Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama swept aside Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton in spite of money, race, and experience.
What does this mean for Americans? It means that our unfair, unprincipled, failed campaign contribution system cannot impede the power of voters to choose who they believe is the best candidate. Mitt Romney spent and spent and spent in Iowa, but the Evangelicals came out in droves to say God is more important than money.
If they can do it, so can you. So can every voting American. YES, you do have power. YES, your one vote is meaningful and makes a difference.
Campaign finance is not as invisible an elephant in the room as it used to be, so let's take out the other elephant in Iowa - race.
Iowa is over 90% white and the black candidate won the majority of their votes in the Democratic Caucuses, hands down. This is a huge victory for America. It proves that the color of skin is less important than skill, intelligence, passion, experience, ideas, and character. It proves that this black man has what it takes to win in primarily white (although that is quickly changing) America. It proves that Americans have the capacity to accept people for who they are on the inside. I am so relieved to have lost my own candidacy to this important message that I have to pause for a moment and breathe into a paper bag...
Whew! I'm back and breathing again. To lose for lack of money would be frustrating. To lose for the opportunity of a better future for race relations - I am delighted to bow out gracefully for that significant hope.
So, who specifically voted for Obama? He won women and he won voters between 18 and 45 years of age. He didn't take the seniors and won only a handful of babyboomers. It was the youth and sandwich generation (caring for both children and parents), especially those who were too young to fall under the spell of the Clinton era, who carried the day. It was the women who want change, who feel Hillary will be too divisive on Capitol Hill, who carried the day.
And guess what? Both of those demographics exist in large numbers in just about every state in the union. Huckabee's supporters are Evangelicals who believe that religion is the most important issue in the country, and unfortunately for Huckabee, their numbers are small nationwide compared to those who will turn out to vote for jobs, healthcare, Iraq, etc. before religion.
Yesterday set the stage for the very real possibility that Americans will have their first black President ever in 2009.
(quick pause while I dance on the tabletops here at Panera's)
Whew - that felt good. We all should be dancing on tabletops - this is joyous news!
Why is it so important we have a black President? Didn't I just say that the issues are more important than skin color?
Yes, I did. But I ain't stupid enough to ignore the impact of color. Nope - this is huge! Consider this:
- Foreign Policy: White Presidents have stepped into nations of color to emphasize freedom - Iraq, Pakistan, Korea, etc. - yet haven't fixed the problems of restricted freedoms for our own people of color! The hypocrisy has hurt us badly in the Middle East, no question. A black President will open doors with much more success than Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, or even Colin Powell and Condeleeza Rice in their Secretary of State roles - especially if Obama wins by a landslide, securing the people's mandate. Remember, his parents are from Kenya and Kansas. He bridges better than any other candidate the connection between the U.S. and the world. The impact of an Obama presidency on foreign policy will shake the world with hope and energy.
- Internal National Security: Racism is alive and well in the U.S. No question. Should Obama win the day, I have no doubt security will need to be doubled for him. There are Americans waking up to the news this morning, polishing their shotguns and muttering that only over their dead bodies will a black man lead this country. And if they can't reach Obama, they might turn to their neighbors to vent their spleen. Do you doubt it? Look at our national response to New Orleans compared to California's wildfires. It's shameful. And it's real. Does this mean all people of color should dive for bomb shelters or get gun permits if Obama is elected? No, of course not. I'm not advocating paranoia here. I'm simply exposing the elephant that MUST be discussed openly, without fear, and in a solutions-oriented fashion. Remember, the suitcase bomber can only win in a nation of ostriches.
- Domestic Race Relations: There will be an impact on race relations in this country if Obama is chosen as the Democratic candidate - whether he ultimately wins or loses, there will be a lasting impact. He is a very different candidate than Jesse Jackson. He is not playing the race card. He is not playing the religion or moral/value mandate cards. He is simply a man who truly believes everything he speaks - he feels the needs of this nation to his very bones. He has taken the time to educate himself on the issues, to volunteer, to run for office and serve his country. He's not asking for the "black vote." He's asking for the American vote. He's asking Americans to vote for change, for hope, for faith that they are more than peons in a system - empowering them to take back this country and put it in the hands who can build it best - ourselves. He is calling for personal responsibility without preaching. And personal responsiblity is the key to solving the racial crisis that exists in this country. Indeed, it is the only hope for healing.
Ultimately, America won yesterday. Money lost. Racism lost. The power of the individual voter is real. Your power is real. Congratulations, America! What a way to kick off the New Year!
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