Dialog International joins The New York Times, The Anchorage Daily News, The Portland Press Herald, The Economist, and 240 other major publications (so far) in endorsing Barack Obama for President of the United States. I just reread my post from February 11, 2007, when Obama announced his candidacy. Back then I wrote:
on this issue from the beginning, when his more "experienced" opponents
– Edwards, Hillary, Biden, Dodd, etc. – were all wrong. With his
tremendous talent and appeal, Obama will bring new voters into the
democratic process. Maybe he does represent a new "generation" – a word
he used many times in his speech -but he can attract voters across
generations, across racial lines, even political lines with his message
of conciliation and consensus. His time is now.
I was wrong about the 2008 election pivoting on the Iraq War, although Obama's opposition to that war was key to his early success. But I was right about the rest: Obama has brought new voters into the democratic process. He has energized young people, given black Americans hope, attracted white voters from every socio-economic group. He has galvanized the "blue states" even as he has made surprising inroads into "red states". He has given the world a reason to admire America again, since his rise could scarcely have occurred in any other country on the planet.
Did you know that Barack Obama is 4.6875% German?
Barack Obama hat selbst deutsche Wurzeln, und zwar in Gestalt seines
Ururururururgroßvaters. Christian Gutknecht hieß der Mann, 1722 im
elsässischen Ort Bischweiler geboren (der damals unter der Herrschaft
eines bayerischen Pfalzgrafen stand, heute zu Frankreich gehört und
Bischwiller heißt). Mit 24 heiratete Gutknecht eine Maria Magdalena
Grünholtz, drei Jahre später wanderten sie nach Amerika aus, wo sie am
13.September 1749 an Land gingen. Bei der Übersetzung seines Namens ins
Englische erhob Christian Gutknecht sich vom "Knecht" zum Edelmann und
nannte sich zunächst "Goodknight". Da das "k" in seiner neuen Sprache
lautlos blieb, verwandelte er den Namen weiter zum eingängigen
"Goodnight". Obamas Ururururururgroßvater erlebte, vermutlich als
Farmer in Pennsylvania, die Amerikanische Revolution und die Gründung
der USA. Er starb am 26. Dezember 1795 in – Germantown. (Barack Obama has German roots: they are traced back to his great-great-great-great grandfather. His name was Christian Gutknecht, born 1722 in the Alsace town of Bsichweiler (at that time under the rule of a Bavarian count, today it belongs to France as is called Bischwiller). At the age of 24 Gutknecht married Maria Magdalena Gruenholtz, 3 years later thay emigrated to America, arriving on Sept. 13, 1749. In translating his name into English, Gutknecht elevated himself to nobility, calling himself at first "Goodknight". The silent K was eventually dropped. Obama's great-great-great-great-grandfather lived through the American Revolution and thr founding of the nationa as a farmer He died on December 26, 1799 in Germantown, Pennsylvania.)
Christian Goodnights descendents made their way through Virginia and Indiana, eventually settling in Kansas, where in 1942 Stanley Ann Dunham – Barack Obama's mother – was born, 212 years after Christian Gutknecht crossed the Atlantic.
0 comment
Well, you get the big prize, because you were right about Obama in the end.
In the primary campaign, proving one’s manliness was a big issue. The Republicans were playing the macho theme too. The #1 theme was “get rid of Hillary.”
So though not a big Hillary fan, it took me some time to come around, especially because of the way Obama and Edwards ganged up on Clinton in one of the primary debates; The “erhobene Ziegefinger” was much in evidence, and that annoyed me very much. And then there were the mean things being written on Kos and even on Obama’s very own site, with his smiling face above seeming to approve what the commenters were writing. For future reference, those threads needed to be moderated.
With Hillary’s wholehearted support and Palin’s disastrous effect on the Republican campaign, I think we can lay that issue to rest, at least for the time being. However, don’t take progressive women like me for granted, please.
Watching Obama’s video, I was delighted at how effective it was while noting the emphasis on certain kinds of people, the “middle Americans,” as the neglected ones, the victims, if you will, of the economic downturn. It’s affected everyone, not just the “good” people.
I do, however, want to see more stress on families. But are all families like these? Yes, they have been neglected, but so have most Americans, as the rich get richer.
Theda Scokpol has been advising him, I think, about the stresses on ordinary Americans, and perhaps she was consulted on this video. #1 priority is a decent standard of medical care for everyone. #2 is shoring up the educational system.
The world needs a change in America. A world that hasn’t enough water for one third of its population. A world that is sanctioning genocide through malnutrition, pollution, that reserves health and education for the rich 10% of the earth. The most important change will be improved and advanced relations to the UN.
Obama must be more than just a good president, he must be, in a good sense, the charismatic leader of a new coalition of the willing in the world. He needs success, fast.
@Hattie, the big prize on Tuesday night will go to the American peopl for rejecting fear and division and embracing change and inclusion.
@Microgod, I agree. Obama must be a transformational leader who tackles the urgent issues that threaten the planet.
Good luck to us all. We will need it.
Those first 100 days are going to be something!
But David, don’t you think the people are becoming increasingly divided? I have not heard anyone predicting riots after an Obama victory, but it’s hard to envision a genuine reconciliation. What is so troubling to me is that elections seem to exacerbate the differences rather than unify. Do you see any real way to bridge the divide?
I think the current financial crisis and the coming recession (or depression) presents a real chance for reconciliation. We are all feeling the pain, and we need solutions. Barack Obama has the chance to be a real transformational leader who can heal some of the divisions. It will be tricky, since he needs to reach out to centrist Republicans without alienating the activist left-wing of the Democrats. Already, though, so many centrist and moderate Republicans have already signaled their support for Barack Obama.
@tv – it will rather be the end of agony , a liberation from depression
i’m sure obama has a plan for a withdrawal in honor from iraq and a fresh central asia initiative for afghanistan
obama’s popularity could gain enormous momentum in these issues thus reducing military spendings
by the way: will obama grant general pardon to gwb? or will bush hang for felony murder in more than 3000 cases? i’ve heard, obama is not against the death penalty and when gwb is guilty of waging war based on lies so then be it…
Midnight, November 4.
America has spoken!
Wir sind wieder da!
ICH FREUE MICH MIT UND FÜR EUCH!
congratulations and good luck for the next 8 years
You were right all along, David. My hat’s off to you.
Aloha,
Marianna