After 3 billion dollars, and a get out the vote campaign that signed up more voters than live in some precincts… The democrats have won. Congress managed to create a "perfect" economic storm, resulting in total economic collapse only 4 weeks before the election. This falls under the category of "you broke it you fix it"... my next post will deal with that.
On a more historical note, Barack Obama is the first non-white president of the
But there is no joy in Mudville….(Casey at the Bat, George Hearst, June, 3 1885, San Francisco Examiner).
November 5, 2008 …..I took the train to work expecting to see smiling and excited democrats every where. At the first stop, about one hundred and fifty people. All were looking down, seemingly depressed. Very few engaged in conversation. Young and middle aged whites, blacks and Latino. They shuffled their feet, as though the weight of the world had collapsed onto their shoulders. You would think their best friend had died or their dog ate their cat, or something. Next stop, another hundred, more standing and waiting for other trains. Twelve more stops, perhaps 500 people and hardly a single smile.
We arrived down town, and everyone scurried off the train. Pouring out onto the intersection and sidewalks, they seemed not to notice a thousand sanguine faces. All but one seemed intent on simply surviving the day. But that one….
She was a small black woman, perhaps 80. Impeccably attired in a woolen dress and topcoat, every democratic campaign button from 1964 to present adorned her lapel.
No one noticed her, except me.
She beamed with pride. I walked up to her and she smiled. I quietly said “Congratulations”. Tears formed in her eyes. No one else noticed. No one cared. She embodied Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King and thousands of other 1960s civil rights advocates.
No one cared.
For most of us racism is a television artifact. Very few have ever seen or experienced racist behavior unless it is something you see on TV. There are parts of America where racism is alive and well. There is a new Black KKK in Arkansas, and the white version still meets. This is not most of America. We typically see the reports of their activities on TV. Affirmative action has been the rule of law our entire lives.
We have just had an historic moment, but for 99% of Americans, nothing has changed. The media is celebrating, but for the average American…Black, White, Latino, Asian...
Economy struggles (at best)
Stock market collapsed
401Ks in the tank
Unemployment on the rise
Society in turmoil
Terrorists lurk
Drug use is rampant
Families decaying
… better just keep on shuffling our feet
We owe, we owe …off to work we go.
GPC Passing Through
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