Where have you gone Harold Washington...
...the nation turns it's lonely eyes to you. Seriously, I am really starting to have some serious Harold deja vu.
It started just after Barack's amazing speech on Tuesday. I don't think anybody reading this would have missed it, but just in case you did, do yourself a favor and go watch it now . It's about 40 minutes long, but every minute is gold. I watched the speech in total amazement. I have never heard a politician speak with such honesty about a problem. As a matter of fact, in my mind at that moment, Obama crossed a very wide chasm from politician to statesman. When he was done I had two immediate thoughts. First, he's just locked up the Presidency. Second, he's just lost the Presidency, the Faux News crowd will figure out some way to twist this and destroy this man.
As the week has gone by it is starting to look like I was more correct with my second thought. I don't think the country is really ready for somebody like Obama. He speaks the truth with honesty and intelligence. As John Stewart said he, "spoke to Americans as if they were adults".
Which brings me to my main man Mr. Harold Washington. If you weren't living in Chicago in the mid-80's and didn't get to know Harold (as he was known to friend and foe alike), you really missed out on something special. He blew into town on the back of a snowstorm, had to fight one of the most racially divisive campaigns (vs. Bernie Epton) in history, and by the time of his too soon passing had become a beloved figure in Chicago and not just in the predominantly black wards on the South and West sides, but also in the ethnic bungalow belt of the Southwest and Northwest wards of the city. Harold used the power of his outsized personality and charm to turn around a white working class city from a position of fear and hate, to if not exactly love at least respect and some understanding. I know. I was one of those whites who thought Harold's election would only spell trouble for the city. Shows how wrong a guy can be.
When Obama started his campaign for President, I thought we had gotten past all that nasty stuff that went on in Chicago in '83. I thought we had grown up. But once again, the events of this past week have shown how wrong a guy can be. Right now I feel like it's '83 all over again.
While looking for information about Harold, I found this article from Ed McCleland in Salon which says what I was thinking about the Barack/Washington connection better than I can. But I will end with this - I think Barack is every bit as capable as Harold was to turn around these voices of division and assuaging people's fear, to unite the country.
It started just after Barack's amazing speech on Tuesday. I don't think anybody reading this would have missed it, but just in case you did, do yourself a favor and go watch it now . It's about 40 minutes long, but every minute is gold. I watched the speech in total amazement. I have never heard a politician speak with such honesty about a problem. As a matter of fact, in my mind at that moment, Obama crossed a very wide chasm from politician to statesman. When he was done I had two immediate thoughts. First, he's just locked up the Presidency. Second, he's just lost the Presidency, the Faux News crowd will figure out some way to twist this and destroy this man.
As the week has gone by it is starting to look like I was more correct with my second thought. I don't think the country is really ready for somebody like Obama. He speaks the truth with honesty and intelligence. As John Stewart said he, "spoke to Americans as if they were adults".
Which brings me to my main man Mr. Harold Washington. If you weren't living in Chicago in the mid-80's and didn't get to know Harold (as he was known to friend and foe alike), you really missed out on something special. He blew into town on the back of a snowstorm, had to fight one of the most racially divisive campaigns (vs. Bernie Epton) in history, and by the time of his too soon passing had become a beloved figure in Chicago and not just in the predominantly black wards on the South and West sides, but also in the ethnic bungalow belt of the Southwest and Northwest wards of the city. Harold used the power of his outsized personality and charm to turn around a white working class city from a position of fear and hate, to if not exactly love at least respect and some understanding. I know. I was one of those whites who thought Harold's election would only spell trouble for the city. Shows how wrong a guy can be.
When Obama started his campaign for President, I thought we had gotten past all that nasty stuff that went on in Chicago in '83. I thought we had grown up. But once again, the events of this past week have shown how wrong a guy can be. Right now I feel like it's '83 all over again.
While looking for information about Harold, I found this article from Ed McCleland in Salon which says what I was thinking about the Barack/Washington connection better than I can. But I will end with this - I think Barack is every bit as capable as Harold was to turn around these voices of division and assuaging people's fear, to unite the country.
posted by 35th 'n Shields at 12:39 PM
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