"The Speech": Barack's Profile in Courage

"The Speech". That's what Barack's moving, beautiful speech today will be called from now on. No other description will be necessary. When I read the speech, I cried- that's how much it affected me. Beautiful, lyrical and courageous, it's what no other politician running for president has ever dared to say, lest they lay too much on the line. Well, Barack has bared his, and our country's, soul and it was perfect. How can anyone read this and not want this man to be their president? The biggest problem could be that he's too good for us; some factions in America have a nasty habit of trying to bring down anyone that threatens them. And make no mistake about it: Barack definitely threatens the status quo. He challenges us like no president since JFK, and no candidate since RFK. Can we possibly live up to his challenge? He thinks we can, and that's what makes us want to. If you haven't read the whole speech, please do it now. It just may change your life.

Too Much Excitement/Everything Old is New Again

It's the day after the Ohio & Texas primaries. Had Obama won both, the Democratic race would be over. But noooo - things are still fucked up, because Hillary won them (albeit not by much in Texas, & we're still waiting for the caucus results). Even though it's only March, it seems as if the primary season has lasted 10 years, because everybody started running so early & all the states rescheduled their primaries to an earlier date so they could all be "relevant." I don't know about you, but I'm about sick of primaries by now & I'm a political junkie, so I can imagine how weary other folks might be.

At work today, someone remarked that it's kind of exciting to still have the race going on, but I forgave him (sorta) because he's 33 & didn't live through the nightmare that was 1968. That was the last time we had this kind of "excitement," & it didn't end so well then. For those of you who are also young &/or ignorant of history (I'm sorry, but not being alive at the time doesn't absolve one of knowing shit everybody should know), 1968 was a nightmare that I hope is never repeated. We had hordes of young people excited, first about Sen. Eugene McCarthy & then later about Sen. Robert Kennedy. And then came the assassinations of both Dr. Martin Luther King & Sen. Kennedy, riots both in the streets & at the Democratic convention, lots of people (both young & old) completely disillusioned about both politics & America, an eventual Democratic nominee nobody really wanted (Sen. Hubert Humphrey), & the end result was Richard Nixon. Is that enough excitement for you? Democrats need to get this shit resolved now, because I (& undoubtedly countless others) will have to slit my throat before living through four more years of soulless Republican assholes.