The Raising of the Right Hand

Today, the Electoral College delegates in all 50 states will convene to cast their votes and formally elect Barack Obama President.

In so many ways, Obama's "movement for change" transformed politics in a way I've never experienced. His inspirational and steady leadership touched the lives of millions and millions across the country and the world.

An unprecedented number of people came together as volunteers, activists, neighborhood organizers and small contributors. This commitment from people of all walks of life was an inspiration I won't forget.

It's important for me to recognize the huge army of the most talented young workers who filled important roles at every level of the campaign. In particular, the smart, tenacious and dedicated field organizers who ran voter registration efforts that provided victories in nine states George Bush won in 2004. They persuaded millions of voters and ran a get-out-the-vote effort that may never be replicated in politics again.

This army of organizers used new online tools, trained hundreds of thousands of volunteers and left a legacy behind that provides a stronger infrastructure for our Party. I've heard over and over again from our supporters how impressed they were with the Obama field staff. These young organizers and our state volunteers deserve a large share of credit for delivering a staggering 9.2 million vote margin for Barack Obama - the largest popular vote margin in history for a non-incumbent president.

The Obama candidacy attracted millions of new young voters who were inspired to get involved for the first time. So many, in fact, that in every battleground state, voters 18-29 years old made up a larger share of the electorate than voters 65 plus. That is transformational. In several states, new registrants reversed Republican trends and put the Democratic Party in the majority. And in several others, new registrants expanded our majority registration advantage in a significant way. Today, Florida has 650,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans; Pennsylvania has 1.2 million, making Pennsylvania a "lean Democratic" state in future presidential campaigns, rather than a "toss-up" state.

Hispanics voted in record numbers for Barack Obama. Unmarried men and women voted for Obama in such large margins, they are now a critical part of the Democratic base. African Americans and Democrats in general, pushed voter turnout to the highest level in 40 years.

But day-after-day, I hoped that one future event would take place, a critically important event where this transformational leader would stand on the steps of our nation's capitol, raise his right hand and swear on the Bible to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. On that day, January 20, 2009, hundreds of millions of people in every corner of the world will watch Barack Obama take the oath of office. By this one action, lives will change forever. Those who need hope for a better life may gain it that moment and historic barriers will finally be shattered.

It is difficult to imagine one such act that will have a greater impact on so many lives than when Mr. Obama becomes President Barack Obama, our 44th President and the new leader of the free world.

So many unsung heroes helped get him there. All people deserve to share in this critical moment.

Comments

[Balzac]

Obama should speak up for Munthazar al-Zaidi.

That man should not be tortured for throwing his shoes at a war criminal.

He deserves a Congressional Medal of Honor.

An most members of congress deserve to lose their citizenship for Anti-American activities.

Kucinich is good though.

[RobertHenryEller]

Of the People.

By the People.

For the People.

[ignorantwillyharper]

What is problematic, Obama preaches change and then puts in place more than several of the old Clinton guard. This is change, if you like Retro.

[LucieLee]

The very fact that this country elected the first African American as its President is change......guess you can't see that.....

[propitiousmoment]

I have to say, I did some volunteer work with the campaign, and I have great hope for this next generation, they have energy, talent, motivation, vision, and the ability to bring it all together for something good. I'm so glad we gave them the leader they deserve.

[Briarcircle]

Re: Comments Holy Mary Mother of God!! Don't any of you get it? It's FANTASTIC that Obama got elected. Stop doing the RNC's job for them and let's SUPPORT our choice. Isn't the evidence of our current situation bad enough to make you realize that it's going to take every single one of us pulling together to rectify the situation? Let Obama as President-elect choose who he wants as his team. We elected him to be a leader and as a leader he will use his judgement to pick the best for his team. HE is the CHANGE we elected. Think about it we've gone from a screw up, shoe dodger who's reaction to chaos is "Who cares?"...

[Nia1999]

Question: How does the process work? The above statement says the electoral college from all 50 states will officially declare Obama President of the United States. So does this means the inauguration is just symbolic? Also, if it becomes official 1/6, when does he assumes his duties, after 1/20? There's a lot of things I'm just learning. Bear with me.

[tobyjack]

Does anybody know the final popular vote count. I have heard numbers from 65 to 69 million. It would be nice to know the final tally.

[pbcrunch]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_presidential_election#Popular_vote

Obama: 69,447,084
McCain: 59,925,610

[stargazer13]

together we stand divided we fall I hope we stand together or we shall surly fall

I for one hope our new President succeeds because we as a nation are in bad shape and there are dark shadows lurking around every corner creating stumbling blocks for him and us as a people & nation .and it is these people who lurk that I shall call traitors to the cause .

