"Friends, Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears ofrelief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.
In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.
There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.
It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.
But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace overwar, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banishedfor eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.
We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.
An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.
We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.
I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.
But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.
Yours,
Michael Moore"
MichaelMoore.com
3 comments:
I posted a really long reply to this last night and then got the dreaded 'not responding' notice! I'll try and remember what I said:
I'm glad Barack won, not because I wanted a black/half black man to win but because I felt it was time for a change. The world needs somebody with a post WW2 view of things, for too long we have been ruled over by 20th century dogma and things must move on. Now I know that he is commmitted to Afghanistan rather than Iraq and that may be a good thing but too often in the past American foreign policy has had nothing to do with the stability of the region and everything to do with American interests and concepts of fair play. They've been on both sides of the Iran situation in my lifetime and in Iraq they back Saddam Hussein before changing sides. They undermined the political situation in South America and to this day Camp X still exists in the Deep South with one aim - to make sure that a left wing government doesn't get control of a country where the USA has a serious military interest.
John McCain cane across as just another in a long line of deeply Conservative - left wing bashing good old boys and America obviously has had enough.
I hope that Barack is a success, he will be tested by the Russians and the Chinese and his approach to issues such as Guantamano will be interesting. For too long the Democrats have been viewed as somehow 'un-American' - a bit like the Labour party in this country - whilst overlooking or ignoring the fact that Democrat voters do actually work, fight and die for their country - just the same as those on the right politically.
On another thread - Arsenal got booed off again - that's three matches in a row now.
Hi Paul...I agree with all that and so do most people I've spoken too. The only worry is the lack of experience after becoming a senator (with practically no opposition) and now he's Prez! Could mean the shadows play a bigger part (I hope he really does make a change...trouble is I can't help but get the I'm a pretty straight kinda guy, whiter than white (oops), no more sleaze, education education education, etc etc out of my mind: Obama needs to prove he's not just a good actor who can make a good speech.
Re Arsenal...in persepctive from a 38 year gooner (46 years old) as of now we're 4th with the second best goal diff and top of our group in Europe...those taht boo can just FUCK OFF! (although it is VERY frustrating!!!)...Manure game on as we speak but I'm boarding a plane in Bogota. Will read up on your posts etc when I get back to Spain.
Gary Lineker made the point on MOTD last night about "an awful lot of rubbish being written and spoken about Arsenal at the moment." They are playing very well - the problem I can see is that they have a very thin squad so they need good results now because I think some players will be burnt out come March/April time. I think those Arsenal fans who have been booing have short memories.
Oops - forgot the point of the reply - I think that Barack will approach it in some ways like a naive politics student and start by saying "what do you mean we can't do this?"
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