A Bright Day In America Still Requires Good Choices

This is a very bright day in America. The dream of Dr. King is alive and well. There is both an electable woman and an electable black man running for the highest office in the land. As a black man, I could not be more excited or elated that this country has the opportunity once again to show that a person can be judged by their ability and the content of their character rather than the color of their skin or their gender.

  However, I must bring my exuberance under control to remind myself that we are electing the President of the United States. We are not electing the female president, the black president or the oldest president. We are electing a president for all Americans. Do these surface distinctions rate significantly in the greater context of choosing the leader of the free world? Is either Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama the best candidate for the president regardless of their sex or race respectively? Does McCain’s age really matter in this context?

  There are those who say that America has not been ready for this day until now. I disagree. We have been ready for this day for many years. Unfortunately, the right candidates have not stepped up until now. Geraldine Ferraro was not a viable or electable candidate when she ran for vice president. As she has recently displayed, she probably would not be a good candidate today. Neither Jessie Jackson nor Al Sharpton was viable or electable candidates when they ran for the nomination. It would not have mattered if either of them were white or older; they both carried too much baggage. What is happening today, wheather I agree with their politics or not, is that Hillary Clinton, Obama  and McCain are capable and competent enough to create a strong national campaign to be nominated for the office of President. They are at this historical crossroad because they possess enough leadership ability and personal appeal to convince enough Americans to support their individual campaigns.

There is little argument that sex, age or race can make a difference in one’s perspective, one’s world view and one’s mass appeal. That can only take one so far in leading an organization or a nation. What happens when sex, age or race takes back stage to national and international challenges? The President has to lead the country for four years. Will we still be focused on the female president, the white president or the black president if in two years we are still at an impasse on health care coverage, illegal immigration, rising interest rates, aging infrastructure, crowded highways or $5.00 per gallon gasoline at the pump? Will we still be so excited of our historic achievements if taxes increase and college tuition grows by double digits?

When all the excitement dies down and the historic markers are securely in place, I hope that we will elect best candidate for president who will help us continue to create a better America where everyone, regardless of race, age or sex can become the best that we want to be while living in freedom and prosperity.