Urban Thought Collective

Today Americans will go to the polls to elect a new President. And if all goes well myriad miracles might unfold.

A Barack Obama victory will perhaps signal that those inalienable rights scripted into the Constitution weren’t just meaningless words. It could mean that these States will finally become United, that hope is more than a campaign catch phrase and that character trumps color—especially in the midst of a failing economy.

On Nov. 5 we’ll hold those truths to be self-evident if America becomes a country that all of us with red blood, yellow urine and ivory teeth can be proud of.

A John McCain victory, however, might just be a precursor to something far less idyllic. A very dear friend of mine said recently that she was concerned about the outcome of the Obama-McCain race because Republicans tend to fight dirty. “They will eat their young,” she said.

I hate to generalize, but figuratively we have seen some evidence of that.

In the last few weeks McCain, driven by fear and loathing, has been hurling rapid fire dirt balls that have fallen way short of the plate.

Jeremiah Wright. Wasn’t exactly wrong.

Aunt Zeituni. One among millions of illegal aliens.

Obama is a socialist. That didn’t really connect because many Americans think socialist and socialite are the same thing.

Obama is an elitist. So, he should be ashamed of his Ivy League degrees and his command of the language?

Obama is a cocky. Don’t hate a brother because he looks good in his suits!

Obama doesn’t have enough experience. Hmm, has there been one U.S. President who has had prior experience being a U.S. President? Seems to me the key is to just surround yourself with smart people, host a few state dinners so you can get chummy with the international set and every January you interrupt regular programming to tell folks that all is swell—or not.

Desperate men—particularly those with entitlement issues—tend to do desperate things in the ninth inning when they’re swinging at a 0-2 pitch with two outs and the bases empty.

Throughout it all Obama has taken the high road and that’s one of the reasons why I voted for him. He’s smart. A lesser man would have swung at a bad pitch and become Barry Bonds; an angry black man whose stellar achievements are now barely acknowledged. By holding back, Obama—win or lose—has secured his place in history.

He is the Man regardless of what happens on Tuesday. He ran the good race.

Conversely, McCain will be remembered as a man who made a plethora of wrong moves long before he ran for President. Swapping one injured Barbie for a newer model with more flexible parts and a bigger bank account speaks volumes about his true character.

That’s why I would never vote for him.

And then there was the whole Sarah Palin debacle. Even if he really believed that the moose-killing hockey mom was ready, it was still a bonehead move. It was an indication that McCain, a man that graduated near the bottom of his Naval Academy class, truly underestimates the intelligence of a nation he wants to lead. Americans have suffered through eight years of gimmicks.

Enough already.

Yet, it can’t be easy to go down in history as the first white man to lose a presidential election to the first black man to occupy the White House. And at 72, it’s unlikely that McCain will get another shot.

I feel his pain.

But it’s time for change.

In previous elections the winning candidate has usually been the lesser of two evils—depending upon which party you support. I don’t think that’s the case this time. As someone who has been around long enough to have played tag with the sons and daughters of Jim Crow, I truly believe that Obama is the Chosen One. His steps have been divinely ordered to lead us from Hell to Hallelujah.

Let’s pray that he can.

But don’t get it twisted. Obama, as cool and eloquent as he is isn’t the Second Coming. At this point in time the “untested” freshman senator from Illinois simply represents our second chance to get it right.

I think he’s got this.

And I think that what we all need to grasp is that this campaign, despite all the nasty and negative elements, has exposed the truth about who we are and where we are as a nation. And that’s a good thing because truth is light. Sadly we are racist and ignorant, intolerant and fearful. Thankfully we are also smart and discerning, complex and kind.

We are Americans who are on the dawn of a new beginning.

Get ready.

Miki Turner is an award-winning journalist and producer. Her writings have been featured in Essence, Ebony, Upscale and MSNBC.com. Her periodic dispatches from the world of entertainment, politics and society can be read here at www.urbanthoughtcollective.com.