THE AMERICAN DREAM - EXPANDED

With one day to go, I can't help being excited by the prospect of what might happen tomorrow. As a white male, I have always had the ability to believe that I could be elected President of the United States. And why not, since every one who has held the office to date has fit my demographic.

But, tomorrow, all of that might come to an end. Which will lead to the beginning of a more equal America. If Barack Obama is elected President tomorrow, every person born in America will now have the dream of being able to be elected President.


True, the President will still be male. But, with Hillary Clinton claiming that she put 18,000,000 cracks in the glass ceiling, it is easy to imagine that a woman can now become President. This prospect should make each and everyone of us proud to be an American.

What makes the prospect of this event even more satisfying is that a black man will have been elected to succeed one of the most repressive administrations in the history of our country. The Bush administration started on a note of working to restrict black voters - or at least making it difficult to vote in many places back in 2000. I could understand the their feeling of vindication - even if it came eight years late.

So, today, November 3, 2008, we stand on the threshold of the renewal of the American Dream. At a time when we are experiencing uncertainty in so many aspects of life as we know it, could this be the jolt that we need to restore the polish to the American way of life. While both candidates talk of change, only a vote for Barack Obama can provide real change - not just a new direction from the Bush years - but a change that opens doors to more Americans to realize the dream that until now only a white man could experience.

With your vote, you have the power to help bring about that change.