{"id":3971,"date":"2008-11-07T13:35:00","date_gmt":"2008-11-07T19:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/11\/a-dream-come-true\/"},"modified":"2009-08-22T14:08:44","modified_gmt":"2009-08-22T20:08:44","slug":"a-dream-come-true","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/11\/a-dream-come-true\/","title":{"rendered":"A dream come true"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Carter Bundy<\/span> <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

For many of us, Nov. 4, 2008, will go down as one of the greatest days in American history. There are so many ways in which this election is a watershed moment for this country, and even for the world.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The racial component of the election of the first African American president (bi-racial, which is a growing and overlooked component of the American population) is simultaneously the most superficial change but also the deepest. For a nation with 250 years of slavery and 100 years of apartheid to elect an African American after a mere 44 years of legal equality (and less of de facto equality) is stunning.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The only minority candidate from a small (about 12 percent) minority of the population I can think of who has been elected in any country is Peru<\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place>\u2019s former President Alberto Fujimori<\/a>, of Japanese descent. There are other instances of religious minorities, but the election of Barack Obama<\/a> is historical for the entire world, not just the United States<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Obama outperformed Sen. John Kerry\u2019s<\/a> 2004 numbers with every ethnic group: whites, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans and African Americans. The universality of Obama\u2019s win is a sure sign that we are moving closer and closer to Dr. King\u2019s<\/a> dream country where each man (and woman) is judged by the content of his or her character, not the color of his or her skin.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

End of an error<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

As meaningful as it is, there\u2019s much more to this election than smashing a racial barrier. We\u2019ve all seen the bumper stickers that read \u201cJanuary 20, 2009 — the End of an Error.\u201d<\/a> Most of us take it to mean the end of W\u2019s<\/a> nightmarish 8 years of foreign policy blunders and economic ruin.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

But the size and scope of the repudiation of the national Republican Party seems to signal a bigger watershed moment: the end of unquestioned fealty to multinational corporations, fossil fuels, insurance companies and hostility towards public service.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

For 28 years, American leadership from both parties, and even the American people to some degree, have bought into hard-core conservative philosophies: government is incompetent and evil; trade agreements sans rules are good for all; and the poor need to find their own bootstraps. Nov. 4 was an invitation to revisit those ideas.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Conservatives weren\u2019t all wrong<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

I say \u201crevisit\u201d — not \u201creject\u201d — because in some ways, there\u2019s sense to each of these conservative ideas: Government can be run badly, particularly if the people running it loathe it at the same time, or use it to dole out taxpayer-funded favors to big corporate contributors.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Free trade is a fantastic fuel for economic prosperity if — and only if — it\u2019s not really being used as a way to undermine basic environmental, consumer and worker protections. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The poor do indeed have a responsibility to work hard to provide for themselves and their families. But especially as we go deeper into the information age, ensuring that everyone has the same educational, extracurricular and economic opportunities as the rest of us is a necessary component of \u201cbootstrapping.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Where conservatives have gone awry is in their hard and fast applications of the most superficial of ideological clich\u00e9s, without any awareness of the real world frictions that require pragmatism.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

This election is a mandate to change everything from the economy to health. If I were advising President-elect Obama, I\u2019d ask him to focus his first year on three domestic issues (in addition to the myriad foreign policy decisions he\u2019ll have to make):<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Trading up<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

First, President-elect Obama has a mandate from people in Ohio<\/st1:state>, Pennsylvania<\/st1:state>, Indiana<\/st1:state> and Michigan<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> to start strong enforcement of our existing trade laws and to beef up requirements that our trading partners adopt (and enforce) environmental, consumer and trade protections similar to ours.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

This helps workers and citizens in foreign countries by making their communities and worksites healthier, cleaner and safer. It also helps America<\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place> become more competitive without sacrificing our quality of life. Globalization of economic activity is inevitable. What is not inevitable is that the trend will result in fewer jobs in America<\/st1:country-region> and higher cancer rates in China<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

We can create a positive, upward spiral in the health and prosperity of both countries, rebuilding a strong, vibrant middle class in America<\/st1:country-region> and giving birth to one in China<\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place>. Or we can continue down the path of lower standards, poorer health, decimation of the middle class and further economic stratification.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Energizing the economy<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Second, President-elect Obama has a clear, bipartisan mandate to change our sources of energy. Even Sen. McCain<\/a>, decades-long advocate for fossil fuels, put windmills in his TV ads. Lifelong Republican oilman T. Boone Pickens<\/a> has had millions sign up for his wind- and natural gas-based energy plan. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

American companies will make huge profits. American workers will get good jobs that can\u2019t be outsourced. We\u2019ll be less reliant on energy from dangerous parts of the world. In the middle- and long-run our energy costs will plummet. We\u2019ll have better air, land and water quality. That means better health, better hunting and better fishing. What\u2019s not to like?<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Helping health<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Third, President-elect Obama knows that the American people are sick of the current health-care system. Even for those with insurance, it often doesn\u2019t deliver as expected, costs are out of control, it\u2019s the leading cause of bankruptcies, and our American companies are losing battles with foreign companies who don\u2019t have to worry about health costs.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

While many favor even more aggressive health-care changes than what Barack has proposed, his plan is more likely to succeed and is a strong step towards universal coverage and lower costs. It\u2019s not ideological; it\u2019s pragmatic. He needs to act on this quickly and forcefully, and in doing so, will greatly mollify Americans\u2019 insecurities about the pitfalls of becoming ill.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Eyes on the prize<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

What the new administration shouldn\u2019t do is tackle issues that are all flash and no substance. Chief among these is the fairness doctrine. Yes, the airwaves are public property. But as with public spaces like Civic<\/st1:placename> Plaza<\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place>, the government shouldn\u2019t be in the business of dictating who says what. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Beyond the fact that it\u2019s a massive affront to the First Amendment and free speech principles generally, the fairness doctrine is impossible to enforce. Not difficult — impossible.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

If Rush<\/a> bashes a moderate Republican like Sen. Susan Collins<\/a> for not being conservative enough, who gets the rebuttal: a liberal who thinks Republicans should move left, or a Republican who wants to defend Collins?<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

What if Ed Schultz<\/a> decides Obama\u2019s not being progressive enough? Is the new government-mandated response supposed to come from the Obama administration, or from a conservative who thinks Obama\u2019s already too liberal? <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Worst of all, who gets to monitor and decide how to regulate all this speech, and who writes the \u201capproved\u201d talking points in rebuttal? If the rebuttal isn\u2019t sufficiently harsh in tone, does the mandate require a re-do by someone a little bit angrier? <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

What if the person reading the approved talking points is being facetious? Does that count, or do you have to sound like you really mean it? And who makes that call again? Talk about thought police.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Trust me, anyone who has gamed this through could give you a thousand variations on these serious questions, with no cogent answers in sight.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Dems: eyes on the prize. We need change in people\u2019s lives, not on KKOB<\/a>. Don\u2019t like 770? Call in more. The number\u2019s (505) 243-3333. Let\u2019s fix our economy, trade, energy and health care, and let those who want to stay stuck in the last 28 years criticize all they want. Our constitution demands it, and we can take it.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Bundy is the political and legislative director for AFSCME<\/a> in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>. The opinions in his column are personal and do not necessarily reflect any official AFSCME position. You can learn more about him by clicking here<\/a>. Contact him at carterbundy@yahoo.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Carter Bundy For many of us, Nov. 4, 2008, will go down as one of the greatest days in American history. There are so many ways in which this election is a watershed moment for this country, and even for the world. The racial component of the election of the first African American president […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bundy-columns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3971\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}