William Burrus  APWU President

President's Viewpoint

Voters Say: 'Not This Time'
Election Signifies
A Rejection of Divisive Politics

(This article first appeared in the January/February 2009 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

We are witness at this time, in this, place, to what may be recorded as America’s finest hour.

The obvious synopsis of the events of Nov. 4, 2008, is that an African-American was elected as the nation’s 44th president — the most powerful position in the world. Nationally and internationally, the news media chronicled the amazing feat with headlines that announced, “Obama Makes History.”

While the election of Barack Obama is a significant achievement after 300 years of slavery and state-supported discrimination, there is another, equally compelling narrative of this historic event: Voters of all races rejected the negative politics of the past.

The joy felt in the African-American community was shared by many throughout the nation and the world, and progressive citizens of every ethnic group celebrated the elimination of the color barrier as a qualifier for success. In this single act we collectively shattered the ugliest truths of our nation’s past, and, together, we declared our belief in the most glorious ideals of our nation.

The election of John F. Kennedy in 1960 removed religion as a disqualifying factor for the presidency, but race and color lingered as barriers until today. Every American citizen who cast their vote for hope and change rightfully shares in the euphoria of this momentous event. Yet we are mindful in our joy that we have yet to elect a woman, a Hispanic, Native American or a person of the Jewish faith to the office of president.

A Special Pride

“For the African-American community there is a special pride and wonder in the election of Barack Obama. After so many years of struggle, the noble words of the preamble to this nation’s Declaration of Independence, “All men are created equal,” have new meaning.

Without portfolio, I speak for most African-Americans in saying that we did not consider winning the presidency as a litmus test for equality. We have never articulated that the presidency was a demand or a goal. Our objective was equality — no more, no less.

So Obama’s election surpasses our wildest dreams. In fact, the wish of virtually every African-American above the age of 30 was that a loved one — a father, mother, grandparent, great-grand, aunt, or uncle now deceased — could have enjoyed the wondrous moment when it was announced, “The president-elect of the United States of America is…Barack Obama.”

We wish that we could have shared the moment with those who suffered so much and made such outstanding contributions to our progress: Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Booker T. Washington, Jackie Robinson, Nat King Cole, Joe Lewis, Malcolm X, Mary McLeod Bethune, Sojourner Truth, and many, many others who laid the foundation for this triumph.

Our thoughts turned to the millions of ordinary Americans, those who were enslaved, and others who were denied by law the rights of citizens, who were referred to as “n-----s,” “darkies,” “coloreds,” and “coons,” and who were forced to experience the indignities of brutality and inequality. This election serves as an exclamation point on that terrible past. We were so filled with emotion that we didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so we laughed and we cried.

We are thankful that the African-American community can join with Americans from every walk of life in celebrating this historic and, yes, symbolic achievement. But the election of a black candidate is not all that Nov. 4, 2008, was about.

Sen. Obama did not run as a black candidate, and did not make an overt appeal to the special concerns of the black community. The child of a white mother and an African father, Obama is labeled as an African-American, so by that definition, his success is our success.

Refusal to Accept the ‘Code’

But as we celebrate the historic accomplishment of electing an African-American, a less personal though equally compelling message of this election was not about the skin color of the winner, but about the 60million American voters of all colors — white, black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, male, and female, who were inspired by his message of unity, hope, and change. In this election Americans of every race and ethnicity responded to his call and rejected the politics of division, the politics of hate and the politics of name-calling.

The competing story of this election is that voters of all colors announced to the world that we reject politics of division. They said “No: Not this time.” And perhaps they will never accept such politics again.

In the 2008 election, the voters declared that this time we will not be victimized in our selection of a president by a candidate who offers little more than the coded messages about guns, gays, abortion, and who would be tougher-on-terror. Beginning with Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” in 1968, the Republican Party has waged political campaigns designed to exploit our differences as opposed to unifying the American people around our collective goals.

States’ rights, affirmative action, “us vs. them” religious identification, gun-owners’ and gay rights, abortion, and “traditional values” have been typical campaign brands, reducing the most complex issues to political catchphrases, and diverting our attention from the real role of government: to provide for the common good.

The McCain-Palin team, in conjunction with the Republican National Committee, relied on the time-honored playbook, consistently appealing to the darker side of the nation’s character. But in the 2008 national election, the voters announced: “Not this time.”

They rejected the character-assassination techniques that worked in previous elections, refusing to accept the vicious attacks and outright lies about Sen. Obama, including that he is a Muslim, a socialist, an agent of our enemies, and a baby-killer. Obama, they said, would take away our guns and leave us at the mercy of forces that would destroy us.

McCain, Palin, and even “Joe the Plumber” delivered blistering assaults on every aspect of Obama’s character and commitment, but the voters responded with, “Not this time.” The politics of fear and division withered in the face of hope and change.

Hope Over Fear

The American voter is weary of the relentless attacks that have nothing to do with the issues, and this time hope won over fear.

The voters knew the issues, watched Obama closely, appreciated his demeanor and considered his logic, and concluded that the 2008 election was not about negative stereotypes but about hope and setting a course for the future. In the end, when all the votes were tabulated, it was clear that Americans had concluded that opposition to abortion or support for guns was not enough.

Their concern was their future and the future of their children, and the Obama-Biden team responded to these aspirations. Republican strategists would have us believe that it was the Bush legacy that doomed the McCain campaign, but the voters concluded that Sen. McCain marched in lockstep with the policies and direction of the administration. He publicly admitted to supporting the Bush policies more than 90 percent of the time, but when he found it in his political interest, he announced that he was not George Bush. No, but voting with Bush 90 percent of the time was enough to make us uncomfortable. So instead of repeating the past, the voters elected a candidate who articulated responses and plans for change.

Symbols, Legacy

Of course, there are many voters who did not support Sen. Obama for a variety of legitimate reasons. But some of his detractors still struggle — consciously or subconsciously — with ugly prejudices of the past. Many of these citizens cast votes based on convoluted and illogical justifications. At their best these myths were rationalizations; at their worst, they were nothing more than the blatant bigotry of yesteryear.

It is hoped that the misguided citizens among us will change over time, but if they choose to hold on to their biases, they will find themselves in a country they no longer recognize, one that has moved beyond the divisions of the past.

Some will insist that Obama will never be their president. But the reality is that just as George W. Bush and every president before him was recognized as president of all the people, on Jan. 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be president of the United States. Deal with it. The circumstances are too dire, the times too urgent, and the stakes too high to do otherwise.

There is no doubt that the 2008 election will be recorded as historic, and that hundreds of years from now students will point to its importance in our country’s march to progress. The obvious conclusion will be that the vestiges of slavery and discrimination had been sufficiently mitigated that a majority of the electorate selected a minority, a man of color, to serve as the 44th president. This will appropriately be the focus of celebration, but future observers will also note our political evolution. They will note that in 2008 while electing a person of color the voters rejected the strategy of division and announced, “Not this time.”

Congratulations to President-Elect Obama. The American Postal Workers Union stands behind his commitment to real change.

On behalf of the National Executive Board I extend to our members and their families the hope that the New Year brings you happiness and peace.