I don't think that the euphoria over Obama's election should be about an African American making it to the Citadel of American Power and thus exhibiting the triumph of Civil Rights. America in my opinion overcame those barriers quite some time ago. The African American community have had several members rising to high offices in American politics and governance - Senators, Governers, Secretaries of State as well - exhibiting that African-Americans who had it in them, could make it. Obama had it in him. He became President. Of course an African American becoming President makes excellent story and nostalgia material - a story of triumph of the Blacks - from abject Slavery to ultimate Power - but this could have happened many many years ago too. They just didn't have the right candidate.
Why I think Obamas election is special - is because he did it with backing from the people. It was his ability to get the 50 cents and the 5US$ contributions to count that makes it truly amazing. The parody is that small things like chads (dimpled and hanging ones equallly) brought George Bush into power. Small things magnified a million times, brought Obama and a new era in. Arundhati's 'God of Small Things' has a new significance here.
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