, Obama began his victory speech, and in Harlem, eyes again became fixated on the Jumbotron.
Exclamations of “Black men, stand up!” and “The First Black President, Baby!” and “We did it!” emanated from the crowd as Obama started his speech.
“If there’s anyone out there,” Obama’s address began, “who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy; tonight is your answer.”
Later on, Obama-in remarks that MSNBC host Rachel Maddow would later praise effusively- said that his victory marked a “new dawn of American leadership.” To anyone who would oppose that American leadership, Obama promised, “we will defeat you.”
A few minutes earlier, in the midst of leafleting, Bob-The World Can’t Wait activist-had leaned over and offered me an assessment of the night as a whole.
“I think,” Bob said, at once playful and serious, “it’s gonna take some science to unravel all these contradictions.”
In the hoopla of Barack Obama\’s winning of the popular vote, those people in Harlem whom Mr. Shore spoke with manifested a sadly confused state of mind, as well as their own ignorance about their nation\’s history, and their own role in participating in that history.
For the past fifty years, ever since the death of Franklin Roosevelt, the American electorate have been relegated to sitting on the sidelines when it comes to dealing with the government, and when it comes to being an active force of resistance against the crimes of the government.
What makes this problem even worse is the woeful ignorance and constant \”dumbing-down\” which permeates the American psyche. The time has come for an all-out educational blitz, where the American people are told the truth about their nation\’s history and their role in shaping the nation\’s policies.
For too long, the American electorate has become isolated and alienated from the government which they\’re supposed to own, and in the wake of that isolation and alienation, some dangerous ways of thinking have arisen, and those ways of thinking must be changed through vigorous education in order to get the American population to change their ways of thinking and behavior so they can become the thinking, active citizens which our Founders envisioned.