We, the People

[H2O Man]

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven.
Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?
I'll find my way
Through night and day,
'Cause I know I just can't stay
Here in heaven.
Time can bring you down,
Time can bend your knees.
Time can break your heart,
Have you begging please, begging please.
Beyond the door,
There's peace I'm sure,
And I know there'll be no more
Tears in heaven.
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven.
--Eric Clapton & Will Jennings

A woman on CNN said that the death of Barack Obama’s grandmother on the eve of the election is Shakespearean. That seems like an accurate description. I am also reminded of the ancient tales of the "hero’s journey," which also fits this amazing young man, especially when considering how the hopes of people around the globe are being placed upon his being elected as the next President of the United States.

Watching his beautiful wife Michelle earlier this afternoon, it was evident that she was feeling a wide range of emotions. After hearing the breaking news, it is clear why she presented as she did. And watching Barack Obama speak, a little while later, was an emotional experience for all of us.

It is usually once in a generation, it seems, that there is a person who understands what the people of their country need, and then is able to execute an improbable plan that results in their being in a position to provide that type of leadership. Today, I think we can better appreciate how others around that individual assist in that process. I am thankful for people such as Barack’s grandmother, and Michelle.

This has been an intense election contest. From the democratic primaries to the general election, it has brought up a variety of memories for people of my generation, including the hopes we had with leaders such as JFK, Malcolm X, MLK, and RFK.

Tomorrow, we take a huge step towards having that promise fulfilled. It is important that we remember what Barack Obama has said many times: this election is about more than one man – it is about all of us. It’s about parents and grandparents, spouses and S.O.s, our children, neices and nephews, and our future.

It’s about we, the people, and those truths we believe are self-evident.

Enjoy this time.

H2O Man

[lamp_shade]

1. "In the Arms of the Angels" n/t

[H2O Man]

14. Yep.

I just got off the phone with an old friend. His mother died recently. She was older than Barack Obama's grandmother. It is a difficult time for him. Yet his main focus is on the future, and what progress our nation can make with Obama and Biden in office.

These are strange times. We have the opportunity to make a lot of positive changes, but there will be all of the difficulties associated with being human.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. Recommended. Nice job, H2O man...

We are on the cusp of an historical moment:thumbsup:

[H2O Man]

15. Yes, we are.

It is an exciting time. This has been an election like no other in my lifetime.

[NanceGreggs]

3. Beautifully stated, my friend ...

:patriot:

[H2O Man]

16. Thank you.

It really feels good, doesn't it?

[NanceGreggs]

30. Yes ...

... it really does.

[HughMoran]

4. It was surreal watching him talk through the tears and I also thought the Shakespearean comment was

apropos.

I also get emotional whenever I hear that song and I could hear it playing in my head when reading the lyrics - it's such a touching song and so tragic. I'm trying to hold back the emotions until it's real as 2004 was too painful, but thanks for reminding me what is to come :) :hi:

[H2O Man]

18. I was glad when

she said that. It stood out as the most insightful thing that I've heard on TV lately.

The song is beautiful and painful.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Nothing to add, but

K&R

:patriot:

[H2O Man]

19. Thanks.

I had a CD on, with that song. Usually, I have no problem writing an essay on DU .... if anything, my problem is not going on and on. It took me a while to say what little I did in the OP.

[Delphinus]

6. Zowie.

The Hero's Journey. Truth was spoken. Thank you.

[H2O Man]

20. The Hero's Journey.

I thought it fit, and am glad to know that you do, also.

[Coexist]

7. K & R!

[H2O Man]

21. Thank you.

I look forward to talking to you here tomorrow!

Enjoy this time.

[Coexist]

27. I will.

[tismyself]

8. Thank you for posting that.

Well done.

[H2O Man]

22. Thank you.

I'm glad that you liked it.

[kayakjohnny]

9. Thank you.

Simple. Direct. Forceful. Thoughtful.

[H2O Man]

23. Thanks.

Those four words describe the democratic campaign this year. I'm glad to be a part of it.

Tomorrow will be a day to remember!

[MadMaddie]

10. H2O Man It is about we the people!!

This is our time to save America!!

[H2O Man]

24. Yes, it is ......

and yes, we will!

We've been looking forward to tomorrow for a long time. It's almost hard to believe it's almost here!

[cali]

11. Lovely post. k&r

[H2O Man]

25. Thank you.

I'm thinking that you are correct about a landslide. It appears that the Congressional races are going to be a part of it, too, changing the make-up of both the House and Senate.

[malta blue]

12. as always

:applause:

[H2O Man]

29. Thank you.

You know, I wish that more DUers lived near me. We're going to have a nice gathering here tomorrow evening/night, and I wish that a bunch of you could be here. But I will definitely be talking with you tomorrow night!

[bdamomma]

13. thank you H2O Man

we will do this, we will change this country around.

