This isn’t just a black victory.  This is a triumph for anyone who has been marginalized by a dynasty of “mainstream” administrations.  The conservative brand has been recognized for being noninclusive; destroying America’s relationships with the rest of the world; for generating death, war and war debt; and for running the economy into the iceberg.

Those that think McCain would be any different than four Bush administrations are left to rely on only blind faith in hypocritical leaders and specious logic to justify their choices.

Now is the time to unite under one banner.  For those who think they’ve lost, I hope they’ll realize the opportunity that we have to be the one nation which we never could have been under a conservative regime.

If there is anyone out there 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.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Mistakes I think the McCain-Palin team made:

1. Choosing Palin.  She was a tactical choice aimed to draw demographic segments, not a strategic, qualified addition to the executive team.

2. Not adopting an inclusive strategy.  By continuing to marginalize those who are not wealthy, white or evangelical, how did they expect to win a majority?

3. Not able distinguish themselves, their plans and their economic strategies from the Bush administration.

4. Not able to show a clear plan for ending the wars, let alone recoup the massive debt from them.  The same tired old battle cries fell on weary ears.

5. Not connecting with the youth of America.  They drastically underestimated the power that lies in the voting fingers of the twenty-somethings.  The Obama-Biden campaign and supporting groups used social networking in a way never seen before.

I’ll be working at a nearby polling place as a greeter for the Democrats handing out flyers or sample ballots.  I’ll also have my videocam.  I signed up with Video the Vote, a youtube effort allied with many of the media.

Two answers. 

1. We don’t.   We must make our own decisions and not be influenced by the will of others.

2. With that in mind, we still have to interact with the rest of the international community.  Everything about our economy is interconnected with the rest of the world.  Remember the butterfly effect?

Obama has earned the respect of the people internationally 64% to 15%.  Clearly he will be more respected and find more cooperation around the world.  We need that more than ever.

Anyway, after 43 white male Presidents, this is real change!

1. It’s not consistent with any of Powell’s previous statements, actions or behavior.  If this were the tenth such endorsement, I wouldn’t argue.  However, it’s the first.

2. Why hasn’t anyone accused McCain of racism for choosing a white running mate?

3. Rush Limbaugh is a big fat idiot.

4. Why did African-Americans not get behind other candidates such as Shirley Chisholm (1972), Alan Keyes (1996, 2000, and 2008), Al Sharpton (2004) and Jesse Jackson (1984, 1988).

See the interview with Gen. Powell here.

The Washington Post says “Perhaps more fundamentally for Palin’s national political future, though, is that voters in the new poll are evenly divided about whether she understands their problems. Three weeks ago, 60 percent said she did; now it is 50 percent yes, 47 percent no.”  (Read here).

If you thought the liberal media was to blame, see if you can identify any statements that are both cogent and demonstrate any deep understanding of any issue in the Couric interview.

]]> http://bluevirginia.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/katie-courics-interview-with-sarah-palin/feed/ 0 koset http://bluevirginia.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/im-an-optimist/ http://bluevirginia.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/im-an-optimist/#comments Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:11:15 +0000 koset http://bluevirginia.wordpress.com/?p=97 ]]> I just registered this license plate for my car.

Good going, Kedron!

The best reason may be that the line was short!

G.H.W. Bush: Fiscal conservative, $300B deficit.

Bill Clinton: Tax & Spend Liberal, $200B SURPLUS.

G.W. Bush: Fiscal conservative, $482B deficit.

McCain: Fiscal conservative, …?

August 1961, Barack Hussein Obama II is born and named after his father.  Lots of people do that.  The tie to terrorism then?  Also none.

Skip now to Saddam Hussein.  Through his rise to power, the US actually supported Iraq’s enterprises and the commercial power base of the megalomaniac.  We did so until it was much too late to undo it.   For those who are dedicated to the war on terror, where was the movement against him when US corporations were selling Iraq materials and equipment to build his industries?  Silent.

To say that there is any tie with Obama’s middle name and terrorism is actually an insult to the person uttering it.

Liberal?  Wouldn’t anyone to the right dislike the side of the media that does not reflect their views?  If the media is so liberal, then why is there Fox News?

“… Our great strength is in our unity and diversity.” — Gen. Colin Powell

He made the point that Obama’s economic plans are based on sound theory and practice.  He characterized McCain’s foreign policy as being based in the Cold War era and that it sought to continue isolation of our adversaries.  Obama seeks to continue dialog and seek good working relationships with Russia, China, N. Korea and others.

To suggest that Powell’s decision is based on race is an insult to his character.  Such a low blow would only be employed by those who can’t argue with his logic.

Watch the clip or read the full transcript.

ACORN is a nonprofit organization with the mission of registering voters.  The right wing doesn’t like this, because by default the majority of people who need help or impetus to register are the low income or minority communities.  They tend to vote more blue than red.

ACORN hired low income people to do voter registrations.  This includes homeless, recently released convicts, unemployed and homeless people.  I’d think that it would be a good thing to help these people with jobs.  Unfortunately,  some of them, possibly a very small number used made-up names for registrations.  By law, they’re required to turn in any form they receive.  The Gov’t then reviews them and throws out the Mickey Mouses.

We must distinguish voter registration fraud from voter fraud.  Neither have occurred.  To date, no one has even attempted to vote more than once.  See this op/ed by Harold Meyerson.

That liberal media is at it again.  Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey constantly mocks Gov. Sarah Palin.

In once case, Fey simply used Palin’s own words unaltered and that was enough to get laughs.  Why, then, aren’t Palin’s policies, proposals and her own ideas more relevant to people than the jokes?  I hear nothing but jibes and cleverisms from her.  Where’s the substance in her speeches?

If people are swayed by simple mockery, then their opinions weren’t very solid in the first place.

Having said that, Adam Ruben of MoveOn.org reminded me: “Right now, Obama’s up in the polls. The pundits are basically calling the election over. So lots of folks think Obama’s going to win with or without their vote. Many could skip voting altogether—and well-intentioned volunteers could take the weekend off instead of getting those folks out to vote.”

Transcript follows:

“Hello. I’m calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge’s home and killed Americans. And Democrats will enact an extreme leftist agenda if they take control of Washington. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the judgment to lead our country. This call was paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee at 202-863-8500.”

Go register there and then come back to post comments.