on saturday, we watch hillary clinton withdraw her candidacy for the presidential bid, throwing her support behind barack obama, the defacto democratic nominee.
it's truly an historic and momentous occasion - witnessing the first woman ascend to this point on the political ladder - only to concede to the first african american to reach for the same goal. in many ways, it seems as if the reason we have so much more inclusion in this election season lies in the failed policies of the standardbearer of the landscape to this point - established white men. who, for the most part, seem to be out of touch with the realities faced not only by ordinary americans, but also by what other peoples endure daily around the world.
so we are lucky. lucky that we see other members of the planet represented right here, on main street usa. people of color. people of 'the opposite sex'. quite thrilling actually (although i do believe they've been electing women to higher office is lots of other countries for some time now!). does it mean that a black man, or a white woman, will necessarily make for a better presidency? no, of course not, but it's worth a shot.
and it DOES present a new and different visage to the rest of the world. america is a melting pot, and does on paper afford every citizen the same unbounded opportunities. so why shouldn't our candidates represent the myriad of people that make up the united states? many have said that the ongoing contest between barack obama and hillary clinton made for a weakened system. but in fact, quite the opposite is true - this reinforces the strength of our system, allowing for all voices to be heard, and for all opinions to be set forth.
bravo to both candidates, and in fact to the entire nation - for opening up these chances for all, and for showing the world that once again, america recognizes that it's time to reinvent itself, and to join the broader international community. let's all hope that this will lead to a more peaceful, more thoughtful society, at the ready, willing to solve our problems together ...
it's truly an historic and momentous occasion - witnessing the first woman ascend to this point on the political ladder - only to concede to the first african american to reach for the same goal. in many ways, it seems as if the reason we have so much more inclusion in this election season lies in the failed policies of the standardbearer of the landscape to this point - established white men. who, for the most part, seem to be out of touch with the realities faced not only by ordinary americans, but also by what other peoples endure daily around the world.
so we are lucky. lucky that we see other members of the planet represented right here, on main street usa. people of color. people of 'the opposite sex'. quite thrilling actually (although i do believe they've been electing women to higher office is lots of other countries for some time now!). does it mean that a black man, or a white woman, will necessarily make for a better presidency? no, of course not, but it's worth a shot.
and it DOES present a new and different visage to the rest of the world. america is a melting pot, and does on paper afford every citizen the same unbounded opportunities. so why shouldn't our candidates represent the myriad of people that make up the united states? many have said that the ongoing contest between barack obama and hillary clinton made for a weakened system. but in fact, quite the opposite is true - this reinforces the strength of our system, allowing for all voices to be heard, and for all opinions to be set forth.
bravo to both candidates, and in fact to the entire nation - for opening up these chances for all, and for showing the world that once again, america recognizes that it's time to reinvent itself, and to join the broader international community. let's all hope that this will lead to a more peaceful, more thoughtful society, at the ready, willing to solve our problems together ...
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