By Brian Bohl
History books for future generations will always point to Nov. 4, 2008 as the day the American political landscape irrevocably changed. The moment Barack Hussein Obama secured the 270 votes from the Electoral College to be elected the 44th president of the United States, it marked the first time in the country’s history a black man reached the government’s highest position.
Countless articles, books and dissertations will focus on the victory. The third presidential debate held at Hofstra last month will be a small footnote in that story, though University student Sean Hutchinson perfectly summarized what Obama’s name heading a major party ticket, and his subsequent general election victory, means for people of color.
Hutchinson, a junior and president of the University’s NAACP chapter, spoke last week when the University dedicated a new sculpture of 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass Circle. After seeing the bronze representation of Douglass, the soft-spoken Hutchinson offered a succinct yet salient observation.
“After seeing the sculpture, it reminded me about the debates,” he said. “For the first time, as a student, I thought about what I could say to my children. For the first time, I can say that you can be president of the United States. That was not something that was a realization until that day.”
Hutchinson pointed out an interesting parallel between Douglass, who ran for vice president in 1872 on the Equal Rights Party ticket, and Obama. Douglass, who is considered the forerunner to prominent civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., paved the way for Obama to become the next leader of the free world.
Obama’s election is obviously historic from a racial standpoint. But what makes his victory even more impressive are the other factors and circumstances that surrounded his rise from state politician to first president elect in less than half a decade.
In 2004, Obama was a state senator from Illinois. That remarkable ascension up the ranks would make for a good movie, but consider the other circumstances. Obama is the first senator to win a presidential election since John F. Kennedy and the fourth-youngest man in the country’s history to be elected president.
Hutchinson is right about telling your children anything is possible. One stirring speech, delivered by Obama at the 2004 Democratic Convention, propelled a national campaign that raised a record amount of money (surpassing the $600 million mark).
Newspapers here in Virginia were hard to find Wednesday. After becoming the first Democratic candidate to capture the Old Dominion State since Lyndon Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater in 1964, the Virginian-Pilot printed an extra 8,000 copies of the newspaper Wednesday morning before running out. The state’s largest-circulated paper, in an area customarily a lock-red state, needed an additional 15,000 copies to meet demand during the day.
Perhaps this groundswell of support will bring about much-needed bipartisanship after years of escalating rhetoric from both sides. The crowd didn’t boo John McCain’s name when Obama invoked it during his victory speech, which was a good sign.
Recently in politics, voting for one candidate has also meant showing no respect or admiration for the opponent. In 2004, most people who voted for John Kerry didn’t just want cast their ballot for a preferred candidate. Instead, a vote for Kerry was treated an automatic statement of disgust with President Bush.
That type of treatment is not something McCain deserved, regardless of who you voted for. Even if you voted for Obama, which more than 63 million people did, McCain’s record of service in the Senate and as a veteran should not be mocked or ridiculed. Jokes about his age were often mean spirited and disrespectful of a good senator who went to war at a time when many other young men from well-connected families were able to dodge combat assignments.
In 2004, it was a disgrace when GOP supporters wore mock Purple Hearts to ridicule Kerry’s Vietnam record. Democrats who belittled McCain’s service are guilty of the same bush-league antics that have cheapened our county’s political discourse.
Obama rightfully praised McCain’s valiant effort, and to McCain’s credit, he has offered to help support Obama when the 72-year-old senator returns to Capitol Hill as a representative of Arizona. Tens of thousands of people turned out to wildly cheer Obama’s message in Grant Park in Chicago.
A new administration, backed by Democratic majorities in the Senate and House, should give Obama the chance to institute and govern the way he sees fit, at least until the 2010 midterm election. Judging from the county’s reaction, the United States is ready for a change and willing to entrust Obama to lead it in a positive direction that moves away from bipartisan pettiness.
Those circumstances do not guarantee a successful Obama administration, just a good start.
Brian Bohl is a master’s candidate for journalism. You may e-mail him at [email protected].
