A Better Country, A Better Oklahoma

Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president Thursday in a historic moment for the country. As the nation’s first African American presidential candidate for a major political party, Obama breaks and creates new ground in the long struggle for equal rights.

No matter what happens in the general election, Obama’s accomplishment Thursday night as he accepted the nomination will live on forever, and it gives all of us—no matter what the color of our skin—a reason to hope that we, too, can accomplish what seems to be impossible.

Obama greatest gift to his country so far is that he allows us to dream again for a better future.

Obama’s speech was magnificent, and, more importantly, he showed the Democrats are going to fight this election by clearly outlining their positions and attacking the Republican Party’s nominee, John McCain, who is a serial liar and will continue the failed policies of George Bush, the most unpopular president in American history.

On Thursday, pointing to the horrid legacy of the Bush administration, Obama said pointedly, “We are a better country than this.”

We are. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, all of us are better than how the world now perceives us because of Bush’s torture policies, his lies about the Iraq invasion, his attack on American civil liberties, his disdain for science, and his embrace of oligarchy, an imperial presidency and political corruption.

Oklahoma, one of the reddest of red states, will most certainly vote for McCain, of course, fueled on by The Oklahoman and other corporate media outlets here. These media outlets will simply not give residents fair coverage of the election, and there will undoubtedly be much coded and implied racism. The Oklahoman, in particular, has a long racist legacy.

I know it is destined, but the vote here for McCain will be tragic and senseless and send a wrong message to the country and world. Obama offers the state—even its mega-wealthy citizens—an opportunity to recreate Oklahoma as a place of unlimited economic opportunity, to improve its struggling educational systems and to finally fix many of its chronic socioeconomic problems

Obama’s plural energy policy, one that still embraces existing sources, such as oil, will create an abundance of new economic opportunities for Oklahoma business. As the country moves to natural gas, wind, solar and biofuels, Oklahoma is positioned to benefit greatly through federal programs and policies encouraging independence from Middle Eastern oil. The potential for economic growth here in Oklahoma would be staggering under an Obama presidency. It might forever change Oklahoma’s “poor state” image.

Obama’s pledge to create a new “army of teachers” will also help Oklahoma. These new teachers—and Oklahoma could use them—will improve our schools by teaching with the latest and best technological equipment. New federal educational initiatives and grant programs, along with the sustained local commitment, could finally raise the level of Oklahoma education to national averages and above.

Obama’s commitment to provide decent health care for all Americans and to lift people from poverty would also greatly help Oklahoma. The state now has inadequate access to medical care, as evidenced by study after study. The state has long struggled with and even led the nation in hungry families. The cycle of family poverty continues here and has worsened under the Bush presidency and the local conservative juggernaut. Poverty affects everyone, not just the poor. It causes mental illness and leads to crime. It reduces property values and overall quality of life.

Oklahomans who will vote for Obama this November are voting for their own economic interest as they embrace the community around them with hope and with the promise of change. Those people who choose McCain, perhaps blinded by ideology, are voting to continue the failed policies and corrupt actions of the Bush administration