From Hope to Action to Victory

Below the Belt: A Column by NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy

November 19, 2008

It's only been two weeks since I stood in the drizzling rain and waited on line to cast my vote for hope and change. And the inauguration is still two months away, but already I can feel the shift. On Nov. 4, we the people elected Barack Obama the next president of the United States, and although he's not yet in office, the act of making history and setting our nation on a new course has already been uplifting.

Women played a key role in this victory, voting in greater numbers than men, and casting their votes for Obama in higher percentages than men in nearly every state. Young people, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic voters and LGBT voters added to the margin of victory with disproportionate support for Obama.

Now that we have an Obama-Biden administration to look forward to (honestly, Jan. 20 can't come fast enough), the terrible funk we've been in for the last eight years has become even more apparent. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were the opposite of hope. They were cynicism and fear and greed and destruction. Bush and Cheney wore the people down, sapped their spirit. They (and their "decider effect") are the reason people lack faith in government and the political process.

Overcoming the Decider Effect

The "decider effect" (named after Bush's infamous pronouncement that "I'm the decider, and I decide what is best.") is circular in nature and hard to escape. That's because once an unscrupulous administration has convinced a majority of people that they can't make a difference - that their voices and votes don't count -- it becomes harder and harder for the people to find the will to challenge these deciders. And thus it gets easier and easier for the deciders to trample on people's rights, wage unnecessary wars, and make their rich friends and associates even richer -- with less and less danger of being challenged.

When that happens, people who aren't politically inclined in the first place completely check out, and those of us who live and breathe this stuff, well . . . we start to suffocate in such thin air.

Inspiration in the Numbers, Credit for Victory

Being a women's rights activist, or a social justice advocate of any stripe, can be pretty frustrating, even without a Bush or Cheney in office. For several decades, most of our work has been an uphill battle with precious few victories spurring us along. Instead of passing pro-active legislation and policies, we've found ourselves constantly fighting against legislation (and judges) that would restrict our rights rather than expand them.

After years of being constantly on the defense, who could blame us for feeling discouraged, defeated, and just plain tired?

But the possibility of electing a president who would work for the people built voter excitement this year. The ground-breaking candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama generated new interest and engagement, stoking the registration of more than 10 million new voters. That's one inspiring number -- 6.5 million more new voters than were registered in 2004. Importantly, 69 percent of first time voters chose Barack Obama in the general election.

There was a significant gender gap in this election, so women's votes were an important factor in Obama's victory. For example, Obama won 56 percent of women voters, while only 43 percent of women voted for McCain -- a spread of 13 points -- compared to a 51-48 percent women's vote for John Kerry over George Bush in 2004.

Women voters provided the Obama-Biden team with their margin of victory in four key states -- Colorado, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Indiana. It's not a surprise that all four states had strong women running down-ticket, including two winning female U.S. Senate candidates: Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.).

Some other numbers that inspire, courtesy of The New York Times: young people (age 18-29) voted 66 percent for Obama; African Americans voted 95 percent for Obama, Hispanics 67 percent and Asian Americans 62 percent; gay, lesbian and bisexual people voted 70 percent for Obama. Unmarried women were 12 percentage points more likely than unmarried men to vote for Obama, while mothers of young children were nine points more likely than fathers to vote for Obama.

Furthermore, according to an analysis of exit polls by American University political scientist Curtis Gans, African Americans made up 13 percent of all voters, a two point gain over 2004, and the increase may be even greater, once final numbers are available.

The Washington Post reports that Latina/os helped flip several battleground states to Obama. Some 28 percent of Hispanics polled by the Associated Press said they were voting for the first time, compared to 12 percent for all first-time voters. And the new Hispanic voters backed Obama by 76 percent.

Hope Transformed Into Action

But enough with the numbers. Where am I going with all this? Well, that's a lot of people who made a real, concrete difference. And many of them were first time voters. Together we elected the first African American president. Together we elected a president and a vice president who have promised to stand up for women's rights and the rights of so many others who were ignored, exploited or demonized during the Bush years.

With this win under their belts, a whole new generation of voters is even more likely to remain engaged in the political process, helping to steer our country in a positive direction. And those of us who badly needed a refueling are ready to keep fighting the good fight for a while longer.

A day like Nov. 4 sure can make you feel good again, but it's only the beginning. The struggle for human rights, equal opportunity and justice for all is an ongoing, never-ending process. But it just got the infusion it needed in the form of hope transformed into action converted into victory. There will be other challenges ahead, but we can always look back to this powerful moment and remember that we can do it. We can take charge of our lives, and we can decide what our future holds. Finally, we are the deciders.

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