On the Contrary

I watched on television as the Democrats nominated the first black American to represent their party for President of the United States and I shed many tears of pride.  It was a great moment in the evolution of this country.  Of course there was the mainstream media trying to find a soap opera and create some dissent that just isn’t there anymore.  They have their own narrative and have been pursuing it as events have evolved to make that narrative obsolete.  Is Hillary really going to support Barack?  Will Bill come through?  Will Hillary’s supporters deliver?  It was a non-issue.  Hillary showed what she can do in her speech and in asking for unanimous consent in nominating Barack.  The Democrats did something they have never done before:  they were all running plays out of the same playbook.  It must be terribly disappointing for the 24/7 media personalities not to find someone out of step.  But they kept trying, because it is in their mind these guys aren’t following the narrative they wrote for this event.  What could happen next? Might we actually have to report what is going on instead of picking our stories to support the narrative we are selling?  Some of the most interesting speeches were ignored while they conducted inane interviews trying to generate some dissention.  Thank goodness for CSPAN which allowed me to hear some of the amazing stories these speakers told without the interference from the 24/7 talkaholics.

But forget all that.  I watched the nomination process with deep upwelling of pride.  I know, it was a choreographed vote, kind of, sort of.  Some States surprisingly threw all their votes to Barack in a show of unity.  But more importantly as I watched each State announce their state and take their 30 seconds (some went on much longer than that) of fame in the spotlight, I saw a cross section of America.  I saw Blacks and Latinos, Asians and Native Americans, and a very large contingent of women of all hues.  What I saw was a party made up of what makes America great and strong, our diversity.

It was the same when I watched the Olympics.  Teams from Africa looked, well African.  Teams from China looked Asian. And so it went till you got to the United States and the strength we showed was our diversity.  We looked like the whole world and it is a metaphor for what our nation is all about.  We bring the best out of the best regardless of nation of origin.  It is what makes us strong and different from any other country in the world.

In this mass of diversity I saw unity.  I saw States that were extremely proud of their accomplishments to unifying this country and give their citizens the best possible chance at succeeding.  They spoke of their pride in their access to schools and their school’s achievements.  Some States touted their ability to provide healthcare for the majority of their citizens.  The exhibited extreme pride in their past contributions to equality for all.  Massachusetts stood up and took great pride in being the first State to provide equality in marriage.  It was a great joyous moment about all that is right with America.  And I was so proud to be an American and part of that amalgamation of people and cultures with a common hope:  That America is still a place where hard work and discipline still pays off.  Where a black kid in a single parent home can be nominated for President of the United States.

And most of all I was proud of the message the Democrats have put on display:  Family matters and whether it is Barack, Michelle, or Joe Biden, it was their parents or parent pushing and supporting their kids that helped make the difference.  And in this country of equality, they got a chance and through their god given talents have achieved what they have achieved.  They talked about the importance of helping others.  That just making money is not enough.  We are all in this together.  That America is great as long as we continue the tradition of empowering our people to do what they can with their god given skills.  That in the Republican era we have just suffered through, that dream is fading and it needs restoring.

Now it is time to start to start taking direct aim at John McCain.  It is time to remind American what the Republicans have wrought and who John McCain really is.  It will hard because we all like John much as we love a family member who just doesn’t get it.  But for the good of the country it is important to show that John is in the last century and we really need to move on.  Bring on the Republican Convention or as I like to call it, the gathering of old fat white men who measure their success by their bank accounts.  The contrast will be sharp.  So which America do you belong to?