Finding Ulysses

Cornel West –  “Now here we are in 2008. America finds itself looking to its blues people again to provide vision to a nation with the blues. That is a source of hope. Yet hope is no guarantee. Real hope is grounded in a particularly messy struggle and it can be betrayed by naïve projections of a better future that ignore the necessity of doing the real work. So what we are talking about is hope on a tightrope.” 

The voters in Ulysses favored Barack Obama by 68% to McCain’s 29% and we had the highest voter turnout in years at 83%.  It’s comforting to realize my neighbors have a fair amount of common sense.  I’m filled with hope, but I’m worried too.  I think I will soon have to divert some my energy from seeking justice for the crimes of the Bush Administration, towards pressuring our new President to promote the general welfare, rather than bending to the will of the rich.

Obama has chosen Larry Summers to be his chief economic adviser.  Summers is largely responsible for the economic mess we are in.  This is like choosing Bin Laden to be his chief counter terrorism adviser.  But Obama sets the agenda, and Summers knows how Washington works, so all hope is not lost, but it is our job to let our representatives, including Obama, know what we want.