I knew you would have something posted : ) I am in a happy shock. I am numb. I am in a place that I can't describe, but I am in love with the fact that I have lived to see this day.
Comment #2 by Lance Tango on November 5, 2008 - 5:10am
Rebecca... your writing, your blogs, your posts have been like a companion to me as we have followed the unfolding of this historical Presidential Election. It's been an inspiring ride.... Now for the work to begin....
Comment #3 by rebecca on November 5, 2008 - 7:20am
The very first thing that I did this morning here in the U.K was check the news... I cannot describe how happy and relieved I felt that Obama has been elected U.S President. Happy, but also a little anxious about the monumental job that he now faces. Obama is walking into one hell of a mess.... economy, war etc. I believe that he is absolutely up to the task at hand.
Goodbye to G.W. Bush and and BIG hello to logic again.
Comment #5 by Danielle on November 5, 2008 - 2:35pm
Comment #7 by Danielle on November 5, 2008 - 10:35pm
Hey, Rebecca! Thanks for commenting on my blog. I am so excited that you did. To answer your question, yes, I love your new outlook. Keep up the great work.
Danielle
Comment #8 by Craig Swieso on November 6, 2008 - 12:45am
I supported Hillary because I believed that she was more able to match "mean" w/ "mean". I believed that an effective leader can't just have Gandhi in her/him, but that there also must be some Stalin as well.
Needless to say, I don't see any Stalin in Obama. As corny as it sounds, my worldview has taken a shock. There is humanity in humans! People can respond to goodness. I find this all terribly overwhelming.
I'm a big pile of love today. I feel like hugging everyone. I may do "hate" more than I do "love", but I'm better at "love" than I am at "hate".
Comment #9 by rebecca on November 6, 2008 - 2:25am
Thanks bfp--loved your piece today on alma del fuego. Glad to read you Craig!
I finally finished my root piece, which will go up in the UK on the Guardian, too. And I've been getting emails from all over the world. A friend in South Africa said they've been partying in the streets and to her it's bigger than when Mandela won.
Another friend in Argentina told me thousands of young people were out in the street last night and today. And I just gave an interview to a writer for a Canadian magazine and it was good to hear her say that she feels she could like the US again.
It feels like a major unglogging of the global arteries.
Now about Prop 8...
Comment #10 by Craig Swieso on November 7, 2008 - 1:21am
My mention of Stalin above pertain to his ruthlessness. However, and not to take away from the joy of this moment, but we do need to guard against the cult of personality. A Newsweek commentator alluded to this last night on Charlie Rose. He pointed out that past presidential victory speeches were given from a stage packed w/ family and included the running mate. That didn't happen Tues. night. Furthermore, and this just occurred to me, but the Warholish campaign portrait/poster is intentionally iconic.
Just an observation.
Comment #11 by rebecca on November 7, 2008 - 11:15am
I agree re: cult of personality--one of the reasons I like the way he makes it all about us. He didn't win, we did. I think it's a smart way to handle the inevitable--that and get down to business.
Here is some info on the artist behind the posters--amazing it's the guy who did the OBEY posters--quite a journey for him.
Comment #12 by A.D. Powell on February 12, 2009 - 4:57am
My reaction to the election of Barack Obama is mixed. I really despised the Bush regime and I considered the McCain/Palin ticket to be a continuation of that kind of discredited government. I definitely did NOT want the Republicans back in the White House. On the other hand, I see in Obama's victory a certain danger to those who oppose forced racial classification and wish to promote the legitimation of multiracial identities and racial ambiguity. Why? Too many of the black-identified members of the political and intellectual elite and their "white" allies will probably be emboldened to try and silence us again.
On the other hand, I have been struck by the large number of "white" Americans who have openly asked why Obama is "black" when he is half white and was reared by white relatives in a totally non-black environment. "Mixed race" is no longer an abstraction to growing numbers of "whites." They may not be interracially married themselves, but they are the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. of mixed-race people. They see their relatives, who are usually white women and often single mothers, pour all of their love and resources into their biracial children (just as Obama's mother and grandmother did). They are far less afraid to say that there is no logic in claiming that those children are totally "black" or "African American" and not entitled to claim their white parents' "race" and ethnicity.
