Congratulations to all American voters for fulfilling the promise of political independence that stretches back centuries on this continent. The 2008 election campaign transformed the will of a global society to take responsibility for the ideas and actions of its leaders and conglomerates. It also reaffirmed the goodwill of most human beings towards a nation that represents the best ambitions of humanity in its commitment to the rule of law.
Barack Obama has achieved the first step in the process of reuniting and redefining the United States of America for the twenty-first century. However, he is most correct in his assertion that the victory belongs to the people he is elected to serve. As you watch the news and read the blogs over the next six months, mark the shifting rhetoric that the President-Elect’s opponents will employ to enforce their will on his agenda. The same advocates who claimed a political mandate for a permanent majority in 2004 (with a 3 million voter margin) have already attempted to negate last night’s margin of (at least) 5 million votes. Outlet after outlet continues to dissect the results by gender and ethnicity to begin the formulation of Obama’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
All Americans — not just those who voted for the winner — should recognize these habits of partisan politics. In the face of challenges in our economy, world climate, and the wars on terrorism, we cannot allow business as usual to continue. Our conversations and lines of thought must change, and those processes begin with questions — not the standard guesses at analysis. More than anything, the 2008 election result opens the door for the American people to hear and take advice from the scientific and intellectual professionals who serve our country.
Their voices rarely pierce the blogosphere (what does?) or the broadcast media. You can find them in many places, but one particular favorite is the series of H-Net discussion lists at www.h-net.org . Take one step today, and join a list that looks interesting to you, so you can be more informed about the major decisions you face over the next year.
The new President will only be as successful as the American people who understand, debate, and embrace the policies of change that his campaign and election symbolize. It is quite possible that your listening, reading, and talking with the people on your jobs and in your lives will dictate the political outcomes of federal and state healthcare, investment, and energy debates. Now, more than ever, YOU have the power to command the direction of new laws and the use of public money.
It is this accountability that is President Obama’s greatest gift to American democracy in the twenty-first century. Across partisan divides, continuing racism, and the legacy of patriarchy, he opened the door for all people to take control of the political forces in our lives. The forces of the status quo are already gathering to stymie this singular opportunity for regular people. Only with your vigilance and commitment to new ideas can the tree of freedom finally bear its greatest fruit.
Please respond and share the web resources you use to learn about the most difficult issues we face. Your advice and guidance will go viral through networks of filmmakers, educators, financiers, and students to redefine the meaning of change in 2009. It is our world, our nation, our state, and our town — together, today, we manifest a new process and product of global democracy.
Yes, we can.
To DaVinci, From Imhotep 