Add to this the fact that most Americans are completely unaware of how are government works today. Half of the things that are promised by a President are impossible for him/her to enact. The other half are unlikely to be enacted due to the pervasiveness of lobbying in our Nation's Capital.

The only time real change can be pushed through is when there is a catastrophe that unifies our government and silences the lobbyist. And contrary to popular thought, we aren't there yet.

Amen.

The daily show had a great segment the other day where they took clips from Obama's innauguration speech and interspersed them with clips from a speech George W Bush gave that were saying basically the same thing. Scary that, for all his claims of change, he talks about the same goals.

If nothing else, at least he's a good public speaker.

I don't know if i could have said it any better myself. Thanks!

People flock to him because he stands for something that we as a people need. I know he can't deliver all that he promises but the people need this.

Your article is very true. I'm black and foreign so as much as I'm proud of the man personally (the image of black leadership really need a boost like that) I think it's not wise to be unrealistic about the idea of this era. Obama was able to compete because he didn't have the mentality of a minority (thanks to his foreign upbringing, maybe).

Like you said America has been heading in this direction for a while now, the fact that he was able to run proves that.

We needed a leader who projected these ideas but the ideas are not the change. As you pointed out, it's getting involved that will bring the change that Obama represents, not just the getting behind.

God Bless ...

Ah, I see that you screen your comments. At least this tells me that you read them--so what about this--I wonder if you (or Valerie up there) would have the same historic-apathy-view if Hillary Clinton had won? Still not a "catalyst" or milestone in history for USA?

My view is not apathy. My view is that a president is a president no matter the race or gender. That you choose to make more of an event out of it than an addendum to history simply shows that you choose to persist the gender or race bias.

Yes, I screen all of my comments, although that doesn't mean I avoid publishing viewpoints I don't agree with. I'm not sure if that's what you meant to imply, but it seems like you're trying to initiate some sort of attack.

I actually agree with most of your points, especially what Dr. King's true dream is (content of character vs. appearance). Your "toothpaste" comment is a beautiful view that everyone should have. However some of your other points sound like what someone who hasn't personally experienced real racism/discrimination would say.

Of course I don't know this about you--but some people experience it everyday.

It is these people who thus understand--certainly more than anyone--that Obama winning the election does not stamp out racism overnight. So, put yourself in their shoes; you seem to dismiss the intense emotions of pride and hope these people now feel. Of course, some of the pride is in Obama and what he was able to accomplish, but they are actually truly proud and hopeful of the USA as a whole and how it continues change. This is at the very least a catalyst within their own minds--which you did allude to (i.e. "Maybe it serves as an example to many how race shouldn't hold back your dreams"). I don't think that it is wrong for these people to remember this is a milestone.

You might accurately infer from my name that I am one of these people.

So I would say that only time will tell what Obama and the USA will do. I agree that those who get involved will be those who are ready to work, and NOT those who are temporary-bandwagon-hoppers--but it also will not be the pessimists either.

I also did not mean to sound curt in my first response, sorry about that. There are bloggers who don't engage in the comments and I was trying to say in a very mangled way that you aren't like that.

No, you're right. I don't experience discrimination every day. Nonetheless, a black president doesn't end discrimination for those that do.

I think there's a completely separate topic of discussion surrounding whether I, a white male, have "personally experienced real racism/discrimination". While I grant that I've not been the target of violence because of my skin color, or denied jobs, or profiled for crime, I think these things are primarily a product of sticking to an environment wherein I can avoid prejudice.

There are pressures of expectation in my race that other races don't have. There are culture differences that would prevent me from living safely within some communities. Sure, assume that I've not suffered real hardships due to my race, but don't play that there is no racism aimed at me. Not just me specifically, but at anyone. Everyone has some group who targets them as a racial enemy.

My impression of the media's emphasis is more that we should all be shocked that we've reached some racial milestone just because our president is not white. I assert that true equality doesn't arrive at a trivial milestone such as this. It comes when we look back and think it's weird that things were ever different; that this discrimination existed at all.

I wonder how many people would say Obama's inauguration is important because a black man can be president versus because any man, regardless of race, can be president. The media and the interviewees I saw leaned heavily toward the former.

I think that pessimists are still key to Obama's success. What he needs is a good plan and strong direction. At least, that might entice me to be less opposing. A plan that simply leans solely on those that don't oppose him will not unite the country, and won't accomplish his goals.

Well first off, you can see in my second post that we're already on the same page that "a black president doesn't end discrimination" for everyone. Trust me, this much I know :)

But when I say pessimist, I'm not referring to people who disagree with Obama. I'm referring to people who automatically assume no one will lift a finger for change (whether it's in line with the administration's plan or not). One can be a skeptic of his plan yet still be involved in the community/governmental process. Change for the better has always been the unifying force behind this country, especially amongst differing philosophies.

Also, you say "I wonder how many people would say Obama's inauguration is important because a black man can be president versus because any man, regardless of race, can be president. The media and the interviewees I saw leaned heavily toward the former." I agree with the fact that the media focused greatly on the former point, but as I alluded to in my second posting, I (and many, many others not on TV) have a mindset of the broader, latter point (i.e. when I said that the true pride/hope felt was in USA's ability to continue to change). I have Asian and Hispanic friends who have felt deeply about it, because of that latter point. I've even spoken to women who have felt deeply inspired about it because of that broader, latter point.

Perhaps it is those cultural differences you speak of that brought us to different opinions/experiences on a few of these things. But I think certainly we agree that there is a long way to go with discrimination as a whole (not just of the racial persuasion).

And I also think we agree that the US is always changing for the better in that respect. I remember a cute segment on CNN where Soledad O'Brien talks of her 6 year old daughter looking at her on the 21st and saying, "You mean to tell me we never had a black president?!" I believe this is the mindset that you were conveying evokes at state of true equality.

Just one quick other thing, on perhaps a lighter note--think of it this way. Suppose the Cardinals won their first super bowl ever :) Sure, it's just another super bowl won in the history of football, but to the Cardinals and their fans--and even non-fans who can still admire their story--it is uniquely poignant. Now if the 2nd through Nth super bowls that the Cardinals win are highlighted in the same way, then I'd agree there is a perpetuation of "pig"skin bias, if you will :)

It's easy for you to make such a naive statement. Your whiteness is screaming between your lines of text. If you have never been on the receiving end of a racist remark, which by your post is obvious, then your opinion is just that...an uninformed opinion.

Dear person who didn't even bother to leave a real name,

Yes, please comment on my screaming whiteness.

How shocked I am to find your typical opinion here, which completely supports my thought that some people will perpetually consider themselves less equal, and perhaps even more deserving of support, which could be a larger part of the race issue in the future.