A new day has come!

So..... When I was riding into work today, already ecstatic from last night's events, the radio station played the song that Will.I.Am put together after Obama's inspiring speech in New Hampshire, and like it did, when I first heard/saw it, it made me cry. I posted the video up here back in February when I first saw it and I credit that video with turning the tide for me on my choice for which Democratic candidate I wanted to back for president.

So I was looking online for the video or song "Yes We Can" this morning (I mentioned it in a previous post as something that helped influence my decision to support Barack Obama in the primary) and I found this article on Huffington Post written by Will.I.Am about why he was inspired to create something that inspired so many others....


Will.i.am
Posted February 3, 2008 | 12:11 PM (EST)

Why I Recorded Yes We Can

I was sitting in my recording studio watching the debates...
Torn between the candidates

I was never really big on politics...
and actually I'm still not big on politics...

The outcome of the last 2 elections has saddened me...
on how unfair, backwards, upside down, unbalanced, untruthful,
corrupt, and just simply, how wrong the world and "politics" are...

So this year i wanted to get involved and do all i could early...

And i found myself torn...
because this time it's not that simple...
our choices aren't as clear as the last elections ...
last time it was so obvious...
Bush and war
vs
no Bush and no war...

But this time it's not that simple...
and there are a lot of people that are torn just like i am...

So for awhile I put it off and i was going to wait until it was decided for me...

And then came New Hampshire...

And i was captivated...

Inspired...

I reflected on my life...
and the blessings I have...
and the people who fought for me to have these rights and blessings...

and I'm not talking about a "black thing"
I'm talking about a "human thing" me as a "person"
an American...

That speech made me think of Martin Luther King...
Kennedy...
and Lincoln...
and all the others that have fought for what we have today...

what America is "supposed" to be...

freedom...
equality...
and truth...

and thats not what we have today...
we think we are free...
but in reality terror and fear controls our decisions...

this is not the America that our pioneers and leaders fought and
died for...

and then there was New Hampshire

it was that speech...
like many great speeches...
that one moved me...
because words and ideas are powerful...

It made me think...
and realize that today we have "very few" leaders...
maybe none...

but that speech...

it inspired me...
it inspired me to look inside myself and outwards towards the world...
it inspired me to want to change myself to better the world...
and take a "leap" towards change...
and hope that others become inspired to do the same...
change themselves..
change their greed...
change their fears...
and if we "change that"
"then hey"..
we got something right...???...

1 week later after the speech settled in me...
I began making this song...
I came up with the idea to turn his speech into a song...
because that speech affected and touched my inner core like nothing in a very long time...

it spoke to me...

because words and ideas are powerful...

I just wanted to add a melody to those words...
I wanted the inspiration that was bubbling inside me to take over...

so i let it..

I wasn't afraid to stand for something...
to stand for "change"...
I wasn't afraid of "fear"...
it was pure inspiration...

so I called my friends...
and they called their friends...
in a matter of 2 days...
We made the song and video...

Usually this process would take months...
a bunch of record company people figuring out strategies and release dates...
interviews...
all that stuff...
but this time i took it in my own hands...
so i called my friends Sarah Pantera, Mike Jurkovac, Fred Goldring, and Jesse Dylan to help make it happen...
and they called their friends..
and we did it together in 48 hours...
and instead of putting it in the hands of profit we put it in the hands of inspiration...

then we put it on the net for the world to feel...

When you are truly inspired..
magic happens...
incredible things happen...
love happens..
(and with that combination)

"love, and inspiration"

change happens...

"change for the better"
Inspiration breeds change...

"Positive change"...

no one on this planet is truly experienced to handle the obstacles we face today...
Terror, fear, lies, agendas, politics, money, all the above...
It's all scary...

Martin Luther King didn't have experience to lead...
Kennedy didn't have experience to lead...
Susan B. Anthony...
Nelson Mandela...
Rosa Parks...
Gandhi...
Anne Frank...
and everyone else who has had a hand in molding the freedoms we have and take for granted today...

no one truly has experience to deal with the world today...

they just need "desire, strength, courage ability, and passion" to change...
and to stand for something even when people say it's not possible...

