Barack Obama was elected president tonight and also won the state of Minnesota. Still too close to call however, is the Ashwin Madia vs. Erik Paulsen race in the 3rd Congressional district. As of midnight central time and with 49% of the precincts reporting, Madia trails 47 to ~42%.
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While we wait for the final result I want to leave you with this clip I took of a speech Madia gave in Denver during the DNC. During the speech he spoke passionately about being relentless and putting everything you have into your race once you decide to run for office. Win or lose I remember thinking at the time it was great advice for anyone thinking of running.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m going to go to bed pretty depressed tonight.
When Obama gave his speech, I felt like I might be part of a greater movement, that somehow the definition of what people view as an American had changed. But if Madia loses, which is highly likely at this point in time, it means that a good looking lawyer from a great university, who is running in the same district he went to high school in and joined the Marine Corps and became a war-time veteran while in service will not be accepted because he is perceived as Hindu. Despite all his accomplishments, he is still part of a wacky fringe religion and thus isn’t quite “American” enough to trust.
Its quite sad, and makes you ask the question of what our role in this country actually is, and if we are simply just tolerated; if because of our religious beliefs, no matter how religious or non-religious a person may be, we are defacto second class citizens.
Congratulations to everyone on this great moment.
Some perspective Captain.
The man is 30 years old. He was running in a district that held Republican for 40 years. The retiring Republican won in 2006 with 65% of the vote, and 2006 was a horrid year for Republicans.
This was an uphill battle & Madia deserves credit for running a strong campaign. I doubt we’ve seen the last of him.
I am so happy tonight. I also agree with SteveO… Madia did very well, and no doubt he will still be in politics and make an appearance in another fashion.
It doesn’t take away from the historical night… !
the brown went own.
Madia may lose, but he is highly qualified and will have other chances to be elected. On the other hand, Obama is hopelessly unqualified to be President and his election is a damning testament to the collapse of the American political and educational system. I think lots of desis voted for Obama in order to make their liberal white friends think they are “hip” “cool” and “progressive.” Well, it worked. Now, tell me exactly what Barack Obama will do to fix this country’s problems? I can tell you. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
My friends.
We did less than nothing the last 8 years and got away with it. Even I can see BO must do better than that. Now give me a tissue, Sarah’s makeup is all over her pitbull, at least I think it’s makeup.
I went to Harlem to await the news, and when it came, from the buildings and the streets came screams. My phone lit up with calls and text messages from friends all over Africa, black people from all over the world. The streets filled full of crying people. I met a woman who came out of her apartment with a walker, told me she was 90 years old and could remember when a black person couldn’t vote much less become President. She cried in my arms. That woman fought for this moment in a way that none of you can understand, she carried with her the heart of those who didn’t live to see this time.
To those of you miserable about this election win — stop trying to drag this country backwards to the caste system you want. If that is the movement you want in this country, you have been defeated and you will ALWAYS be defeated. If that is the America you want, the America you came to find, go away because you missed it by decades and won’t see it come back.
Even masses of the white people you admire, voted to move this country forward with a black man in the leadership. You don’t have as many partners in your racism as you think. Remember that as you move around looking for conspirators in your racism, you may be turning to whisper to a person who voted for Barack Obama. Be aware that you look for partnership in despising black people, but it is YOU who will be despised with your words.
A man was qualified to be President, a man was voted for by an overwhelming majority of Americans, that man won. A Black man is President of America, a Black family is the FIRST family of this nation. Look at that man who proudly calls himself AFRICAN-AMERICAN, a man who has always proudly acknowledged the partnership of his wife, an AFRICAN-AMERICAN woman (not a fair, not a wheat, but a DARK-SKINNED African-American woman), notice that he proudly brought on stage his AFRICAN-AMERICAN daughters.
No matter what happens, you can’t take away that moment, and you can’t imagine what that has done to the hearts and minds of black people across this land, across this world. Turn to South Asia, notice that the “DARK” (not wheat, not fair) people who have heard of this moment, many of them have taken something into their hearts, that you also cannot take away, that may eventually rise up to challenge you there.
Notice that Barack Obama said he is the President of all Americans. There is something in that spirit that will not yield to your racism, such people won’t be weakened by your hate, no matter how you look down upon them, you just don’t know how far up you have to look to really see them.
For those who voted for him, for those who are joyful at the idea of the best man winning the job of leading this country, we all celebrate together.
What can Brown do for you? Piyush Jindal in 2012.
P.S. My dad met Madia and thought Ashwin was campaigning for his father.
1 · Captain Umrica said
That’s your mistake right there, what does him being good-looking have to do with him deserving the job?
Maybe some people didn’t vote against his religion, maybe they thought he wasn’t ‘fair’ enough?
Speaking of what an American is, have you seen our new President 🙂
10 · Nicole said
It doesn’t have anything to do with how someone governs, but to deny that it has an effect on helping a candidate get elected is pretty naive.
And I’m not sure I buy the argument that people disagreed with Madia on his policies. His positions are extremely similiar to Barack Obama and his county voted overwhelmingly in favor of Obama for President.
Pretty damn insulting Nicole, it looks like you’ve been saving up your anti-Indian racist attitudes for quite some time. You decide to respond to one of the few anti-Obama posts on this blog with an assertion that we want to recreate the caste system here in the US. Lovely.
Racist, anti-black attitudes, ARE pretty damn insulting — and those who hold those attitudes are only insulted by the mirror of their own character. Sorry, but those attitudes AREN’T going to find the same widespread reward in America as they may find elsewhere.
Anti-racist attitudes don’t equal anti-Indian attitudes. Is the Obama family “fair and lovely” enough to be exempt from the anti-black attitudes on this blog? For the Indians who aren’t ‘fair’ and who are proud to be who they are, they fully understand the sentiment.
Unfortunately, the rejection of racist, anti-black attitudes is still shocking among some folk.
Can the SM Intern please ban Nicole for being a racist, and on top of it, a dumbass who writes too dramatically?
Great news- Madia lost.
13 · Nicole said
I learned something today.
Apparently accusing all Indians of being backwards, darkie-hating, caste-system lovers based on one post by one guy isn’t racist.
Interesting world we live in.
people like nicole should understand that barack obama only became what he is because he didn’t grow up in a black community. she should also note that other people all over the world have come out of oppression (such as colonialism for example) and have just got on with life rather than making a whole identity out of being victims over stuff that happened a long time ago like the blacks have done with slavery.
here in the uk we have successful black people but none of them have grown up with a black parent. they grow up with their white moms and most of them have no contact with their dads, e.g. craig david.
nicole should also be aware that hardly any blacks in america have anything in common with obama. most of them have never travelled abroad or have any awareness of the outside world. most of them haven’t been to private school. however many south asians in america have had very similar upbringings to obama.