Wednesday, July 28, 2004

OBAMA!

Illinois State Senator Barrack Obama (who is runing for a seat in the U.S. Senate) gave one of the best speeches I have heard in a very long time last night at the Democratric National Conventiont. So good, in fact, I would vote for him for President if he were on the ticket. I can't believe though, that none of the networks broadcast the convention last night. Is this not news, people? Would you really rather watch reruns of "Will and Grace" or whatever other garbage was most likely on? Sadly, probably so, and that is why you could only watch it on PBS or cable news stations. Anyway, you can read the transcript of the speech here but here is an excerpt:

If there's a child on the South Side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child.

If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for their prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandparent.

If there's an Arab-American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief -- it is that fundamental belief -- I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper -- that makes this country work.

It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one.

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes.

Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America.

There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America -- there is the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states; red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states.

We coach Little League in the blue states and have gay friends in the red states.

There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?


I am very excited to have this man as our next U.S. Senator. Yay for good, honest, exciting politicians!

No comments:

Post a Comment