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Obama the Emancipator
Even after all the talk about what Barak Omaba's nomination (and, I hope at this writing, his presidency) means, Washington DC still has some special reminders of the distance we have come.
Voting in Washington DC for president is a special treat for us Washingtonians. While we do not have any representation in the Congress, thanks to the XXIII amendent to the Constitution, our city does get 3 votes in the Electoral College, giving us some small but potentially meaningful representation as citizens in selecting the president.
My wife and I got up early to be online before the polls opened at 7, and on the way home, stopped at Lincoln Park, an open space from L'Enfant's original plan for the city, eleven blocks down East Capitol Street from the Capitol.
We sat overlooking the park's central monument, a large statue celebrating President Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. The statue, which was known as the Freedman's Memorial, was paid for almost entirely with funds raised from former slaves.
The statue, which was dedicated on the 11th anniversary of Lincoln's death in 1876, was controversial from the beginning. As you can see in the photo, it depicts Lincoln holding the Emancipation Proclamation in one hand, with his other hand outstretched over a poorly clothed black man on his knees, with chains still shackled to his wrists, clearly cast in a position of supplication.
The city of Washington DC now has a formal city holiday celebrating Lincoln's signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862, which freed 3,000 slaves living in Washington, DC, complete with a ceremony, a parade, and a party. Lincoln did not issue the Emancipation Proclamation covering the entire country until January 1, 1863.
One can only imagine the sense of disbelief and wonder that must have swept across the country as word of Lincoln's actions, first limited to DC only, and then to the nation, spread.
But in thinking about a country freed from the tyrannical policies of George Bush and his minions, I feel at least some of that same sense of disbelief and wonder, that we might now have the opportunity to destroy the shackles which Bush was so assiduously forging: the torture, the unrestrained war presidency, the wiretapping, the destruction of habeas corpus, etc. etc--and begin to reclaim our freedom.
I hope that Obama will do the right thing if he wins, but much as I appreciate the wonderful campaign he has run, I still find it difficult to trust him, or any person, to easily surrender the powers which Bush aggrandized during his eight years. As the great abolitionist Frederick Douglas so eloquently warned us:
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"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.
As the history of Reconstruction so tragically illustrates, an emancipator can only open the doorway to a freer society. It's going to be up to all of us to seize on this amazing opportunity to move forward and to prevent the forces of reaction from pulling us back into the pit.
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We are headed downtown to see what will transpire next.
Some of Obama's attributes give some insight into how he handles power: openness-- willingness to listen, learn, consider and change-- he doesn't appear insecure about not being perfect.
Obama is not an ideologue. He is pragmatic, thoughtful and compassionate. Idealistic, but with ideals not drawn from a particular ideology.
The Bush administration is a case study demonstrating the tyranny of ideology-- any ideology...
Famously, George Bush surrounded himself exclusively with advisers who reinforced his views. Barack Obama, on the other hand, listens to many voices, sometimes to the dismay of his supporters.
We don't know how Obama would handle power but there's hope that he will do so with some humility
Richard we, all over the world, have been pummeled repeatedly by the views and consequences of GWB's actions. You may not have noticed the change in GWB, but here in Australia, when we see him on the telly, he's not the belligerent little brat he showed us in 2000. He's worn himself out being the worst president in the history of the world. Now he is miniscule. He's like a cockroach you'd step on and squash into the ground. He's exhausted himself with the evil that he's done.
He is utterly pathetic.
You're right - power doesn't concede power - UNLESS concession is vital to the common good - and that's where Obama can and will make the changes. Maybe he won't make them fast enough. But he must begin to cede the dictatorial power your current president has usurped and abused for 8 long years.
I'm optimistic. I don't believe that Obama wants power for the sake of power - GW's kind of power. I believe that Obama wants power for the sake of the things he wants to achieve. Obama's past shows that he works tirelessly for the underdog and he's got amazing skills and outcomes to show for it. What has GW ever done, apart from wield power, badly? Or his daddy for that matter?
Obama has much to prove to the world and he will not take the challenge lightly. He has to prove to the world that he is capable of uniting a country ripped apart in many bits and pieces by the actions of the administration over the last 8 years. He has to prove to his beautiful young daughters that their daddy stood up and changed the world to make it a better place for them. He may let you down, or me. But Barack Obama will NEVER let down his wife or his daughters. IMO
No one ever believed that Americans would elect a black man. I had that argument with a woman here, in a swimming pool, in Tasmania, this morning. She insisted that it will never happen. No way will Americans vote the way they say they're going to.
This man is different. Just when you think you have him pegged, you don't.