America would not be here "today" if we didn't stand and fight for
change "yesterday"...
Everything we have as a "people" is because of the "people" who fought for
change...
and whoever is the President has to realize we have a lot of changing to do

I'm not trying to convince people to see things how i do...
I produced this song to share my new found inspiration and how I've been moved...
I hope this song will make you feel...
love...
and think...
and be inspired just like the speech inspired me...

that's all...

Let's all come together like America is supposed to...
Like Japan did after Hiroshima...

that was less than 65 years ago...
and look at Japan now...

they did it together...
they did it...

"We can't?...

Are you serious..?..

WE CAN!!!

Yes we can...
A United "America"
Democrats, Republicans and Independents together...
Building a new America

We can do it...
"TOGETHER"

Thank you for reading and listening...
will.i.am

As it unfolded....

I get daily email alerts from the Wall Street Journal and they have been coming out one after the other as the election results are being announced. When I got this one from this now more conservative periodical a couple minutes before CNN projected the winner, I knew it was done!

date Tue, Nov 4, 2008 at 10:50 PM
subject WSJ NEWS ALERT: Obama on Verge of Historic Victory
_________________________________
NEWS ALERT
from The Wall Street Journal


Nov. 4, 2008

Barack Obama appeared set to become the nation's first African-American president, after beating John McCain in key battleground states.

Obama won Pennsylvania and Ohio earlier in the night, and was projected to win Colorado and Virginia as well.

California releases results at 11 p.m. ET.


And then these came.....

date Tue, Nov 4, 2008 at 11:35 PM
subject WSJ NEWS ALERT: McCain Concedes Race, Saying Americans 'Have Spoken'
__________________________________
NEWS ALERT
from The Wall Street Journal

Nov. 4, 2008

Sen. John McCain conceded the presidential race to Sen. Barack Obama, telling his supporters in Arizona that the "American people have spoken, and spoken clearly." He congratulated Obama in a phone call shortly after 11 p.m. EST, Obama's spokesman said. Obama thanked McCain for his graciousness, accepted his concession and asked his rival for help in leading the country.


date Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 12:20 AM
subject WSJ NEWS ALERT: Obama Tells Supporters 'Change Has Come to America'
__________________________________
NEWS ALERT
from The Wall Street Journal


Nov. 5, 2008

Barack Obama claimed victory at a speech in Chicago, telling thousands of cheering supporters: "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

He applauded John McCain's hard-fought campaign and his long record of service to the country.

Obama said: "It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day ... change has come to America."

Wow!..... Yeah! That is what I'm talkin about!!

Number 1 fundraiser for the Obama campaign this week?

Sarah Palin!

While the Republicans raised $1 million after the Sarah Palin speech last night, the Democrats raised.........$8 million.

I have to say.... I am amazed, and encouraged by Obama's ability to raise so much money across such a large base. Now, it just needs to translate into votes!

On the eve of Super Tuesday (and Mardi Gras but that is not what this is about..)

So, a friend of mine sent me the link to this video and it actually made me tear up!

Inspiring! Please watch and please vote!

I only get one vote, huh?

This past week, I proudly concluded my streak of never watching one of George W Bush's State of the Union addresses. I just can't stand to see what he has to say and the poor and unpolished way he says it. I can't stand his little beady eyes and his little smirkish grin. And what I cant stand the most, what makes me cringe is that people in other countries actually think he represents me in any way!

With that being said, how nice it is to have two democratic candidates that I would be happy to have in the White House, representing me and promoting the things that are important to me! But as I was concluding watching the debate on Thursday, from a policy perspective, i didn't really see much appreciable difference between Clinton and Obama. And the things that he did hold up as differences, who was opposed to the war from the start, some intricacies of their health care reform initiatives, and some points on immigration policy don't seem like that big of differences. Let's face it, almost anything would be better than what we have!

This is truly a historical time and an exciting one! Either a woman or a black man will be the Democratic candidate for president this year. Momentous is that say 100 years ago, neither of those groups were even allowed to vote in this country. I am sure there are many of the older generation who never thought they would see this day in their lifetime. And it is here, and it is exciting. One of the most impressive things about Barack Obama has been his ability to mobilize and engage previously politically disenfranchised sections of the population, namely the youth and black communities. I see my 22 year old cousin actively inspired by Barack and actively involved as a volunteer in his campaign, putting up flyers, attending speeches. Barack likely has some of the broadest financial support of any presidential candidate. He has refused to take money from PACs and lobbying groups and 90% of his campaign contributions have been in amounts of $100 or less! And he raised $23 million dollars in the month of January alone, more than any presidential nominee in history.

