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DNC08: Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech

By Carmen D. on Thursday, August 28th, 2008, 11:01 pm Comments

“Seismic.”

“Seismic” is how the pundits described Barack Obama’s speech accepting the Democratic party’s nomination for President of the United States.

Shaken free of my cynicism is how I feel right now.

I experienced this history with Twitterfriends and my mom on Twitter. Simultaneously I was instant messaging my oldest friend, who is in all ways except biology my “sister,” and who was at Mile High Stadium. And I was also on the phone with my dear husband who is in Europe on business; we watched together. I cried less than I thought I would, but I was much more deeply moved and motivated than I anticipated. I think I needed to be sure that Barack Obama would fight to win in November. I had to be sure Barack Obama would be willing to punch back without hesitation at every insulting and diminishing John McCain/Karl Rove attack lobbed his way.

For a long time, I did not believe it was possible for Barack Obama to win the nomination. I thought Obama was too ambitious and I thought America too closed-minded to vote for this new voice. It was not only that Barack Obama self-identified as black, but that his full name is Barack Hussein Obama. I figured the first black candidate to win a major party nomination would be like Colin Powell or Condi Rice. I figured it would have to be a black person who was a self-described conservative, one who would pledge in some unspoken way not to stir things up too much.

It was another of my oldest friends, a fifty-something, white conservative Republican, political dynamo, who kept pressing her point to me that Barack Obama would indeed win the nomination. At about mid-point in the primary battle she called Obama’s victory correctly. But we’ve flipped now. I believe he will win the presidency and she believes he cannot. This time I need to be right.

All I can know is that I will work in my little corner of the world to make sure Barack Obama wins in November. I feel like we are in a battle for the soul of America right now. I know it sounds like hyperbole, but that is actually how I feel. I want every child in this nation to have the opportunities and support I had to move from poverty to abundance. And I believe only Barack Obama will restore support for the middle class. I’ve already recruited some friends to volunteer for Barack Obama and I will recruit others. I will call the Obama campaign tomorrow to get busy with voter registration. And on November 4th, I will be supervising a very big precinct and I assure you no shenanigans will be taking place on my watch.

When I first saw Barack Obama speak in person it was in a small room, with only a hundred or two others, about 16 months ago. He was confident, open, comfortable and whip smart. I did leave that room with my head spinning. I understand the accusations of “Obamamania” because it’s easy to be seduced by keen intelligence and articulated passion when we have been starving for it for the last 8 years.

I am not glassy eyed anymore. I am steely and determined. No matter how this all plays out, I am determined to not be one who will say “I sat on the sidelines.”

How about you?

  • Chief Warrant Officer Four
    Carmen,
    I am a Soldier currently deployed in Iraq, and your comments have touched me and motivated me more than the thought of getting out of the place. I thank you and look forward to celebrating with you all come election night!
  • DOUGLAS FIELD
    SENATOR OBAMA, PLEASE LET AMERICA IN ON YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS CONCERNING THIS US JUDICIAL INJUSTICE ???


    LETS ALL HOPE OUR MEDIA FRIENDS ALSO SHOW AN INTEREST IN REPORTING ON THIS AMERICAN HORROR FACING THESE (TENS OF THOUSANDS) FORGOTTEN AND TRAPPED POORER AMERICANS, AND HOW THIS POSSIBLE FUTURE PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER HANDLES THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE FACING LATINO AND BLACK AMERICAN COMMUNITIES ????

    **WITH 80% OF THE BLACK AMERICAN VOTERS SAYING THEY SUPPORT SENATOR OBAMA IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, IT IS ONLY FAIR FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW PRIOR BEING ELECTED OUR NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HOW THIS DEMOCRATIC SENATOR TRULY FEELS ABOUT THIS AMERICAN JUDICIAL HORROR CONTINUING TO INFLICT GRAVE HARM ON THE BLACK AMERICAN FAMILIES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE ??????

    *** WHEN GOD’S FACE BECAME VERY RED ***
    THE US SUPREME COURT GAVE ENEMY COMBATANTS FEDERAL APPEAL HC RIGHTS LAWYERS AND PROPER ACCESS TO US FEDERAL COURTS,AND POORER AMERICANS (MANY EVEN ON DEATH ROW) ARE DENIED PROPER FEDERAL APPEAL LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO OUR US FEDERAL COURTS OF APPEAL, AND ROTTING IN AMERICAN PRISONS NATIONWIDE ?????????

    **** INNOCENT AMERICANS ARE DENIED REAL HC RIGHTS WITH THEIR FEDERAL APPEALS !
    THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE $LOWLY FINDING OUT HOW EA$Y IT I$ FOR MIDDLE CLA$$ AND WORKING POOR AMERICAN$ TO FALL VICTIM TO OUR U$ MONETARY JUDICIAL $Y$TEM.

