THE POPCORN REEL OBSERVATIONS:
HISTORY
A moment of history: Democratic presidential
nominee Senator Barack Obama acknowledges his supporters in St. Paul, Minnesota
last night. (Photo: The New York Times)
About Last Night . . .
By
Omar P.L. Moore/The
Popcorn Reel
June 4, 2008
The title above is not meant to refer to the 1986 romantic comedy "About Last
Night . . . " with Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, but rather to last night's political
news. Throughout the history-making Democratic presidential primary
marathon campaign of 2008 another piece of history was made last night in the
United States. Senator Barack Obama became the first and only black
nominee for president of the United States for either of the country's two major
political parties. While the "presumptive" moniker attached to Senator
Obama's new title will be shed in late August in Denver, it is important to
observe the significance of June 3, 2008. Whether one passionately
supports Republican senator John McCain, or ardently supports Democratic senator
Hillary Clinton, or loyally supports Democratic senator Barack Obama, one must
realize that last night history was made in profound fashion.
In their lifetime many people never thought that they would ever see an
African-American potentially poised for a title and responsibility far more
historic than anything any Americans have ever witnessed for African-Americans
in politics in over 200 years of American history: the occupancy of the White
House and leadership of the free world.
An attempt to anoint the senator from Illinois such a title however, would be
hugely premature at this juncture. There are still divisions that need to
be repaired between the two candidates who have just finished the bruising
Democratic presidential primary. And forty-five years after Dr. King's
historic March on Washington, racism and racial discord still persists
throughout the country and sexism, harassment and violence against women remains
rampant across America.
In the opening salvos in advance of the November 4, 2008 presidential election,
the mainstream media in the United States has already begun to slant* their
election coverage toward Senator John McCain instead of engaging in a fair,
earnest and thorough exploration and investigation of the issues that matter to
Americans.
Since the press, which claims that it is in the business of informing the
American public but is only confusing it and filling it with the most trivial
tabloid tidbits and You Tube sound bites, it is imperative that people educate
and inform themselves by visiting the websites of both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama.
Find ten minutes of each day to investigate the candidates. Look at the
issues and each candidate's articulation of them. Read their plans and
positions. Ask them the tough questions. Both presidential
candidates need to be examined and their positions analyzed. Look at the
transcripts of their speeches. Look at the way they conduct themselves.
Look at their histories. Read their books.
In short, read. And think critically. Ask yourself the tough
questions. Watch C-SPAN -- or go to their website and find out about how
both senators voted on issues that matter to you. Look under the heading
in red entitled "key votes library" for
starters.
As has been said on previous occasions in editorials appearing here at The
Popcorn Reel, the mainstream media in America will not focus on the crucial
issues that matter to every American. So we as Americans have to do this
ourselves.
American voters have to put the pains and passions of recent fierce political
skirmishes aside and realistically and honestly look at the bigger picture and
larger perspective: the future, for themselves and their families.
In that vein, it is imperative that the raw emotions of the recent past are
quelled and extinguished and the quest to vote in one's own best interests
honestly pursued. Too often the emotions of fear and anger can cloud us,
enabling us to vote against our own best interests. Fear is a powerful
variable and it makes both educated and lesser educated human beings do the most
irrational things. History is also a powerful thing, but being educated
and informed in order to see the way forward against fear is even more powerful.
With last night's noteworthy moment in history, voters have spoken very loudly
indeed. The time for education and analysis begins now.
*CNN's coverage early this morning on the breakfast news program "American
Morning" demonstrated this. For more on flawed media coverage and
omissions, visit this
website.
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Reserved.