I was struck by a question that was asked by a 38 year old woman during the debate which said that she has never had the opportunity to participate in a presidential election where there wasn't either a Bush or a Clinton running. Obviously, this is the same case for me. For 20 years there has been either a Bush or Clinton in the White House! I did like Hilary's response though ("Maybe what we need is another Clinton to clean up after this Bush!") And let's face it, the 8 years of the Clinton presidency were not bad ones. We had a trade surplus, a strong economy and good diplomatic relations around the world. But, I can't assume that similar things would automatically happen with Hilary in the White House. As she likes to remind us, she is not Bill. Hilary says that she has the experience on her side but sometimes it takes impassioned eyes, not exposed to all the seediness and backdoor dealsmanship of the Washington political machine to really get things done.

If I am taking the political process seriously, I can't pick who I want to be president based on who I like better. I should pick based on who is best for this country. As a black woman, I would be happy to see either a woman or a black man as president of this country.

So the long and the short of it is, that am still not completely decided. This is going to be a far more difficult decision for me than the actual presidential election. I guess I will just see who I am feeling most inspired by on Tuesday!

US Political Science 101

Given all the energy around the presidential elections this year, I decided I needed a little personal refresher on the American electoral process and I thought I would share it with you!

Most Americans are of the belief that the United States is a true democracy and that our president is popularly elected. However, this is not the case. In fact, as we have seen most recently in the 2000 election between George Bush and Al Gore, it is possible for a president to be elected without winning the majority of the popular vote. (Bush actually had 500,000 fewer popular votes than Al Gore.)

But how can this be!?!?
It is because of a little thing called the electoral college. The electoral college is a system in which states are assigned a certain number of delegates and these delegates are the ones who actually determine who becomes president. The electoral college system was devised by the framers of the Constitution, ostensibly because of the difficulty of actually counting each popular vote at the time, and also as a way to ensure that smaller states were not penalized and were given a more even shot at determining a president.

So, how are the number of electoral college delegates a state gets determined?
The Constitution stipulates that the state are allowed to have a number of delegates equal to their total congressional representation, the number of senators and representatives they have in Congress. And, since 1836, all states, except Maine and Nebraska, have chosen to give the winner of the popular vote in a state all of their electoral votes. So when you think about election day coverage and you remember seeing, as the votes rolled in, states on a map being classified as Red (Republican) or Blue (Democrat) that is what is happening. And they are classified as such because that party's candidate has been awarded all of that states electoral votes.

While most of the time the electoral college system serves to amplify the results of the popular vote, the winner of the popular vote receives proportionally speaking a higher percentage of the popular vote, there have been 3 times, included the election in 2000 (when Bush won with 5 more electoral votes than Gore) when the popular and electoral votes were not in line. Both Rutherford B. Hayes and Benjamin Harrison, in 1876 and 1888 respectively, were elected with a electoral majority but popular minority. And these types of occurrences, especially in the modern day when popular votes can easily be counted, bring into question whether or not the electoral college system is truly out of date. But since it would take a constitutional amendment to change this and there is significant fear among smaller states that it would jeopardize their ability to shape a presidential election, it seems unlikely that this will change in the near future.

But what about the presidential primaries?? What purpose do they serve in all of this?
When citizens vote in presidential primaries and caucuses, they are determining the number of delegates that will vote for a particular candidate in that political parties national presidential convention the summer before the presidential election. At this convention, the Republican and Democratic parties officially announce their presidential nominees, although the results are often known beforehand given the scrutiny with which the media tracks the primaries.

With that being said, please see the Presidential leaderboard I have added to my blog, at the bottom of the left nav bar, for up to the minute presidential primary results.

And that is the end of your US political science lesson for the day! ;-) Now, you know how important your vote can be! If you are already registered to vote, please come out and vote in your state's presidential primary. The margins separating the presidential candidates on both sides are very small. Also, please make sure that you are register and come out and vote in November. This is going to be a very important and pivotal election. We have seen where 8 years of complacency have gotten us! Exercise your rights as US citizens and remember those who don't have the ability to shape the political futures of the countries in which they live!