Yes We Can because Now's the Time

Politically, I think I represent many from my generation pretty well. I'm educated and can look past that endless stream of soundbite, lowest common denominator schlock that pumps out of the network news stations. I view the Bush administration as the low point for America in my lifetime, and imagine that it's close to a low for anyone alive. All that said, the extent of my political activism has been writing letters for various campaigns and signing nearly a billion online petitions. All in all, I haven't done much.

Tonight I did a rare thing: I turned on my TV to watch a politician. What I saw floored me.

My interest in Barack Obama was piqued last fall when I read a typically more-than-full-length article about him in the New Yorker (sorry, I couldn't locate it for a hotlink), and once I started paying attention to him, I was sold. Although I've had those rolling eyes moments with him that all politicians inspire, for the most part I'm one of the masses of youngish people who is fully on board the good ship Change.

But tonight! My God! If ever I doubted I do no longer, Obama needs to be our president.

Watching him give his 40 minute speech--done completely without paper--I realized that until now I had completely lost hope in American politics; I just assumed that I would have to vote for someone I thought sucked. Tonight he did so many things I've wanted a Democrat to do for ever like name the classic Republican attack points and address them straight on, like look into the camera and challenge the Republican candidate to question his patriotism, like call a spade a spade and say enough is enough with this Roveian Playbook/Fox News Ticker Bullsh*t and let's get down to the business of making a difference in the world. Then--gasp!--he actually told us some ways we could do it. And--gasp again!--he mentioned alternative energy and several other splendid and multidimensional ideas. I believe in Obama. Not because I think he'll come in and everything will change immediately or even that much at all from the top down in Washington, but because he will set an example with his tone and demeanor that will inspire change in thousands of small ways.

So, I know that after what Obama said tonight what I'm writing is hurried and a bit jumbled so I'm going to let it go at that. However, I am inspired to include a couple of tracks that should be connected to his campaign.

First, from New Orleans soul and funk master Lee Dorsey, the 1970 classic "Yes We Can." It's one of the funkiest tunes ever written, and the lyrics are just what Obama is talking about, so why can't he and Michelle dance to it instead of Springsteen for a night.



Lee Dorsey - Yes We Can

Fifty years ago Charlie Parker recorded "Now's the Time," and he meant the phrase in the same way Obama does when he uses it repeatedly now. Now is definitely the time. It is time for the first African-American president. It is time for a president that can reason and who values discourse, one that doesn't think it's cool to butcher the english language and joke about his poor academic career. One that sites Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Stevie Wonder as his favorite musicians on his Facebook page. It's too bad Charlie Parker didn't live to see it.


Charlie Parker - Now's the Time