    ****WHEN THE US INNOCENT WERE ABANDONED BY THE GUILTY ****
    The prison experts have reported that there are 100,000 innocent Americans currently being falsely imprisoned along with the 2,300,000 total US prison population nationwide.
    Since our US Congress has never afforded poor prison inmates federal appeal legal counsel for their federal retrials,they have effectively closed the doors on these tens of thousands of innocent citizens ever being capable of possibly exonerating themselves to regain their freedom through being granted new retrials.

    This same exact unjust situation was happening in our Southern States when poor and mostly uneducated Black Americans were being falsely imprisoned for endless decades without the needed educational skills to properly submit their own written federal trial appeals.

    This devious and deceptive judicial process of making our poor and innocent prison inmates formulate and write their own federal appeal legal cases for possible retrials on their state criminal cases,is still in effect today even though everyone in our US judicial system knows that without proper legal representation, these tens of thousands of innocent prison inmates will be denied their rightful opportunities of ever being granted new trials from our federal appeal judges!!

    Sadly, the true US *legal* Federal Appeal situation that occurs when any of our uneducated American prison inmates are forced to attempt to submit their own written Federal Appeals (from our prisons nationwide) without the assistance of proper legal counsel, is that they all are in reality being denied their legitimate rights for Habeas Corpus and will win any future Supreme Court Case concerning this injustice!

    For our judicial system and our US Congressional Leaders Of The Free World to continue to pretend that this is a real and fair opportunity for our American Middle Class and Working Poor Citizens, only delays the very needed future change of Federal Financing of all these Federal appeals becoming a normal formula of Our American judicial system.

    It was not so very long ago that Public Defenders became a Reality in this country.Prior that legal reality taking place, their were also some who thought giving anyone charged with a crime a free lawyer was a waste of taxpayers $$.

    This FACADE and HORROR of our Federal Appeal proce$$ is not worthy of the Greatest Country In The World!

    ***GREAT SOCIETIES THAT DO NOT PROTECT EVEN THEIR INNOCENT, BECOME THE GUILTY!

    A MUST READ ABOUT AMERICAN INJUSTICE:
    1) YAHOO AND 2) GOOGLE
    MANNY GONZALES THE KID THAT EVERYONE FORGOT IN THE CA PRISON SYSTEM. ** A JUDICIAL RIDE OF ONES LIFE !

    lawyersforpooramericans@yahoo.com (424-247-2013)
  • Shawn Williams
    Carmen,

    I feel so blessed to have been in the building when Senator Obama delivered his address. I had heard him speak in person twice before, so I chose not to be on the field during his remarks. I was offered an interesting view from the press box though I also wish I had been on the floor with Gina.

    But being up above it all gave me a truc scope of the magnitude of the night and of the crowd. So many people, different types of people. And like Obama said -and I only realized while in Denver- it really is about the people. Regardless of what they call us, it's about the people who are looking for....(wait for it)change. I wasn't sure if he could live up to the super high expectations but he hit a grand slam last Thursday.
  • Chi Chi
    Carmen,

    I forgot to mention that you are truly clean and articulate! :-)
  • This speech genuinely moved me. I didn't cry (mostly cause the pandering that came before it made me so mad I almost got up and left the party), but I felt it. He was on fire last night.

    I believe he can win the election. I do. But I still am unsure about how he will do it. When I go home to Central PA and see the angry Clintonistas and the conservatives and their bumper stickers, I get a scared.

    But I'm down for the cause. And I'm also down for holding his ass accountable afterward. His vision is brilliant but it's also politically ambitious. I hope he can do it. We gotta help him do it!
  • ChiChi, thank you for your enthusiastic support and you kind and frequent comments.

    I am glad my journey resonates with you. Let our shared experience move you to do something, anything, to get our candidate elected.
  • Chi Chi
    Carmen,

    Your post is stupendous!!! It gave me goose bumps too! Keep up the fine editorials.
  • Jarrett, thank you for reading and commenting so regularly. I enjoy 'hearing' your thoughts and appreciate you coming by.
  • Yasmin and Dawncita, please do not hesitate to bring your children along as you step into this great democratic process. Trust me, even if you just go to your local headquarters to work on the phone bank for 30 minutes at a time, it will help and children are welcomed. Let this be a learning experience for them. Show your kids that they cannot take their Constitutional freedoms for granted.

    Thank you for reading.
  • Dawncita
    Carmen, your post gave me goose bumps, as did Mr. Obama's thrilling speech last night. I've had my Obama bumper sticker on my car since he first declared his candidacy -- a bit daring here in the South. Next goes the sign on my lawn. And of course I've been debating with friends and coworkers alike about how great he is for our country. I like your idea about volunteering at my local precinct. Worth taking a vacation day from work!
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