America Wakes
Though I was pretty elated on Tuesday night, it’s taken a few days for the news to completely sink in. Everyone I knew was practically holding their breath until the results were official. Yes, the odds were in our favor, but after the shenanigans played on recent elections, it was hard to believe that the will of the people would actually prevail or that democracy was more than a slogan used to either win votes or attack other countries. After 8 years of lies and complicit coverage of the news, it takes a while to believe that the ideal of government “for the people and by the people” could ever be a reachable goal.
Though I don’t normally talk about politics in my art blog, it seems appropriate to take a moment to comment on this great moment in American history. I dreamt last month of actually meeting Obama, and having a conversation which revealed how much he cared about people (in the dream he was concerned about me, specifically). Though he has been handed an impossible job of turning around a nation with problems deeper than history has known, I believe that with his intelligence, heart, and mindfulness, he will choose the right people to help us move in the right direction. I am also hoping that I will soon be able to wean myself from my daily addiction to political blogs. The more art I create, the more hopeful I become.
(illustration by Barry Blitt, published November 9, 2008)
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company