"Team America" With the 2008 Election

"America's Back!" a German newspaper in HamburgFinally, while the election of a half-Black candidate to
announced the morning after the 2008 US electionthe Presidency of a major developed power and the
with a sense of joy and relief that rippled across thewelcome into the White House of a Black family are
globe through Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, thegroundbreaking social developments for America and
Pacific Islands and even Alaska. After eight long yearsthe world, the unfortunate, ugly and baselessly primitive
of unilaterally aggressing on the world, America hadroots of racism are far from dead. That reality was
broken the global social sound-barrier of racism.evident even in the first days of global jubilance in the
America was the world's true innovator, maverick andwake of the election. A noose was found hanging on
land of opportunity again.a Texas college tree and a New Jersey home was
Yet along with that festival air of "a giant step fortorched for its display of a Barack Obama poster.
humankind" as a London newspaper put it, there wereYet even with all those challenges on America's plate,
the signals that global "business as usual" wouldthe election has given America an opportunity to take
continue once the jubilation toned down. Russiaits proper place in a global world. In his first
warned the United States not to continue its selfishappointments and in his first press encounter after the
economic policies and China warned againstelection, the President-elect has shown the integrity,
interference in its affairs with regard to Taiwan.firmness, strength of character and easy humor that
The global superpowers are on the rise again whilebelong to a leader with whom the head of any other
America grapples with deep problems and socialnation can look forward to meeting with confidence,
divides. The entrepreneurial spirit of freedom sopride and a sense of privilege in conducting an
sacredly inscribed in the country's Constitution mustexchange.
now be aligned with the global realities of fairness andThe choice of that new leader for America proves
responsibility. The greatest country in the world thatthat America has chosen with wisdom and that it can
America can once again become cannot own thecontinue to act on the virtue of that merit as it goes
integrity and decency that go along with that title if it isforward to address the global financial crisis it had
a plutocracy. The homeland of democracy cannot becreated to a large extent. The choice of leader for
called that if a handful of billionaires own the lion's shareAmerica with the 2008 election shows that America
of wealth while the vast majority lives without themade its historic choice based on the candidate's merit
most minimal of social safety-nets.of a character that is truly American, one in which the
Factoring that reality into American consciousness isquestion of race is already history.
bound to stir the charges of socialism already leveledWith its vote in the 2008 election, America chose its
during the presidential campaigns. And while thechampion quarterback for Team America from
President-elect won by a comfortable margin, theamong all its population. The country is now ready to
conservative and even zealot element is still alive andgo out and compete with the other 200 nation teams
well in the country, as judged by support for theof the world. And even while the new President-elect
Conservative Party that lost, along with support for itscautions that only one person at a time leads and that
platform of restricting progressive social developmentsAmerica may have to wait until January for the Global
such as freedoms of choice while promotingSeason to begin, the election itself was America's call
regressive ones such as exploitation of resources andfor "let's play!
restricting the private choices of individuals.