Anyone who knows me knows I have followed politics pretty closely for quite some time. I always promised myself I wouldn't ever strongly express my views on this blog because it was really intended for me to advertise my music and thoughts. However, now with a week left until probably the most important election in some time I feel like it is time to explain my views in such a crucial time in our country. (Not that I am anyone important or you should follow what I say but its at least interesting to read)
For someone as myself who has followed politics for sometime I knew who Barack Obama was. In 2004 during the DNR little known Sen. Barack Obama delivered the keynote speech for the event and left a mark on not only the democratic party but also on politics as a whole. From that moment on I knew what we had here was a special politician who was poised to cross barriers. In 2005, my AVID teacher, Ms. Conradson, brought in a Time Magazine to class one day and it had a feature on Sen. Obama. I begged her to let me keep the magazine which she never gave me but I read it so many times. He was beyond just being a politician to me, he was a regular person with a vision of a better America.
Throughout this race I have felt a special connection with him. It's the feeling of liking a band more when they aren't big and then get that big break. Through him entering the race to the primaries I feel I have been there every step of the way. It was interesting to see such a figure so open to the public. There are countless pictures of him in normal situations. Him reading the sports page or playing with his daughters. We have seen him be a person, we seen him tear down stereotypes of what a politician is. After reading Dreams From My Father I felt he was just like me. Someone mixed in race never quite really fitting in. He was finally something I felt I could believe in.
Now of course we can't ignore what has seemed to be unrightfully the biggest deal during this election. Race. This election has really exposed an extremely ugly and well hidden side of America. Too many times I have seen people base their vote on the color of his skin. Too many times we have seen racial epithets used to describe him. It sickens my stomach to see this still alive in here still in this day and age.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2008/10/28/ap_skinhead_plot.ART_ART_10-28-08_A3_70BNMR4.html?sid=101
People have tried to throw everything but the kitchen sink at this man. Telling us he's muslim. He's Arab. He's a terrorist. The thing with Barack is he must be bigger then that. He is the first serious black presidential candidate we've ever had. He is going to constantly be under a microscope. People are waiting for him to be the stereotypical black man. At that point they can dismiss him and move on. He must be better because he is held to a higher standard. He can't throw mud back he can't say slanderous things because as of right now he represents the black community. The world's attention is on him and he can't mess up.
Now along with an ugly side of America I believe this has shown a side of this country that brings me hope. For the first time in a long time I see so many people following politics more closely. I see people educating themselves and getting involved. I see so many people registering to vote. I think along with being the candidate people need he is the hope we need. The leader we need. I can only speak for myself but he has been such an inspiration in my life as well as a sign of hope to not only me but my siblings and little cousins who will feel the aftermath of this election. Never have I seen one man gather such excitement from so many people of different walks of lives and different backgrounds.
Now here I am a poor college student. An aspiring artist that doesn't have too much money to my name. Here I was down to my last bit of money.(No I won't tell you how much that last bit was) Yet I decided to donate 10 dollars to Obama's campaign. Now I'm positive that doesn't do much, maybe buys him a cup of starbucks coffee and a pastry in the morning but the amount wasn't the point. It was the fact that I believe in this man and his ideas enough that I wanted to give him money in support of what he stands for. I'm not gonna sit here and list why you should vote for Obama. I'm not gonna bash the Mccain/Palin ticket. I'm gonna tell you to vote. Educate yourself and vote for the person you believe should be running this country.
This is a beautiful photo essay put together that chronicles all of Obama's campaign and brings all sorts of emotions from me that he has come from so far to where he is today.
Obama Photo Essay
Don't forget to vote next tuesday. We need a leader after these past 8 years and in my eyes this man is it.
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