SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President Obama: This Proud Moment
Nov 05, 2008
We are inheritors of this momentous victory, but it was not ours. The
laurels properly belong to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and all of
the other martyrs who died for civil rights. And to millions more before
them who struggled across centuries and fell short of winning their
freedom. And to those rare politicians like Lyndon B. Johnson, who stood
up bravely in a decisive time, knowing how much it would cost his
political party for years to come. We owe all of them for this moment.
Whatever happens next, Barack Obama has already changed this nation
profoundly. Like King before him, the man is a great and brave teacher.
Obama developed out of his life experiences a different understanding of
the country, and he had the courage to run for president by offering this
vision. For many Americans, it seemed too much to believe, yet he turned
out to be right about us. Against all odds, he persuaded a majority of
Americans to believe in their own better natures and, by electing him,
the people helped make it true. There is mysterious music in democracy
when people decide to believe in themselves.
Waiting for the results, we all felt nagging tension, even when we were
fairly sure of the outcome. I heard from a newspaper friend, a wise old
reporter who never gave in to Washington cynicism. "This election eve
night," he wrote, "I feel myself tingling about the prospect of a nation
which used to lynch blacks during my lifetime electing a black man
president. I so hope it happens, believe it would electrify the world. I
think he is the bravest man in the world, perhaps the most foolish one
as well.... I worry about him like a Jewish mama."
We heard from another family friend, an African-American woman who
teaches law in North Carolina. She reported weeping involuntarily when
she saw Obama's picture. Did she know why? She said she saw her
adolescent son's face in Obama's. Great moments in history give
emotional definition to our lives and we carry those feelings forward
with us, our own private meaning of events.
In this way, Obama redefined the country for us, but our responses
involved generational differences. For younger people, white and black,
his vision seemed entirely straightforward. It is the country they
already know, and they expressed great enthusiasm. Finally, they said, a
politician who recognizes the racial differences that are part of their
lives and no big deal. For young blacks and other minorities, Obama's
place at the pinnacle of official power lifts a coarse cloak that has
blanketed their lives and dreams--the stultifying burden of being
judged, whether they succeed or fail, on the basis of their race.
For others of us at an advanced age, Obama's success is more shocking.
We can see it as a monumental rebuke to tragic history--the ultimate
defeat of "white supremacy." That vile phrase was embedded in American
society (even the Constitution) from the outset and still in common
usage when some of us were young. Now it is officially obsolete. Racism
will not disappear entirely, but the Republican "Southern strategy" that
marketed racism has been smashed. Americans will now be able to see
themselves differently, North and South, white and black. The changes
will spread through American life in ways we cannot yet fully imagine.
Let us congratulate ourselves on being alive at such a promising moment.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
William Greider
William Greider (1936 - 2019) was a progressive American journalist who worked for many outlets, including a longtime position as national affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine. He authored many books, including: "The Soul of Capitalism"; "Who Will Tell The People?: The Betrayal Of American Democracy" and "Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country"
We are inheritors of this momentous victory, but it was not ours. The
laurels properly belong to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and all of
the other martyrs who died for civil rights. And to millions more before
them who struggled across centuries and fell short of winning their
freedom. And to those rare politicians like Lyndon B. Johnson, who stood
up bravely in a decisive time, knowing how much it would cost his
political party for years to come. We owe all of them for this moment.
Whatever happens next, Barack Obama has already changed this nation
profoundly. Like King before him, the man is a great and brave teacher.
Obama developed out of his life experiences a different understanding of
the country, and he had the courage to run for president by offering this
vision. For many Americans, it seemed too much to believe, yet he turned
out to be right about us. Against all odds, he persuaded a majority of
Americans to believe in their own better natures and, by electing him,
the people helped make it true. There is mysterious music in democracy
when people decide to believe in themselves.
Waiting for the results, we all felt nagging tension, even when we were
fairly sure of the outcome. I heard from a newspaper friend, a wise old
reporter who never gave in to Washington cynicism. "This election eve
night," he wrote, "I feel myself tingling about the prospect of a nation
which used to lynch blacks during my lifetime electing a black man
president. I so hope it happens, believe it would electrify the world. I
think he is the bravest man in the world, perhaps the most foolish one
as well.... I worry about him like a Jewish mama."