I will have my eye,s wide open and be watching every move they make . for diligence is the key that unlocks the doors to freedom

[DinkSinger]

Hold on -- the "formal election" wasn't yesterday. Barack Obama (and Joe Biden) will be formally elected on January 6 when at a joint session of Congress the certificates completed by the electors in the states will be opened and verified, and their votes counted. Vice President Cheney "shall thereupon announce the state of the vote, which announcement shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons, if any, elected President and Vice President of the United States". (Unless Cheney, as usual, ignores the Constitution and laws, in which case he will have to be impeached before the formal election can take place.)

[bigmadd]

I am a 57 yr old white blue collar worker from Missouri who is sad my state didn't vote fot Obama,But I can say I did ! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel ! I bet the next time Missouri will vote for Obama.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Lets get technical about Mr. Obama. He has no job, no paycheck... he is just like so many others. Yet, this guy works for free, for all of us to make sure when he does get the job that he is that much more prepared. Unemployed and works for free, only in America.

[hortonhearsawho2]

We are not Heroes, we are America...

[ArchAngel]

The correct way to recognize these hard workers is to appoint people like them who they support.

Instead, Obama has appointed an army of DLC clones.

[ckfan]

The correct way to recognize these hard workers is to appoint people like them who they support.

Sorry, your comment doesn't make sense.

[ArchAngel]

The young people referred to in the above post are progressive idealists who are looking for a dramatic break with the past. Instead, Obama is picking and supporting many center right politicians who have a known history of helping to create many of the serious problems that America is now experiencing.

If Obama truly values diversity, dissent, and different opinions, then why aren't there any progressives voices in his new cabinet?

[hortonhearsawho2]

You may never get it.

[Housewife]

Quid pro quo. Seems like the wrong direction to me. If you supported his candidacy then support his presidency. At some point you have to let go and trust.

[ArchAngel]

Blind trust in government has always been the creed of tyrants. Is that what you want?

Anytime any person ever has to say "Trust me!" there is already a problem.

[GrainOSand]

Two things that allow me to be accepting of Obama's cabinet choices:

1. Change meant he was going to change minds and bad habits of people who have in the past erred on the side of hurting America. Those people are part of America too, and though they have observed flaws (who does not) they would not have signed on for change if they are not ready for change, if the do not realize that now is indeed the time for us to transform and transcend.

2. Mr. Obama is the embodiment of the will of the people at this time, here and now. He will speak the vision and he will seek to implement the vision through a well-conceived plan. It is not magic, it is not a divine influence, it is a perfect confluence of mood shaped by, past events, future aspirations, and present peril. Mr. Obama repeatedly said that he was convinced about the American people, that he was willing to depend on the basic decency and goodness of the people in getting elected, putting forth an aggressive and progressive agenda for change, and most importantly, he was going to require, "all hands on deck", a collaborative effort in implementation of the grand plan.

Extraordinary Vision, Disciplined and Dedicated Cabinet, Progressive and Necessarily Daring Plan or Agenda, a Galvanized and Unified People, these are the ingredients of change.

A cabinet choice is but a heart and mind to bring in line with the vision.

[GrainOSand]

"All people deserve to share in this critical moment."

Do we not all share in the moment (like it or not) by the fact he won? I am hoping Mr. Obama will be more than effective, because the challenges are great, the lives are real, and the potential tragedy is unthinkable. One person cannot ascend to power on his or her own. One person cannot change a country on his or her own. The inspirational aspect of Mr. Obama will be elemental in fighting the cynicism, the doubt, and the fear that lives within the population, for it is within the population that the solution exists. The population is the consuming public that drives the market, it is the work force that staffs the companies, the parishioners who populate the pews, the politicians who ascend to power, and the members of law enforcement and the military who defend the honor and right of nation on domestic soil and in foreign lands. In short if we are to be a better nation it will not be by presidential decree but by population that agrees in words, actions, and spirit, that change is necessary, hope is worthy, and fear is damaging. Who better than a person who has proven that he can contextualize and simplify the complex urgency of our times into inspirational words of wisdom and vision to present a coherent plan of action, who better to lead than such a person at a time requiring innovative inspiration.

[plafayette]

Grain, so beautifully written. Thank you!

