And so we have another President. Many others have said things I agree with. For example:
"I certainly hope President Obama turns out to be as great a President, and as great a blessing to America and to the world, as so many of us think he will be, and as he seems to aspire to be.... In spite of which, I find myself worrying whenever I see this level of popular enthusiasm, this kind of nearly religious ecstasy, directed toward any politician.
"The other night we saw hundreds of thousands of good, idealistic, excited people, weeping and shouting for joy over the electronically amplified rhetoric of a superbly talented political speaker. (And no doubt about it, it was a fine speech.) 'The rich have despised you and exploited you, but no longer! The politicians have sent you to war and betrayed your sacrifices, but no longer! Things are about to change! YOU are in charge now! Yes we can! Yes we can!' And the crowd was electrified, inspired, thrilled.
"But I'm thinking, where have I seen this kind of thing before? In some old newsreel maybe?"
And this:
" On the bright side, where else could Obama's story happen but America? Anyone want to place a bet on when a black will become prime minister of the UK? Or a Turk the chancellor of Germany? Or a Berber the president of France? It's pretty inspirational, whether you agree with the man politically or not."
And this:
" Last night I watched with several other anarchist friends as Obama became the next President of the United States Government. As someone who battled drug addiction and worked as a community organizer, counter poised to someone like McCain and Palin who own several houses and planes, (while claiming to be 'just like us'), it's easy to get excited about things changing in this country. After all, just the idea that a half African-American President will be in office is enough to make many people think that the fundamental nature of the power structure in this country will change in a significant way. Some even believe that the very essence of their lives will change in the country. After all, that's what Obama sold us on. Yes we can, change, hope...
But our lives have changed in the past year, even with Obama already in office. Let us not forget he has already served in the halls of power, as the government launched wars into other countries, increased repression against US citizens, deported migrants, and as the prison population within this country continues to grow and grow. Even Obama's platform for election offers threats against Pakistan and Iran, calls for more corporate mercenary groups like Blackwater to go into Iraq, the buildup of a ground war in Afghanistan, new 'clearer coal' and nuclear energy (ha!), and continued attacks against immigrants. While many were excited by the fact that a person of color would possibly be heading the government, many failed to look past Obama's color themselves and see that he still represented the interests of the rich and not the working class." ---from: http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node/5420
Time will tell, indeed. And certainly, there is a chance that Obama will, in fact, be different. I don't think he will. But if, in 4 years, we are more free than today, I will applaud him.
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