I will REALLY be impressed when blacks finally acknowledge that Anatole Broyard (and others they accuse of "passing for white") was truly white and entitled to claim his predominate European heritage. That would be a greater victory for American race relations than 10 President Obamas.
Comments:
I knew you would have something posted : ) I am in a happy shock. I am numb. I am in a place that I can't describe, but I am in love with the fact that I have lived to see this day.
Rebecca... your writing, your blogs, your posts have been like a companion to me as we have followed the unfolding of this historical Presidential Election. It's been an inspiring ride.... Now for the work to begin....
We deserve it, don't we?
Yes. We. Do.
Love you two.
Yes. We. Will.
The very first thing that I did this morning here in the U.K was check the news... I cannot describe how happy and relieved I felt that Obama has been elected U.S President. Happy, but also a little anxious about the monumental job that he now faces. Obama is walking into one hell of a mess.... economy, war etc. I believe that he is absolutely up to the task at hand.
Goodbye to G.W. Bush and and BIG hello to logic again.
Hooray!!!!
awesome picture! :-)
Hey, Rebecca! Thanks for commenting on my blog. I am so excited that you did. To answer your question, yes, I love your new outlook. Keep up the great work.
Danielle
I supported Hillary because I believed that she was more able to match "mean" w/ "mean". I believed that an effective leader can't just have Gandhi in her/him, but that there also must be some Stalin as well.
Needless to say, I don't see any Stalin in Obama. As corny as it sounds, my worldview has taken a shock. There is humanity in humans! People can respond to goodness. I find this all terribly overwhelming.
I'm a big pile of love today. I feel like hugging everyone. I may do "hate" more than I do "love", but I'm better at "love" than I am at "hate".
Thanks bfp--loved your piece today on alma del fuego. Glad to read you Craig!
I finally finished my root piece, which will go up in the UK on the Guardian, too. And I've been getting emails from all over the world. A friend in South Africa said they've been partying in the streets and to her it's bigger than when Mandela won.
Another friend in Argentina told me thousands of young people were out in the street last night and today. And I just gave an interview to a writer for a Canadian magazine and it was good to hear her say that she feels she could like the US again.
It feels like a major unglogging of the global arteries.
Now about Prop 8...
My mention of Stalin above pertain to his ruthlessness. However, and not to take away from the joy of this moment, but we do need to guard against the cult of personality. A Newsweek commentator alluded to this last night on Charlie Rose. He pointed out that past presidential victory speeches were given from a stage packed w/ family and included the running mate. That didn't happen Tues. night. Furthermore, and this just occurred to me, but the Warholish campaign portrait/poster is intentionally iconic.
Just an observation.
I agree re: cult of personality--one of the reasons I like the way he makes it all about us. He didn't win, we did. I think it's a smart way to handle the inevitable--that and get down to business.
Here is some info on the artist behind the posters--amazing it's the guy who did the OBEY posters--quite a journey for him.
My reaction to the election of Barack Obama is mixed. I really despised the Bush regime and I considered the McCain/Palin ticket to be a continuation of that kind of discredited government. I definitely did NOT want the Republicans back in the White House. On the other hand, I see in Obama's victory a certain danger to those who oppose forced racial classification and wish to promote the legitimation of multiracial identities and racial ambiguity. Why? Too many of the black-identified members of the political and intellectual elite and their "white" allies will probably be emboldened to try and silence us again.
On the other hand, I have been struck by the large number of "white" Americans who have openly asked why Obama is "black" when he is half white and was reared by white relatives in a totally non-black environment. "Mixed race" is no longer an abstraction to growing numbers of "whites." They may not be interracially married themselves, but they are the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. of mixed-race people. They see their relatives, who are usually white women and often single mothers, pour all of their love and resources into their biracial children (just as Obama's mother and grandmother did). They are far less afraid to say that there is no logic in claiming that those children are totally "black" or "African American" and not entitled to claim their white parents' "race" and ethnicity.
I will REALLY be impressed when blacks finally acknowledge that Anatole Broyard (and others they accuse of "passing for white") was truly white and entitled to claim his predominate European heritage. That would be a greater victory for American race relations than 10 President Obamas.
Its was a big and Mr. Obama is doing good so far.
He has proved lot of thing and the most important was that blacks finally got the justice and they are also part of the community.
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