Obama Triumphs in Iowa
"People who love this country can change it"
-Barack Obama in his brilliant Iowa Caucus victory speech
"Iowa has never elected an African American to anything."
-CNN Contributor Roland Martin on how epochal the Obama victory in Iowa is.
So this evening peppy newswoman Katie Couric interrupted "CSI" to let me know that Barack Obama was the projected winner of the Iowa caucuses and I am absolutely euphoric and will commence to be effusive. When my mom, who's visiting me from Seattle, got in from a day trip to Washington DC, I relayed the news and we high-fived and embraced. I donated money to Obama's campaign the day he officially announced his candidacy and although I could use some more forthrightness and firmness to his statements and positions, I still believe he is the candidate for these times.
I have yet to read either of Obama's books but I am a believer in the importance of audacious hope. I may not practice it but I think that our leaders should. Over the holidays I went to a live interview with veteran jazz singer Andy Bey at the itinerant Jazz Museum in Harlem. It started off relatively smoothly with Bey responding to questions posed by Museum Executive Director Loren Schoenberg about his early family life but soon devolved. To every question Bey voiced his dissatisfaction with the industry, especially it's racial politics. His ideal place to play? Not Jazz at Lincoln Center. The story behind his stellar most recent release, "It Ain't Necessarily So?" Never told as he spent his time complaining about how for so long record companies wouldn't put out his shit. While I respect the hell out of Mr. Bey's talent and certainly know nothing oh his pain, it was sad to witness his immense accomplishment languish in his blind spot. For his gifts to be more fully recognized, he has to acknowledge the possibility of recognition not the inevitability of getting fucked over.
So I return to my boy Barack Obama and his ability to energize a populace. The evidence are all the first time caucusers that powered his victory. He's not the Christ child but he is someone to believe in. There still much soil to till, I know, but I'm feeling great about our chances.
OBAMA '08
PS-How sweet is Obama shouting out Michelle like that in his victory speech.
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Comments
1.
CiaBia12 says:
Hey JB! I'm excited too! I hope we can keep the same momentum and continue to make changes. I'm getting a little disheartened with the defeatist attitude some of our peers are having with respect to NH and SC... but like you said, Iowa was a first, so we can do many more firsts!
I feel you on wanting Obama to be more solidified and I guess "upfront" on how he feels about certain issues, but I want that for all of our candidates from the local level on up to do that :-) I think the Obama camp is smart and clean, and knows how to play the game, even though I feel like the game is severely flawed. But we shall see. I'm excited to see what the rest of '08 has to unfold.
RE: the Obama speech... it was hot that he did shout out the wifey in the speech... but I was kinda stunned/scared with the tone of the speech. It reminded me tooooo much of MLK's "I may not get there with you speech".... I pray for the safety of Obama and his family... and I pray that peace will of course prevail!
Keep puttin' out the good stuff.
01/07/2008 at 4:07 PM
2.
mb83 says:
ohhh! I wish i had seen it! you know I've only one foot on the obama band wagon and the other on the ground. I've been real skeptical still am but this is some great news!
01/04/2008 at 2:03 PM