Yes We Did

I began this blog as an outlet for my frustrations over 2004 and the general direction our country had taken since 2001. I wanted to use the power of literate music to draw people into visiting AAW while at the same time expose those same people to 'another side of the political story' that wasn't really being expressed anywhere other than the internet a few years ago. How successful I've been... who really knows. But I'm very proud of the people I've met through this blog.... those who believe as I do and especially those who do not. I've engaged in conversations with both sides. If anything I've done on this blog changed just one vote.... just one then the worth of the time and effort I've put forth here is something I'll hold dear til the end of my days.

As a life long liberal who spent his first 24 years in Alabama and first 27 years in the South, to see a black man elected President of the United States, a man I so respect and admire, well, its just beyond my capacity to articulate the feelings I have at the moment.

Tears were shed last night.... and to be honest, a few are rolling down my face as I type this. Whoops of joy were shouted at my ceiling, text messages and phone calls and emails were received from dear friends from across this globe. I hope to capture the magic of last night and preserve it in my heart so I can constantly touch and remember it and cling to it whenever the hours are darkest. I'm not sure how to do that because the territory I'm in seems so uncharted.

I do know one thing......

Yes. We. Can.



Obama's Acceptance Speech

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

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Here is a picture sent to me by my buddy Rich who was in Times Square in NY last night:

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Reactions Around The World (PHOTOS)

International Reaction To Obama's Presidential Election

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Barack Obama is president-elect:

"The victory marked a stunning transformation in a country where just over a half-century ago racial segregation was the law of the land in many states. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), who was a leader during the civil rights movement, seemed close to tears as he discussed the implications of Obama's victory.

'We are a different people -- we are a better people,' Lewis said on MSNBC. 'We are prepared to lay down our dark past and look toward a bright future.'"

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2008 turnout shatters all records - Andy Barr - Politico.com:

"More than 130 million people turned out to vote Tuesday, the most ever to vote in a presidential election.

With ballots still being counted in some precincts into Wednesday morning, an estimated 64 percent of the electorate turned out, making 2008 the highest percentage turnout in generations.

In 2004, 122.3 million voted in what was then the highest recorded turnout in the contest between President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.)."

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