[H2O Man]

31. We will do this.

I don't think that so many people have been as awake and aware as there are today, at least not in my lifetime. There is a real power coming into being now. And you are right: we will change this country around.

[Patsy Stone]

17. Beautiful.

Here's to future days. :toast:

Thanks for all of your wit and wisdom. It's certainly made the last four years much easier to deal with.

[H2O Man]

33. Thank you.

One of my best friends asked me today how the heck we survived the Bush-Cheney years? We agreed that a sense of detached irony, along with DU, helped. Glad to be on the same team with you.

[SoonerPride]

26. This is the day we've been waiting for

Despite the frenetic last hours, take a moment to savor this election.
You and I will make history tomorrow.

THIS is the day untold millions of poor, huddled masses, yearning to be free have waited for.
THIS is the day that African slaves and their progeny have long waited for.
THIS is the day that the world has been waiting for.
THIS is the day we once again show the world, and indeed ourselves, that the words we live by are NOT hollow slogans from a bygone era. They are not claptrap to be snickered at. They are the true American creed.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

We mean that.
We believe that.
And tomorrow we will prove it.

We will elect, as our leader, a man of mixed ancestry with a very problematic name.
And we will do so peacefully.

Power transfers not by the gun or the sword, but by us, WE THE PEOPLE, regular old American citizens exercising our franchise to cast out those in power and replace them with something new.

We are not perfect.
It took us too long to free the African slaves.
It took us too long to allow women the same right to vote as men had long enjoyed.
It took us too long to declare that people had civil rights.
But eventually we got it right, more or less, and we continue to move toward equality and turn our back on hate, divisiveness and fear.

So go out and vote.
Stand in line.
Do it with a smile on your face.

Endure the pain and hassle of all of it because this is the day we all have waited for.

Change the world over night?

Yes, we can.

[H2O Man]

35. Right.

No dam ever built can hold back waters that were spilled before it was constructed. And there have been many, many problems in this nation's past that we can not change. But we can change today -- and we sure as heck will make a big change tomorrow -- and when we change, everything around us must change, too.

I get a kick out of how McCain and Palin are saying the left wing of the democratic party are seeking power. The power of the left wing is the Power of Ideas, and our ideas are being proven correct. And a big segment of the country recognizes that.

[Me.]

28. "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,"

For eight years now we've agonized over what seemed to be the end of this country as we've known it. Hope is now on the horizon, some might call it resurrection.

[H2O Man]

37. I believe that

we will transform this country. Tomorrow is going to be a good measure of that!

[mmonk]

32. And it's about time.

[H2O Man]

39. Yes, it is.

For a lot of us, this isn't just a welcome relief to the past 8 years. It's been 40 years, with the same group of republicans in the executive branch the majority of that time.

[mmonk]

47. I've had a lot of thoughts going through my head lately.

I remember as a young man standing up at a food counter at a cafe to eat with my friend who was AA because they would not serve him sitting down at one of the tables. I remember looking at a car dealership in the small town I grew up in and seeing the white employees eating in the showroom and employees of color eating in the garage. I remember the train tracks in town that actually separated the community by race and it's nickname "redline". Many young people do not know of this world because of those that went before them and sacrificed and put themselves at such risk. They can only read about it. If Obama wins tommorrow, this will be very emotional for me on so many levels and my skin is so white, I could get a sunburn in a cave. It will be such a rush it is going to be hard to anticipate.

[H2O Man]

53. "lots of thoughts"

Yes, me too. I can remember being a little kid, when my father began building a house for our family. Some of the people in the neighborhood were upset by having my father, a first generation Irish-American Catholic, moving in near them. A few put up "for sale" signs, not because they had any intention of moving, but just to express fear and hatred. They would soon come to appreciate my father as a good man, and a good neighbor.

A generation later, we began building my sister & brother-in-law's house on a section of land my father gave them. Some of the same neighbors put up "for sale" signs, because they were upset that a family of brown and black people were moving into the neighborhood.

Thirty years later, those people who worried about brown- and black-skinned neighbors have come to think of them as among the nicest people they know.

When I see McCain-Palin lawn signs, it reminds me of those "for sale" signs. I think that those who put them up will come to like President Barack Obama.

[mmonk]

56. Yes, I believe after he governs for awhile, he will win people over.

Providing it is an Obama victory.

[GetTheRightVote]

34. Without Toot the man would not be who he is today

so thank you, Toot !!!

:bounce:

[H2O Man]

40. Yep.

Thank you, Toot. We owe you.

[MrsBrady]

36. i totally know what he is going through....

now granted I wasn't running for president, but.....

this past January, my husband and I had put off our honeymoon for our 1st anniversary so we could afford it.
Paid for, done, reservations, time off secured, etc...

Well, we ended up burying my own beloved grandmother the very weekend before!!!! arg! it was awful.

