To Pressure, Support and Correct.

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(Repost with better title.)

The historical aspect of Obama’s victory is very profound and multi-faceted. Jessie Jackson pointed out one of the many meanings this election had, outside of the massive boost the USA has gotten in international goodwill. He pointed out the profound effect Obama’s presidency would have had on the martyrs in the civil rights movement. Of course this does not mean racism in the US is over, but it cannot be denied that this is a giant leap forward. But what hasn’t been covered much is a discussion that was very common in the sixties. Whether to change the system from within, or from without.

The debate on which tactic is more effective in producing change is less prevalent post Vietnam War, but it still goes on. The answer of course is that both pressure from without the system and good people working within the system is the most effective avenue for change. And what we as a world witnessed was those two methods converging with the election of Barack Obama.

The timing was perfect. The anti-war, anti-Bush movement had been in existence for years. Millions of people strong, but the injustices from the government kept coming, deaf to our objections. But, with Obama we now have a leader that will represent the will of this movement, and have the power to do something about it. Symbiosis. Neither side of this equation would have the power to affect change without the other. So it goes. Now that we have this setup, it is our duty to continue to do our part; to pressure, support and correct.

It’s our best chance yet.

[Buzz Clik]

1. So ... what's your agenda?

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2. I don't know if you're being ironic, but if not; to do the most good for the most

people, while doing the least harm.
Without writing a book. You know, stopping torture, ending the Iraq War, restoration of the Constitution. (But, I hope you were being ironic.)

[Buzz Clik]

3. The tone of your OP was a bit vague, and it could be interpreted many ways.

There are those who wish to support Obama on his stated objectives, and there are those who wish to have him abandon the basis of his campaign. "Doing the most good for the most people while doing the least harm" sounds fine to me, as does "stopping torture, ending the Iraq War, restoration of the Constitution".

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4. I'm hoping it sounds good to most.

[ihavenobias]

7. That's a nice list.

We could all add to it, but it's a great start!

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8. Thanks! Always a great comment!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

5. I'm All For Pressure, Support And Correction, As Long As It's Not Done By Overzealous Closed Minded

irrational morons that no one takes seriously.

But pressure, support and correction? Absolutely. It just needs to be done with logic, fairness, reasoning and sanity.

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6. Not much good is done by irrational morons.

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9. Didn't expect any controversy with this post.

I usually do comedy, satire or rants, but I'm not feeling as angry as I was five weeks ago; and nothing compared to five years ago.
(Got my country back.)

[suede1]

10. To remain politically active

or to go back to not caring about what isn't happening in our back yards. That is the decision many will have to make.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. Well-spoken. You make some excellent points, and this will be the test, won't it?

The election may be won, but this is only the beginning. We may have hope now, but the problems that our new president, this country, and we still face are immense and daunting, probably unprecedented since FDR's time. I've often wondered why anyone would want this job at this point in our history, having to face so much. Our "long national nightmare" is still very much with us. The election may be won, but not the battle. We may have the advantage of having chosen an exceptional leader, but the battle to take back this country and address all that has gone wrong is just beginning and he's going to need each and every one of us now, more than ever. I wish him, and us, Godspeed...

[nuxvomica]

12. I was just listening to Naomi Klein on C-Span

And she was reiterating what you have suggested, that real change will not just be handed down to us from a great leader. She and Jeremy Scahill warned of the cult of personality leading to complacency. Both pressure and support must continue if we are to reverse direction.