History made: Obama on his way

“Pregunta del Dia” by Esther J. Cepeda

“Pregunta del Dia” translates from Spanish into Question of the Day and today’s started pouring in late last night from all corners of the country and went a little something like this:

Q. Didja hear, didja hear?!

A. Yes, I heard. The whole world heard.

Barack Obama has become the media's presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, soon-to-be-slated as challenger to John McCain for the 2009 white house.

Correction: "White House." Even this color-blind, brown-eyed girl isn't blind to the fact that no person of color has ever before taken up residence in that most revered palace of presidential power. The most powerful office in the world, some might say.

 

I haven't been passionate about either him or Hilary but the excitement is starting to build.

If – and that may not be as big an if as some might make it out to be – if Barry makes it, and even if he turned out to be a less-than-spectacular Head of State, two things:

1)      It'll be over: the long-standing question about whether America is ready for a black man as President will have been answered. The doubts about whether a minority is "electable" will seem so…2007 passe. Barry's rising tide will lift all our boats, and every person who is not in any way extremely light-skinned, with light hair and light eyes and might be – if your surveyed a small crowd – identified as a minority, will feel they now have a chance at anything they can dream up. If Obama makes it – all things will be possible for anyone who might have usually been considered somehow different.

2)      The world will change. Without question. If Barack Obama makes it to the White House just think for a moment what life will be like for every kid who today is 6 years old or younger – or yet to be born. These kids – our future, here and all over this world – will never remember a time before a black man in the highest office of our government was a reality. "Barrier breaking," "History Making," "Trail-blazing," – nah, to these kids the previous "impossibilities" of my short life-time will simply be old hat. As ordinary as peanut butter and jelly.

Aaaaahh, life as it should be.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the “600 Words” & “Pregunta del Dia” columns, and is also a Director at the Chicago-based United Neighborhood Organization. Her reporting and opinions do not necessarily reflect those of UNO. “600 words” is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Comments

[Carlton Blanchard]

Hiram Rhodes Revels was elected to the U.S. Congress as a Republican Senator from Mississippi in 1870. By Timothy Cruickshank's argument...America has been ready for a black president for almost 140 years. And that's just plain goofy. We won't know that it CAN happen.. until it DOES happen.

To say that the political victories of the past 20 years equates to "rising boats" is ridiculous. This is the kind of statement that only a white man, with no idea of what true racism feels like, could possibly utter.

Esther, I think you should be seriously disturbed that the likes of a Timothy Cruickshank thinks you're a "hottie." Oh, you definitely are... but still I'd keep an eye out. You might find Timothy sneaking up behind you...in a white hood and sheet!

[Timothy Cruickshank]

Esther (hottie), I must take exception with your paragraph "1)," starting with "It'll be over...". I think the question about whether America is ready for a black man as president has already been answered - years ago. I cite the elections of J.C. Watts to congress in 1994 (from white Oklahoma) and Carol Braun as Senator in Illinois in 1993 as small samples of political in-roads made by Black candidates that proved the door was open then for a top level "electable" black candidate. The failures of past black candidates for president (Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton.) had more to do with their devisive racial politics than their color by itself. Esther, "Barry's rising tide will lift all our boats?" Again, I would tell you these "boats" rose years ago. Look at all the minority political victories in the past 20 years. They are many, and Barack Hussein Obama had nothing to do with them. He is a beneficiary of THEM. And in my republican opinion, Obama does not have to make it, so "all things will be possible to anyone." Obama has had the good fortune to come along at a time when liberal "White guilt" is at it's peak. Despite the fact that Obama brings a ton of personal baggage that would sink ANY white candidate, Obama supporters are willing to overlook ANYTHING to get him elected. This vote is the opportunity for modern day white liberals to cleanse their souls and ease their guilty conscience. They defiantly have closed their eyes and mind to the close personal associations with a now convicted felon of federal corruption charges- Tony Rezco, 20 years of racist hate mongering preachers serving as his spiritual "leaders," and a personal friendship with avowed terrorist William Ayers, who held a fund raising party for Obama. Couple that with a wife who, despite being a privileged Harvard Law School Graduate and wife of a U.S. Senator, professed pride in her country only AFTER her husband took the lead in delegates for the democratic party nomination. Don't forget their two children, brought by their parents to a church where they have been taught to distrust and dislike "whitey." Name for me a White candidate (whose preacher condemned blacks) with equal associations who would still get the nomination of either major political party? And I haven't even got around to the political reasons for voting against Obama. I know they are shaking in their boots in Pakistan, wondering when Obama might bomb them if given the chance.

[servando aguayo]

well...even you can see that he did not do it by himself...eventho some have anointed the candidate to JC status...but if he wins i can't wait for the first tumble...it will be heared around the world...there will be little change in the 1st 100 days and little in the 4 yrs...don't you know there is a group called congress? and this candidate will have to negotiate with each one for the pork? and there is where compromises are made...hasn't the obma folks have payed any attention to the political wranggleing...they talk about change and yet he's got a tail of old politicos who eventually would like to have their cake and eat it too...