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Last week, President Obama gave his farewell speech to the nation. A few days ago, I watched his last press conference. The era of #44 is officially over.
As I reflect, it’s amazing what can transpire in eight years. The inauguration of Donald J. Trump is in effect. Some 60 House Democrats are boycotting the coronation. The DC MetroPolice have expected some 200,000 protesters. Everything is different now.
On Nov. 5, 2008, there was no Tea Party. There was no Birther Movement. There wasn’t yet a Republican conspiracy to make certain Obama was a one-term president. There was no Obamacare to speak of. There was, however, a Democratic majority in both the house and the senate. We were a nation plunged deep in recession. America was involved in two wars. Our financial industry was on the verge of collapse. Terms like "bailout" and "too big to fail" were dominating the national news. Our domestic auto industry was going extinct while we faced the worst home foreclosure crisis the nation has ever seen.
With a daunting future ahead of us, I’m encouraged by the beaming optimism that radiated from this blog I wrote the day after Barack Obama won his first presidential election, Nov. 5, 2008.
"As an African-American man living in the United States, it is very easy to grow cynical in a country that is often suspect of you.
"This great electoral victory is not just a triumph for African-Americans, it is a national victory in which we all shall share collectively. Is this Black history? Yes. Is this American history? Absolutely.
"An Electoral College landslide and a decisive accumulation of popular votes, equates to a mandate so strong it shall re-write the pages of campaign strategy for the next 100 years.
"When placed within the context of American history, this event assumes an even deeper significance. Every bead of sweat dripping from the very brows of the tireless marchers for justice, every tear shed and opportunity lost as a result of De facto and De jure segregation, every drop of blood lost in the struggle manifested itself perfectly on the evening of November 4, 2008. A civil rights movement executed. A dream no longer deferred.
"President-elect Barack Hussein Obama has ignited the American spirit in ways not seen in a generation. 21 months ago, I could not fathom that the 'skinny kid with a funny name' could oust the Clintons, build a swollen grassroots organization and turn a bitterly divided nation into a place that has ignited my pride. We can now focus on being great once again. It is for that in which I am most thankful.
"Make no mistake; Sen. John McCain is a good man. Sen. John McCain is an American hero. As evident by his very eloquent concession, he shall continue to be a servant of this nation. I wish he, nor his Republican colleagues, no ill will. However, I remain ever cautious. For the Republican Party is returning to the proverbial drawing board and will eventually reinvent and rebuild.
"Politics aside, this campaign was far more. It kindled our most intrinsic values of hope, optimism.
"As I celebrated with the best of them into the early morning of Nov. 5, I saw things that rocked my very core. Streets flooded with jubilant souls, horns honking, banners waving, and jubilant expressions of human love. This campaign did something to us – something absolutely divine.
"Politics included, this campaign awoke the better angels of the American nature, thus, bent the seemingly fixed lines that characterized the political map of red and blue states.
"During this election I witnessed the American appetite for change. However, the work is not yet done.
"It is the duty of every American, regardless of political affiliation, to make sure that President-elect Obama does not walk alone. What he needs now is far more tangible than a vote. He needs our hearts, minds and steadfast will. I stand before you ready to submit all three – with shining pride.
"A weak economy, coupled with two wars abroad and a healthcare crisis, shall take the same determination to resolve as the election took to win. Please pledge with me to commit. As we stand shoulder to shoulder under the direction of a new commander in chief who bears the burden of a nation fractured by eight years of thoughtless policy.
"As cliché as these words may be they have never possessed a much more poignant meaning: 'God Bless America.'"
With insurmountable challenges facing the nation, I welcomed them. I was gleeful, hopeful. What I would give to feel that way again. If given the choice of facing an economically fractured nation or a racially divided one, I’d take recession every time.
The 58th presidential inauguration is complete. May god have mercy on our souls.
A year 2000 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sherwin Hughes began his professional career as a community organizer with the YMCA Community Development Corporation. In 2002, Hughes was offered a position as field representative for Congressman Tom Barrett (WI-5). In 2004, Hughes was hired as a statewide constituency director for the Kerry/Edwards campaign. After the presidential race of '04, Hughes was brought on as a business analyst in mayor Tom Barrett's department of administration-where he certified minority businesses for participation on city contracts.
In 2005, Hughes was appointed as Governor James Doyle's sole designee on the Wisconsin State Elections Board. In 2007, he would become chair. Sherwin was the only African American in state history to serve in the administrations of both an incumbent mayor and governor simultaneously In 2006, Hughes incorporated STH & Associates, LLC a political consulting firm. In 2008, Hughes became communications director for Wisconsin state senator Lena C. Taylor. In 2010, Hughes became Wisconsin state field director for Democrats for Education Reform. July 2012, Hughes became the host of "The Forum," a political talk show on WNOV in Milwaukee.
