Yes We Did

If you’ve been following this blog for the past few months (and I know you haven’t), you’d know that I was a supporter and believer in the Obama campaign. In some ways, it started for me after his 2004 speech at the DNC convention when I optimistically thought that he could be the future of progressive politics in this country. At that time, I thought that 2016 or maybe 2012 was the soonest we could expect to see him as a serious contender, in part because I figured we’d need 8 or 12 years to get to know him, but even more because I thought it was unlikely that a black man could be elected President in 2008.

As he began to break through in the primaries, I remained uncertain as to whether he was electable but still became a fervent supporter. Once the battle with Hillary hit its fever pitch I began to feel that indeed he was electable, and maybe this nation is ready. Part of this was rooted in optimism, and part of it was a belief that the desire for change was strong enough to overshadow the silly notion that we should choose our President based on the color of his/her skin.

Now that I have my answer re: his electability, I find myself more optimistic about the future of this country than I ever have since I started voting. To have someone in the White House who is an advocate of the people, who will work to bring about meaningful change, and perhaps most importantly, who will undo the massive damage inflicted by the Bush administration over the last 8 years, is so remarkable and invigorating that it almost makes me forget about the horrible state of the country.

I don’t envy the President-elect and his team. His statement yesterday about the “depth of the hole we are in” was not stated lightly, and I fear that the Obama adminstration will be so bogged down cleaning up the mess that any sort of positive progress can’t even being to happen until his second term. This is when my optimism wanes, but I’m determined to hold out hope that he’s the right man at the right time and that this is the beginning of a new post-neo-con era.

Back in the spring, I donated for the first time to a political campaign, and subsequently I donated at 3 or 4 more times. It wasn’t much in the scheme of things but I do feel like I can say “Yes We Did” when I think about the 2008 election. Today at 12:30pm, Moveon put the above poster designed by Shepard Fairey on sale. I paid $500 for a signed one, from an limited-edition of 1000. It’s a lot of money to spend on a poster, but it feels worth it. To commemorate this moment in time, a brighter day full of optimism and hope.