Riding the Wave

January 16, 2008  --  Got something to say?
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Our Town By Jon MeligritoBy Jon Meligrito
After a grueling stint on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire , Im back home for a couple of days so I can spend some time with family before I leave again for Nevada for the Jan. 19 caucuses.

Im especially anxious to visit our grand daughter, Maya. She turns a year old on January 21. That day last year, Hillary threw her hat in the ring and announced Im in. Maya simply threw her fists in the air and bawled Im out. In so many screams, that is.

Last time I saw Maya was Christmas Eve when she was babbling mama, mama” and wawa wawa. I didnt know then that she was predicting a victory for Obama in Iowa . But what does an 11-month old baby know about a surge and a wave? Maybe much more than well ever know?

My daughter, Desiree, (Mayas mom) certainly gets it. His message of change appeals to her, she says, because like many others who have been disillusioned and disenchanted with American politics, Obamas freshness is inspiring, uplifting. To her, Hillary represents the past, a politician of the establishment who couldnt be trusted to effect the kind of change that hundreds of thousands of angry and hungry souls yearn for.

Honestly, the idealist in me relates to this insurgent wave. Id like to believe that America is now open to electing a black president, one who promises to alter the way Washington works, end the bitter partisanship and unite the country. As one scholar puts it, there is now openness to a prospect that was inconceivable only a short time ago. If nothing else, Barack Obamas sudden and broad popularity verifies the presence of this openness for the first time.”

These times for me hearken to that mood in the 60s - back when we were much younger - when we wanted to change the world. Weary of war and racism, we questioned authority, defied the status quo and vowed to bring down the state. Our anthems were Bob Dylans The Times They Are aChanging,” Blowing in the Wind, John Lennons Imagine and Revolution by the Beatles. The old will be replaced by the new and those who stood in the way of progress will fall.

Instead, our own heroes fell. John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King. We clung to our myths and legends until we grew older and they could no longer sustain us. Instead of changing the system, the system changed us. It was the boring Lyndon Johnson, not the charismatic Kennedy, who actually brought change, notably the landmark civil rights and immigration reform measures. But he also escalated the war in Vietnam .
Maybe now the times are really changing. After the hysteria of 9/11 that lulled our common sense for seven years, we are suddenly awakened.

The audacity of hope stirs us from smugness and stupor. In Obama, we recover our voice, reignite our passions.

“But this country is not ready for a black president, I tell my daughter on the phone. Like it or not, there are still millions of people out there who will make race an issue. They are more likely to elect a woman than a black man.”

Her response reminded me of my own idealism when I heard myself once again in my daughters words. But there will be more open-minded people this time. They will look beyond race. And those who have not voted before will come out. They will vote their hopes, not their fears.”

The pragmatist in me isnt too sure. While I can rhapsodize over the soaring poetry of Obamas stump speeches, I know its the boring prose of governing that will ultimately deliver on those promises. We are in such a mess its going to take some time to heal the wounds, to make this country whole again. Hillarys proven record of actually changing the reality of peoples lives is compelling.

The movement sparked by Obamas candidacy is definitely good for the country, and particularly for our community. Were seeing more Filipino Americans, from Iowa to Nevada , getting excited and engaged in the political process. Its an energy that transcends party affiliations. To be swept up in this wave is to be part of a defining moment in U.S. history.

At the end of the day, this election wont be about the candidates and what they said to get elected. Its about what each of us will resolve to do to effect change in peoples lives, long after we have made our choices and cast our ballots.

As a member of a labor union thats about improving the well being of workers and their families, I have come to realize this fact even more after having been in the trenches, sloshing and sliding through the snowiest December in Ames, knocking on doors and listening to voters in Manchester. Change is not just believing in it. Change is rolling up our sleeves when we go out the door each morning and resolving to do our part to make a difference.
Meanwhile, I cant wait to tell Maya what her grand father did and how he felt through all the roller coaster ride of wins and losses in the campaign trail. But that can wait. What matters to her right now - in addition to feeding, playing and sleeping - is getting her diapers changed.
Its still the prose of getting our hands dirty and knowing how to clean up the mess that will give her joy and comfort. The poetry comes after, when she beams that smile and simply melts your heart.
E-mail your comments to jonmele@aol.com

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