We heard from another family friend, an African-American woman who
teaches law in North Carolina. She reported weeping involuntarily when
she saw Obama's picture. Did she know why? She said she saw her
adolescent son's face in Obama's. Great moments in history give
emotional definition to our lives and we carry those feelings forward
with us, our own private meaning of events.
In this way, Obama redefined the country for us, but our responses
involved generational differences. For younger people, white and black,
his vision seemed entirely straightforward. It is the country they
already know, and they expressed great enthusiasm. Finally, they said, a
politician who recognizes the racial differences that are part of their
lives and no big deal. For young blacks and other minorities, Obama's
place at the pinnacle of official power lifts a coarse cloak that has
blanketed their lives and dreams--the stultifying burden of being
judged, whether they succeed or fail, on the basis of their race.
For others of us at an advanced age, Obama's success is more shocking.
We can see it as a monumental rebuke to tragic history--the ultimate
defeat of "white supremacy." That vile phrase was embedded in American
society (even the Constitution) from the outset and still in common
usage when some of us were young. Now it is officially obsolete. Racism
will not disappear entirely, but the Republican "Southern strategy" that
marketed racism has been smashed. Americans will now be able to see
themselves differently, North and South, white and black. The changes
will spread through American life in ways we cannot yet fully imagine.
Let us congratulate ourselves on being alive at such a promising moment.
William Greider
William Greider (1936 - 2019) was a progressive American journalist who worked for many outlets, including a longtime position as national affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine. He authored many books, including: "The Soul of Capitalism"; "Who Will Tell The People?: The Betrayal Of American Democracy" and "Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country"
We are inheritors of this momentous victory, but it was not ours. The
laurels properly belong to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and all of
the other martyrs who died for civil rights. And to millions more before
them who struggled across centuries and fell short of winning their
freedom. And to those rare politicians like Lyndon B. Johnson, who stood
up bravely in a decisive time, knowing how much it would cost his
political party for years to come. We owe all of them for this moment.
Whatever happens next, Barack Obama has already changed this nation
profoundly. Like King before him, the man is a great and brave teacher.
Obama developed out of his life experiences a different understanding of
the country, and he had the courage to run for president by offering this
vision. For many Americans, it seemed too much to believe, yet he turned
out to be right about us. Against all odds, he persuaded a majority of
Americans to believe in their own better natures and, by electing him,
the people helped make it true. There is mysterious music in democracy
when people decide to believe in themselves.
Waiting for the results, we all felt nagging tension, even when we were
fairly sure of the outcome. I heard from a newspaper friend, a wise old
reporter who never gave in to Washington cynicism. "This election eve
night," he wrote, "I feel myself tingling about the prospect of a nation
which used to lynch blacks during my lifetime electing a black man
president. I so hope it happens, believe it would electrify the world. I
think he is the bravest man in the world, perhaps the most foolish one
as well.... I worry about him like a Jewish mama."
We heard from another family friend, an African-American woman who
teaches law in North Carolina. She reported weeping involuntarily when
she saw Obama's picture. Did she know why? She said she saw her
adolescent son's face in Obama's. Great moments in history give
emotional definition to our lives and we carry those feelings forward
with us, our own private meaning of events.
In this way, Obama redefined the country for us, but our responses
involved generational differences. For younger people, white and black,
his vision seemed entirely straightforward. It is the country they
already know, and they expressed great enthusiasm. Finally, they said, a
politician who recognizes the racial differences that are part of their
lives and no big deal. For young blacks and other minorities, Obama's
place at the pinnacle of official power lifts a coarse cloak that has
blanketed their lives and dreams--the stultifying burden of being
judged, whether they succeed or fail, on the basis of their race.
For others of us at an advanced age, Obama's success is more shocking.
We can see it as a monumental rebuke to tragic history--the ultimate
defeat of "white supremacy." That vile phrase was embedded in American
society (even the Constitution) from the outset and still in common
usage when some of us were young. Now it is officially obsolete. Racism
will not disappear entirely, but the Republican "Southern strategy" that
marketed racism has been smashed. Americans will now be able to see
themselves differently, North and South, white and black. The changes
will spread through American life in ways we cannot yet fully imagine.
Let us congratulate ourselves on being alive at such a promising moment.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.