The Final Blow to Democracy?

Say there was a scenario where a bi-racial man ran for president. This man had a sense of decency that was at odds with politics as we know it. He offered a new way of doing politics that brought democracy full circle...back into the people's hands rather than into the hands of immoral corporative operatives. Say this man was able to communicate this dream with a conviction and a righteous passion that engaged a vast number of disenfranchised and disempowered people. Say these disenfranchised people, youth, people of color, middle class workers and liberal intellectuals, began to see a reason for participating in the political process again. Say this Rainbow Coalition educated themselves, demanded more of their elected officials, keep double checking what elected officials and corporate owned media outlets were selling and started making choices independent of the Spin Masters. Say hope was in the air. Say we were all praying this man would become the next president.

Now...what would happen if forces within the society began to incite unrest and racial bias? What if a persistent water torture of innuendo, coded narrative and racially loaded commentary acted as an inflammatory irritant to cultural elements within American society. Say that same force had some control over the media and began subtly, and not so subtly, infiltrating the American consciousness with ideas that made people doubt the possibility, or even the expediency, of political change. Say this force played on the disillusionment of the 60's generation, the fear of older Americans and immigrants and the anger of a certain class or race of people. Say the purpose of this force was chaos and division.

Ask yourself...why would anyone want to divide and conquer the democratic political process? Who would want to still the voice of The People?

Now, say one race of people finds they can no longer take the drip, drip, drip of small, thoughtless insults from neighbors, co-workers, the media, political pundits and each drop soon accumulates into a flood of frustration that erupts at an inopportune time. Will this people's righteous anger give credence to the Powers of Chaos’s claim that the U.S.A. is not ready for political change? Will hope be defeated by fear and half the new voter base return to their holes resigned to bitter disillusionment?

My friends...if the above scenario happens it may be the final blow to any hope of real democracy in this country. This would be ironic since we claim to want to bring our brand of democracy to the rest of the world.

Obama writes in his book, "The Audacity of Hope" that the second theme of his book is to tell how he, as a politician, is trying to "avoid the pitfalls of fame, the hunger to please, the fear of loss, and thereby retain that kernel of truth, that singular voice within each of us that reminds us of our deepest commitments."

Americans know the kind of commitment it takes to walk step by step towards freedom. Some of us have inherited a tenacity and strength that brought our ancestors to this shore in search of religious and economic freedom. Others, who were brought here against their will or through indenture, have also inherited a tenacity and strength that has helped them keep walking step by step towards freedom from bondage and degradation. God bless all.

I believe all the citizens of the U.S.A are strong and tenacious and share important goals in common. I believe we can all join together in these hard times to ensure freedom remains possible for all men and women in this amazing experiment we call the United States of America.

Time is running out. Do something!

Obama 2008