Friday, November 07, 2008 Bautista: First African American US President By Jun Bautista Straight Views
First African American US President
ALTHOUGH the Fifteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, adopted way back in 1870, guarantees the right to vote of every US citizen regardless of race, color or previous condition of servitude, it was not until after the enactment of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 that African Americans were freely allowed to vote.
Even after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, however, instances of voter intimidation that prevented black people from exercising their right of suffrage were not unheard of.
Without a doubt, vestiges of racism still linger in heartland America, but today Americans can proudly say they have come a long way in changing and improving race relations in the US with the historic election to the presidency of an African American: Barack Obama.
What made the election of Obama so significant is the fact that the history of the US is so mired in racism -- especially against African Americans who centuries ago were considered merely as chattels and slaves -- that it would seem beyond the wildest dreams of Americans to elect a black person.
The ascendancy to the US presidency of Obama proves that American voters have gone beyond the color of a man's skin in choosing a leader for their country. It is a testament to the level of maturity they have achieved in realizing their founding fathers' philosophy that all men are created equal.
But it is not only the fulfillment of the dream to put bigotry aside that made Americans choose Obama.
The US has found itself amid economic and national security crises by suffering from a growing financial meltdown that threatens to bring down its ailing economy further into the abyss of failure, being embroiled in the war against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, and having to address a sagging international image.
To be sure, President-elect Barack Obama will have to cut short his victory party to immediately address the enormous task that awaits him.
Given the huge role the Bush administration, and consequently the Republican Party, played in bringing about the myriad of economic and national security problems confronting the US -- preceded by a period of prosperity and stability under the Clinton administration -- Obama found himself in a propitious situation.
In an election season, it is a political norm that a tanking economy disadvantages the party in power and favors the opposing party.
This is not, of course, to downplay Obama's qualifications.
While he may not have the years of experience that his opponent Sen. John McCain has in government, Obama certainly showed his deep grasp of economic, domestic and even foreign policy issues where Senator Mccain is said to be adept.
The debates between him and the Arizona Senator surely showed that he is not that far behind on foreign policy; in fact Obama demonstrated the correctness of his views more than McCain did.
Obama's message of change stuck well to the electorate. His campaign mantra that electing his rival republican candidate would mean a third term for President Bush and therefore a continuation of his failed economic and military policies paid huge dividends.
While Senator McCain tried hard to dissociate himself from President Bush, belatedly at that, he failed to show the voters what he would do differently if elected president.
Not to be overlooked is also the fact that while Obama's campaign went on a steady course by being consistent in its message and concentrating more on pressing issues of the economy, Senator McCain's campaign became erratic by jumping from one theme to another and focused a lot of its energies on negative campaigning to the extent of demonizing Obama, which obviously did not work well with much of the American people as they were more concerned with the economy.
Finally, Obama had the brilliance and charisma that energized many Americans to rally behind him. He had the amazing ability to bring together people and move them to a unified action as shown by his mass of volunteers in every state, especially the so-called swing or battleground states, who worked their way at the grassroots level to deliver Obama's message.
This also highlighted Obama's organizational and political-savvy that even top Republican political strategists, like Karl Rove, admired.
The confluence of these factors led to a decisive victory by Obama never before seen in US politics.
With all its shortcomings, the US still remains the undisputed world leader, both economically and militarily. This is the reason why much of the world, although outsiders to America's political process, watched with excitement the unfolding of the US presidential elections.
Launched under a platform of hope and change, let us hope the Obama victory will pave the way for a renewed world leadership by America that will depart from its hegemonic and coercive tendencies in the past and focus more, as his defeated rival Senator McCain puts it, on being the greatest force for good.
