The title of this post is the title of an editorial that appeared in the UK Guardian about a month ago. My longtime friend, co-author and political standard bearer Caitlin Sullivan sent me the link. Please forward it on.
In his editorial, Jonathan Freedland makes clear the high global stakes in the upcoming election. Most of the world is cheering for Obama, says Freedland. Despite the fact that we allowed a mean-spirited fool take office in this country in two elections, Freedland makes the point that until now, most anti-American sentiment has not been aimed at the average American. Rather, anti-American sentiment has been framed as anti-Bush sentiment.
Generously enough, it seems that the world has given the American people the benefit of the doubt. But according to Freedland if we allow the ridiculous ticket of McCain/Palin to sail into office, our already shaky credibility in the world as Americans will be shot to hell. Sure, Senator Obama has a good lead in the polls, but this isn’t the time to sit back and relax. The Republican campaign is fighting dirty to win. Our response has got to be an active drive for unity on the Left.
Race has been plunked down on the table in the hopes of turning the tide to McCain. The Conservative Right is dragging the old radical socialist bogey man out of their old kit bag, further silencing the genuinely compassionate goals of the radical left. The solution seems clear to me. Even if race isn’t our issue, even if we’re not ourselves radical lefties, we’ve got to do the old Sixties thing and come together. We’ve got to embrace the Obama/Biden ticket as the clear choice of the American people. And we can’t afford to drop the drive for unity once Obama has won the presidency. That would be really stupid of us.
After President Obama is sworn into office as a result of lefty unity, we may very well have found the key to establishing an honest-to-goodness coalition that fights for safety, empowerment, health, and well-being on behalf of all world citizens—regardless of race, age, gender, class, citizenship, sexuality, looks, ability, religion, or ecological stance. Wouldn’t that be something? There’s never been a coalition like that in the history of humanity.
Senator Barack Obama has been talking about hope. Well, that’s what I hope for. I hope you do, too.
with love and respect, and in unity
Kate
PS — Maybe Freedman’s editorial has already been circulating widely, and it just escaped my notice. Well, in that respect I am an ugly American which is something I’m trying hard not to be. I want to be a pretty American! I want to travel around the world and smile at people who are nothing like me and I wanna tell them I’m an American and then see them smile back at me.
I used to be able to do that. Now when I travel I tell folks I’m Canadian. Or I wear my Bush Apology T-Shirt (in sizes for girls, and sizes for boys). Oh, these are the times I read the poetry of John Lennon’s Come Together over and over and over again.
i tell people i’m a New Yorker, which helps.
I’m still scared, despite Betty’s confidence that he will win.
I think the world will not just breathe a sigh of relief, but that electing Obama will cause a lot of international assholes to say, “Hey – huh. They’re not as stupid as we thought.”
Great article! This is exactly what I have been telling my friends and family “back home” since I moved overseas on business and have been traveling.
In Paris, a waiter who asked me my nationality responded by giving the thumbs-down and saying one word: “Bush”. In Rome, I had to avoid certain streets because Bush was in town, and people had banned together and were rioting heartily in the streets.
In Saudi Arabia (remember, 90% of the 9/11 perpetrators were Saudi) traffic was banned and people stayed home when Bush came to speak to the King. No one had any hope of communication. The view of Americans is harsh there, in fact, there have been attacks. But there were whispers that if Obama were to become president, not only would the communication improve, but the whole view of America would be much more positive.
The only place where I didn’t hear strangers boast of their hatred of Bush was in Iran of all places. There, they were afraid of me, not because I’m American, but because they thought that I might actually like Bush or McCain who set off the chorus of “bomb Iran”. These people were friendly and warm when I extended my own friendship. They don’t want Iran to bomb anyone and surely do not want to be bombed! They just want peace, they just want to live normal lives. In fact, on television, I was surprised to hear John Lennon’s “Give Peace A Chance” in the background. I couldn’t understand what was being said, but I could guess.
Peace. It’s what everyone in the world wants. That, and to have enough peace to ban together and repair the devastated world economy and other unprecedented damage on so many fronts.
Barack Obama is not only talking about hope. HE IS HOPE – for citizens of this great place under the heavens we call the world.
But only we as American citizens have a voice in this hope. As an absentee balloteer, I’ve already raised mine, a small voice singing “Imagine” – a capella. I hope someday soon, you will join us…