"Yes We Can" More Than Just a Campaign Slogan

The frenzy and excitement of possibly having an African-American President will climax tomorrow evening. For weeks polls have shown Barack Obama with a significant lead over rival John McCain. CNN's latest has a 7 percentage point lead. Black America is on the brink of mass hysteria, a nation-wide street filled celebration of victory, freedom and hope.

At this point John McCain will have to pray for a lightning bolt of brilliance to strike him in the next 24 hours, or pray for a major calamity in the Obama campaign. His downward spiral began after his September statement when Wall Street collapsed, that the "fundamentals of our economy are strong". Soon after he said that the fundamentals of the economy are "at risk".

Obama's campaign was strong, it had to be to withstand the challenge of formerly presumptive winner Hillary Clinton, to overcome negative ties from Obama's past, to overcome racial differences and doubt about a black leader. Over time, Obama impressed voters with his words and eloquence. The idea of change has come to mean many things to different people.

"Yes We Can" is positive message implying that there is hope, there is victory, there is success that is within reach. It encompasses all races, and backgrounds. For black America it also means, "yes, we can also work in a position where no black man has worked before, there are no limits on what we can do". The slogan sends a message from Barack Obama to fellow African-Americans that there is no longer anything that can really hold people back. It sends a message of intense pride of a race. The very electing of Obama in itself could have the effect of mass motivation, not just for blacks but for anyone, anyone who sees obstacles to overcome in life to succeed.

In ways, his speeches have been idealistic in vision, but the first order of business will be to handle the top priority of the economy, and peoples' personal economic crises. With an Obama Presidency there will be the most dramatic change perhaps ever. Not necessarily so in direct policy changes in the immediate years, but certainly it will mark a national attitude change about race and image. It will create a pride that all Americans, and outsiders can appreciate.

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