The Election of Obama and it's Significance to Bangladesh

The election of Barack Obama is a momentous achievement in US History. Matter of fact, this is a momentous achievement in World History. No where on earth has a member of a minority became the elected leader of a nation. Just a quick comparison – it is like an Algerian becoming the President of France or an Asian becoming the Prime Minister of United Kingdom. All the previous scenarios are achievable, but the 1st one to achieve was Barack Obama.

The Renegade-Celtic administration aka Obama-Biden administration has ushered in a new era of hope for the whole nation and was celebrated hugely in the whole world. By the way, Renegade and Celtic are the Secret Service Code names for Obama-Biden. People of the world are looking forward to a new direction. That includes Bangladesh. Today I am going to discuss how this monumental achievement was attained and what implications it has for Bangladesh and Bangladeshi’s here in US.

What motivated me to volunteer for Barack was his speech in 2004 Democratic National Convention. His speech really gave me goose bumps and I saw a leader who can unite this nation. He said on Republicans “Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America - there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America.”. So I was really excited to see him declare his candidacy in the foot of the Old Capitol Building in Springfield, Illinois. I was looking for ways to volunteer, but with my limited time spread between my 2 toddlers and a job, I needed something where I can be a message carrier. That moment arrived when he introduced mybarackobama.com where I enlisted. I sent emails to couple of hundred of my friends and relatives and started calling people across state lines. My focus was on Pennsylvania and other North-east primary states where I lived for 6 years. I called my friends and family, got more telephone numbers and called them as well to elect Barack as the Democratic nominee. But as Bangladeshi’s, we easily pledge our allegiance to a “name”, in this case Clinton. Hillary lost for only one reason and that was for not apologizing to democrats for her vote on Iraq. The journey was painful for all of us Democrats and left some scars which the McCain campaign prodded as vultures to make them campaign issues.

Once he received the nomination, the task was much easier. The ground force that Obama developed during the primaries helped him win the ground war against McCain. At the last weeks of the election, there were 200k volunteers in Miami area alone! From the get-go, it was clear that California will remain a solidly Blue State. So our focus was on Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado. We would get emails with the list of people to call and also invites to tag along with people visiting Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado to canvass Door-to-door. And that approach, where every individual put in genuine effort, paid off and Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of USA.

Now to it’s implication on Bangladesh. I don’t see any except that far Right Radicals, like Jamaat will be cornered and will have to give the insurmountable influence they garnered during this last 2 years, where BNP seemed to be a hostage to the whims and vagaries of these religious thugs. We will see the departure of some Visa Counselors in US Embassy in Dhaka, namely the Chief Consul, who is the Dhaka City Naib of Jamaati Islami. Apart from that, we will see Awami League coming to power.

Obama’s influence in this nation will be huge, and that means we Bangladeshis will be profoundly touched by this enormous personality. He forgave Senator Lieberman and kept him in Democratic caucus. It will not be politics as usual in Washington anymore. So we will see a lot things getting done and the way it is shaping up, if the Democrats can get that 60 vote filibuster-proof majority in the US Senate, we will see the passing of the following:

1. Universal Health Care for people who cannot afford them and Lower Premiums for all others. And existing conditions clauses will be wiped off the Insurance Dictionary.
2. Reduction of Tax rate for working middle class.
3. A green revolution starting with the Auto Industry, as most probably, Uncle Sam will own most of its shares.
4. A prosperous mid-east where new Green job will be created in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Michigan.
5. College bound Students getting a break if they want to join Peace Corps or other Voluntary organizations. Previously, they only got financial assistance if they enlisted in the National Guard or the Military.
6. A Lasting Peace Agreement between Palestine and Israel.
7. Closing of Guantanamo Bay Prison and all CIA clandestine prisons across the globe.

So much for the rhetoric, is he living up to his promise? Look at his picks, Rahm Emanuel will be the go-getter for the new administration and he will make sure all these are executed. How? Well, Rep. Dingell was defeated by Rep. Waxman to head the Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce. Those of us who have followed Waxman know he is an ardent environmental activist and a tough guy who will get to the bottom of things. Obama is thinking of picking of Arnold for EPA and Hillary Clinton for State Department. He has picked Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary who is a prodigy by his own rights. Incidentally, DOW moved up 500 points hearing this news at the last hour on Friday. He has picked Tom Dashle as the Health and Human Services secretary who is an ardent proponent of Universal Health Care. Even WSJ, another Rupert Murdoch fiefdom commented on the pick of Christina Romer as Chair of Council of Economic Advisors, that the Obama administration is going for the top minds in the field rather than those who adhere most closely to party lines.

Now to the opposition who would like to block so much of it. GOP has become a marginalized Southern Religious Party. I am amazed to see that they still believe in Trickle down Voodoo economics and abstinence program for teen-agers which does not even work for their own kids. They have a blow-horn Limbaugh and a FAUX news Channel called Fox News which spews nothing but hatred for anything logical. Barack once said that if he listens to Fox news, he would not vote for himself! Now conservatives are saying that Rush Limbaugh will spearhead the new Republican movement. Just to remind them that 66% of people under 40 voted for democrats this election. If republicans stick to their 19th Century ideologies, they will be extinct in 30 years or so. Their embrace of the ultra-right rhetoric against a black candidate did get noticed by the electorate, and until and unless they change their stance on so many wedge issues, they will dwindle to non-existence. The same party which talks of preservation of life does not think twice about killing innocent lives in Iraq, the same party which talks about limited government has ushered in the biggest government ever in US history, the same party which warrants responsibility from public servants like teachers did not warrant the same from President Bush on tripling the national deficit from 2000 and withering away the budget surplus that Clinton gave us. The Republican tent has become so tiny that I wrote to Kathleen parker, the conservative columnist in Washington Post that in spite of being a social conservative, I decided to become a Democrat as they are the only ones who will embrace me as I am – a Proud Muslim. By the way, she got death threats when she smacked down Palin’s candidacy after her interviews with the media.

For the last 8 years we have only heard Guantanamo, Iraq, Al-Qaeda and Domestic Spying. It is Time to take all these issues right out of this nation’s dictionary. How? Al-Qaeda is so un-happy that people of the world will now see United States as a true mediator and leader that Ayman Al Zawahiri called Obama a “House Negro” or “House Slave” in the latest Qaeda tape released last week. Obama will withdraw troops from Iraq by 2010 and will put all his energy to defeating Al-Qaeda. For the last 8 years, Cheney and his surrogates, which includes Bush, always had a mantra “Be Afraid, be very very afraid”. Well Americans are not a nation who will hide under a closet, we are a nation who fought the British off this land, who fought the Japanese and Italians and Germans all over the world in 2nd world war, who have sacrificed their sons and daughters and husbands and wives and fathers and mothers to fight off attackers off the coast of this great Nation. And proudly they can say “We shall overcome”. We will defeat any force who wants to take away our way of life and harm us, we will defeat any force that divides us, and we will defeat any force that put our freedom at jeopardy. May Allah, God, Jehovah, Vishnu, Buddha – Bless America.