Letter to the Editor: Determination and its Significance
Sirs: If we have learned anything over the course of the past two years during which the United States has witnessed a hard fought campaign for the presidency it is the determination of hundreds of thousands of Americans from all racial, economic, geographic, and ideological backgrounds to participate in the political process. We have witnessed what President Barack Obama (1) said on November 5, 2008 upon winning the presidential election: "If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer." If nothing else, the victory of, until recently, a little known, first-time U.S. senator from Illinois in this historical presidential campaign of what determination can bring about.
President Obama (1) claims that his victory was the result of action taken by people who believed "that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference." This may well be the case. Certainly, we are now well aware that determination and drive can bring together unlikely assortments of interest groups in pursuit of a shared vision. We are also aware as a nation that if we try, we can overcome our own history and put aside some of our biases and stereotypes to pave new ground in pursuit of the democratic ideal. We are certainly aware of the fact that pursuing a goal is just a preliminary to realizing the kind of change that President Obama (1) has promised to initiate in Washington, D.C.
We stand now at the very outset of what is admittedly a new era in American politics. We have a young, articulate, and enthusiastic president who will certainly be presented in short order with multiple challenges and perhaps even with enormous threats and crises that require immediate attention. W...