[GrainOSand]

I awoke and looked out upon the world and I saw all that I needed, towards confirmation, that love is more powerful than hate, that hope is different from despair. From there, choices about how to be, how to see, how to act -- abound. If I am able to reflect beauty that is good news. It means that I see beauty I around me. I see beauty in the possibilities we have yet to realize. There is breathtaking beauty inherent in people such as yourself, and indeed, in all people, though we all fall short from time to time. By what degree becomes the assessment. This is why glass houses are bad investments. This is why none of us can bend to pick up the stone as one who is free of error, mistake, or sin. If I reflect darkness and despair, it is only because I seek to talk about light and hope in presenting a contrasting canvas upon which to express the opposing sentiment. There can be no happiness without sadness or beauty without the ugly. I am inspired by the mix of things to bring what I humbly bring to this most important conversation. It is always appreciated when I am told it is beauty that I am reflecting. I have no aim other than to let the water flow unrestricted. Manifesting a waterfall is always a nice thing to here about.

Peace and love beyond platitude to reflect an attitude of genuine concern.

[propitiousmoment]

Granted, one person cannot do it alone, it took a coterie of supporters that grew to an army, but at the center of this movement is one person. He started it all. Obama has inspired renewed hope in our ideals on a level unprecedented in my adult lifetime. It brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it. Someone pointed out that in a five-year period in the 60's, the assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, and Malcolm X took out all of the major leaders of the progressive movement, and that progressives have been under a cloud of discouragement and disparagement ever since. Obama has revived, on a larger scale than anyone since that time, what we lost when we lost those leaders. This is not to discount all of the good people who have continued the fight all along, but Obama has crystallized the message in a way that resonates broadly and deeply in an incredibly wide range of people. I'm not expressing this very well, but while joining together with everyone who shares these ideals, we have to give credit to the one who has renewed our faith that we can make a difference. I guess I'm agreeing with you actually :)

[GrainOSand]

I come to the same crossroads, but I come through the alleys, over the rooftops, from down in the sewer, and deep in the swamp, where hearts and minds live of the type that vote on wedge issues, and of the type that promote wedge issues. I come to say if we are to meet in the square of success it will be by the readiness of the leader on the boulevard and a change of heart in the alley, the sewer, on the rooftop, in the basement, and definitely, within the swamp. All hands are truly needed on deck, and all hands need to worship their own hands as well as those of others, like sisters and brothers. Simpleminded -- yes, the hardest things usually are -- post realization. Transformative -- for sure, if we became truly interested in our country as a unified house, "Man oh man" what could we not do? If we all turned that screw it would be turned. If we all pulled that lever, it would be pulled. If we all balanced that budget, it would be balanced. If we all focused on the nations’ debt -- see ya debt! The leader points out the lever and inspires the courage and the strength, not to drill baby drill, but to pull baby pull -- as a team.

Leaders pass on, but great ideas are transformative and transcendent of times, places, faces, and Party. Obama embodies a great idea we should all buy into.

[GrainOSand]

PM:

You expressed "the truth" well. That dark five-year period in the sixties when great people went to their premature deaths did in fact do something to the heart, to the spirit, to the belief system of a people. People went on from there but they were never the same. They never quite saw the world the same again after the world claimed men and women who were doing nothing more than asking, no demanding...a better way for us all. It is no coincidence that Martin Luther King's last campaign was a poor people's campaign, not a black people's campaign, or a white people's campaign, or a green people's campaign, but a poor people's campaign. When you take the color out of it, you get to the heart, the truth of the matter. The heart of a rich country with impoverished people is greed, selfishness, hate, historical revisionism and feigned amnesia all rolled up into a political ideology, touting a political agenda. The least of these is the barometer because it is the masses that form the base of a society. Let us be strong from bottom up. Let us all aspire to greatness, not in competition with someone else, but in fulfillment of ourselves, our natural potential.

We agree but we arrive at the same place via different avenues. You come down the bold and broad boulevard of enlightened leadership embodying the times, the mood, and the spoken and unspoken desires of the people.

[jqmes]

Steve wants to congratulate all of you who were a part of this great election.
Oh, and by the way, he also wants you to shut the hell up and not be critical of Obama in any way.

Got that, kids?

[GhostNyc]

Lets be practical- officially Obama hasn't even started his term as POTUS. While I voted for Obama, I will not be hesitant to be critical of him or his administration. However I will give him an opportunity to lead this country before I commenting. Lets give the man and the new team at a quarter to a full year in office before we start condemning actions.

Take notes, watch every move- but lets give the Dems a chance.

[AbyssinianLion]

Obama is my man, but I will criticize him or his Admin if need be. So fa, I have nothing critical to say except he is slow chosing a puppy. LOL