I was crying, felt horrible, devastated. I felt so bad, and yet I was supposed to go and have "fun" on my honeymoon.
Here I am supposed to be connecting and lovey dovey with my husband and all I could do was cry.
It was horrible, and my husband was a wreck too (he loved her too).
I was missing her so much, and also pissed that I would not enjoy our trip.

We MADE ourselves go and have a good time...and we knew she would have been upset with us if we had not gone on our trip.
But it was very hard. I had to put off my grieving until we got back.

Seeing him talk about her makes me miss my own dear grandma! I don't know how he's standing. I was a complete puddle.

GOBAMA!

[H2O Man]

42. Thank you

for sharing this. You express why so many people are able to connect with Barack Obama. We aren't running for President, but we have helped him in his campaign, because he is one of us.

I'm sorry that your grandmother died, and it had to be especially hard considering the timing.

I think about my late father every day. And I really, really wish that he were here so that he and I could talk about this campaign. He would love it, and he'd be working for Obama, too.

[spanone]

38. k&r

:grouphug:

[H2O Man]

43. Thanks.

It should be a lot of fun on DU tomoorow. I look forward to talking with you here!

[Rocknrule]

41. Gentlemen, and ladies, hoist the colors

[H2O Man]

44. Big changes tomorrow.

In both the executive and legislative branches.

[BeFree]

45. It takes a village

Where have I heard that before?

What strikes me is the way the democratic party has unified so well. I guess it took a leader like Obama to do that. Even those he climbed over on his way to the top are supporting him!

[H2O Man]

49. Barack is on

the mountain top. The journey up the mountain of humanity does not require climbing over others; it does include working together, so that we all make progress.

Enjoy this day!

[grantcart]

46. Tomorrow the most improbable of all long shots will once again be confirmed

That the systems works and once in a generation reveals the country's genius and essential moral goodness.



What a treat it has been to have you help guide us along this path.

[H2O Man]

50. Thank you.

Coming from you, that means a lot to me. Proud to be on the same team with you.

[Lochloosa]

48. One Day.

What a great day it will be.

[H2O Man]

51. Good morning!

Today is finally here. It is going to be a day that we will long remember.

[Lochloosa]

54. You Betcha!

[ClayZ]

52. Today is a KALEIDESCOPE....

Thank you H20 Man!

Enjoy it!

[myrna minx]

55. Today's the day we've been working for. YES WE CAN.

[Bluenorthwest]

57. Yes We Can

And yes, we will. What a morning this is. Shakespearian is a word for it. A Great Work.
People believe this and others believe that, but from my own experiences when my Father died, I know that such life events are far more than just sorrow and loss, they are multi faceted and powerful moments filled with windows and openings and the potential for wisdom. Such things are the days of all of our days, moments of real and wakeful humanity. In such times greatness can be born.

Peace to us all.

[democrank]

58. Thank you for this, H20 Man

I voted a few minutes ago and was absolutely overcome with emotion. Change. It means so much to me.
I grew up in a violent, racist family and was held up for ridicule because I chose to believe differently. Today, I colored in that oval with profound reverence. Imagine. All three of my grandchildren have Obama buttons. Two of them are old enough to understand the historic importance of this election and are filled with tolerance and hope in their pure little hearts. The marches WERE all worth it. Change is on the way. We shall overcome.

[bleever]

59. Thank you for this,

and all you do to make DU a haven of sanity, curiosity, commitment, and dedication to seeing the highest ideals of America upheld.

It's been a pleasure, but nothing compared to the pleasure that awaits us.

[spanone]

60. dear H2OMan

i would like to personally thank you for your insights and calm during this election.

you are able to articulate what many du'ers have in their hearts and minds.

i'm proud to be on this board with you.

spanone

[JeffR]

61. Yes we can

:dem:

[ReadTomPaine]

62. Very happy to be standing with you on this day, Patrick.

:thumbsup:

[Greyskye]

63. It's been 8 years in the wilderness.

DU has been a haven for me ever since 2001. Almost 8 years of watching our country be taken down a path that most of us disagree with with all of our hearts and souls. Almost 8 years of watching our pResident say and do things which made me bow my head in anger and in shame.

With hard work and hope, we've helped to bring our nation to this cusp, this tipping point in history.

I look forward to 8 years of holding my head high and proud, and to helping rebuild our beloved country.

[nam78_two]

64. K&R

Happy to be the 44th rec on a post of yours this beautiful morning-:thumbsup:.
Here is to a new hope-feeling more happy and uplifted than I have in 8 years.

[loudsue]

65. Wow, Water Man. That really hit me.

That song was playing on the radio on my way to the VA hospital the day my father died there, from cancer. I knew he was going to die that day, and it was really difficult for me. Eric Clapton nailed it in that song.

Thank you for this wonderful post. I wish so much that we could see the faces of the giants that went before, and set fire to hearts and minds so that this day could come for all of us.

[gademocrat7]

66. K &R

Thank you, sir.