Who are we? As Americans, who are we? That’s the singular question presented every four years when we elect a new president. We answered that question last night. The electorate did its job.
The stakes were as high as they’ve been in any of our recent memories. Even any of our paren'ts recent memories. Again, who are we as a nation? What the hell do we want?
Is our future a tentative step in an understood direction, or a gallop into a labyrinth of optimism? One on hand is a world fortified by a bold embrace of the future in which manifest destiny gets a much needed remix. This world of tomorrow would be enveloped in pillars of traditionalism for sure, but make no mistake, this gathering of thought would be defiant in its upward motion march deeper into the 21st Century. That was one option.
Or…
We had the opportunity to partake in an orgy of retreaded ideas and policies. Trickle down economics and all the fraudulence that mentality holds, would be the bread and butter, of a resurrected world. We had the chance to purposely go in the direction of failed moments, archaic ideals and divisive ignorance. No time machine, but we were going back in time regardless.
Thankfully, we said no. The electorate made a stand last night. Made a decision not just for the common good of the nation, but for the common sense of the nation. By re-upping on Barack Obama, America said yes to the potential of the future. To the prosperity of intellectualism and all that it brings forth.
Fam, last night was awesome.
The national margin of the final vote is razor thin. Basically, less than three million votes makes up the current tally (though the final number is subject to change). This nation was thatclose to Mitt Romney as president. Too close. You should disregard the final number, however. It’s in the swing states that the blowout happened. It’s there where the people with the most to gain, the people who for the last several months have been bombarded by information from both candidates, decided to cast their vote with the black guy again. Damn that sluggish economy, they said. It’s getting better and will continue to do so. President Obama won Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia and as of early this morning, Florida was still too close to call. That’s amazing.
Not to mention a middle finger to the GOP. A political party hell bent on divisive behavior. They say no to science, no to diversity, no to immigration, no to fair pay for women, no to economic equality, no to any religion unrelated to Christianity and no to everything that most people in the mainstream say yes to or at least say maybe. For years, all they’ve had was their foreign affair and military prowess. We’ll keep you safe, they said. You don’t want those cowardly blue folks in there do you? That option was taken off the table early, and without it to back up their falsehoods, their comedy act was exposed. They will now be forced to come to terms with the era we live in or face true extinction on the national stage. They’ll maintain the South and parts of the Plains states, but will never again challenge for the White House. This is a party at a crossroads and you know what? Good for 'em. Either they ride with us or collide with us, that’s their only option.
So now what? Many things are left unsettled and the nation will expect President Obama to have a much more dynamic second term. This is not to discount the accomplishments already put in place, but a wish that he take it up a notch. Tackle the debt before it really becomes a true crisis, figure out the mathematics needed to break this nation’s cultish oil fix before it cripples us, take the entitlement logjam by the throat and shake it into submission, truly take on the gun lobby with the gusto it deserves, look the immigration crisis in the eyes and blink second and by all means get the unemployment rate down to 5% percent as soon as possible. Do all of those things, crap, do most of those things and the legacy will be encased in gold.
Lastly, I would be remiss, if I didn’t talk about what a second term means for Black America. In some ways, it’s more impressive to win the second time than even winning that first one. Startling words I know, but think about it for a second. In 2008, the powers that be, were scared to the death by the financial crash. Scared to death. Senator John McCain looked shaky and not up for the challenge. The then Senator Obama had ideas and seemed ready for the moment. It’s almost like a “what the hell” situation in which you throw everything at the wall. Whatever sticks is good to go. If it doesn’t work, we try again with a new guy. They could always throw the word fluke around if they wanted. But a second term is different. We now know what this black guy can do, and America said alright, lets do it again. I scoff hard at the term post-racial, but this moment truly is that. There were legit reasons to vote President Obama out, being a man of color could have been ignored by the racists and used as a hidden excuse. But America stayed the course. We decided to believe in the thought process of a non-white male to save us and get us back on track. That’s tremendous. The last four years exposed the diseased underbelly of racial divisiveness, here’s hoping the next four show the power of solidarity.
Plus, we get four more years of the First Family. Honestly, what's better than that?
