Barak Obama: A Bigger than American Dream

Barak Obama: A Bigger than American Dream
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
June 6, 2008

Obama may be running for President of the United States, but he represents a dream that has implications far beyond America's borders.

If America can transcend the color barrier and elect a black man president, it will have completed one of the last tasks remaining following the founding of this constitutional republic over 200 years ago. [note: the editorial states "democracy," but strictly speaking the US is a republic] It will have transcended skin color. It will have transcended race. It will have realized the ideal that "all men are created equal." The fulfillment of this "American Dream" will be a inspiration and a model for nations of the world plagued by racial, color, religious, and linguistic conflicts.

Obama defeated the proud Hillary to win the Democratic nomination. Obama is like a water droplet. By refracting the surrounding world, the droplet becomes a brilliant crystal. Obama is a "political commodity" who reflects the dazzling possibilities of democracy by promising to break through the barrier of human prejudice. Some say his campaign committee turned his skin color into a successful selling point. It would be more accurate to say that a color-blind society is the missing piece of the American dream. Obama's emergence has inspired many people to demand the completion of this puzzle.

But Obama's advantage was not merely his skin color. It was his multi-ethnic background. His father of African descent, his white mother, his Indonesian stepfather, his childhood experience in Asia, and his middle name, "Hussein." All of these are integrated under Obama's coffee colored skin. For an increasingly multi-ethnic America, he holds a special attraction. Obama fought a six month long primary battle against the ambitious Clintons and the Democratic Party power structure, with its entrenched elites. He faced them down cooly and calmly. He created his own style. When sensitive issues arose he handled them deftly, demonstrating a sophistication beyond his rather thin resume.

In a very real sense, Obama's victory over Hillary reflects the American voter's disillusionment with the status quo ante in Washington. After Obama won the Iowa primaries, he made a moving speech. He said, "We are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America." "We have given people who never took part in the political process a reason to." "We knocked out those who use politics against their opponents, instead of for their country." He demanded bottom-up change, inspiring grass-roots voters and dispelling any doubts Washington politicians might have held about him. Party delegates had no choice but to follow the irresistible tide of public support for him.

More precisely, Obama's rise, represents voters' desire to change the system. Hillary represents traditional career politicians in Washington, cronyism, and vested interests. If Hillary is elected President, the Clinton and Bush families will together have set a new record by ruling the United States for over 20 years. This issue has not yet been brought to surface. But most Americans know perfectly well that when and elective democracy has turned into dynastic secession, something is seriously wrong. The people have become more and more alienated from politics. By contrast, Obama's youth, calm demeanor, humble background, multifaceted public image, have all become political assets. They have become the people's hope for change in Washington.

But the Obama legend also holds out a potential trap: deification. Voters are heavily invested in the notion that Obama is a candidate who has transcended race. They are too eager to believe the narrative accounting for his victory. The result is Obama has not been subjected to any real tests. Does he have the experience and qualifications to preside over a superpower? This is the question his opponents have been asking the most. Some people worry that if Obama is elected President, he will end up like Jimmy Carter, an outsider in Washington unable to penetrate Washington's inner workings. He might wind up achieving nothing. But others think that if someone as deficient in international understanding as Bush Junior can be president for eight years, Obama is unlikely to be any worse.

Elections has always been like this. At any point in time and space, people can never understand everything at once. They can only understand what matters to them the most. Today, during the early years of the 21st century, Americans are tired of the United States enacting the role of a loudmouthed and loutish global cop. They are tired of seeing the same old faces in Washington. In Barak Obama, they see a rapidly rising star. The American public wants its dream, a nation that has transcended racism. They want it because they know their nation still lives under its dark shadow.

Obama has a dream -- a nation that transcends "blue donkeys" and "red elephants." Obama knows that only by returning America to the American people, can this dream be fulfilled. The ROC has just transcended the Blue vs. Green divide. When we look at the dream Obama is attempting to achieve, our hearts must be filled with hope, and our intellects with understanding.

歐巴馬：一個比美國夢還大的想像
【聯合報╱社論】
2008.06.06 03:45 am

歐巴馬競選的雖是美國總統，但他身上所承載的夢想，其實要比美國的地平線深遠得多。

對美國而言，若能跨過「黑人出任總統」這巨大的一階，它才算完成了這個民主國家立憲兩百多年留下的最後任務，超越膚色，超越種族，實現了「人生而平等」的理想。而這個「美國夢」的完成，對世界其他仍然為族群、膚色、宗教、語言歧異所苦的國家，不僅是莫大的鼓舞，也有典範意義。

歐巴馬打敗氣焰高張的希拉蕊，贏得民主黨提名，就像一個小水珠經過完美的折射和意念的加持，變成了一顆閃亮的水晶。歐巴馬作為一件「政治商品」，能折射出這麼璀璨的民主想像，攻破了人性的藩籬，與其說是助選團隊將他的膚色成功變為行銷賣點，不如說是美國人民對於缺了一角的美國夢拼圖始終耿耿於懷；而歐巴馬的出現，引起許多人完成這個夢想拼圖的衝動。

但這並不是說歐巴馬的優勢只在他的膚色，或交會在他身上的多元種族色彩。的確，非裔的父親，白人的母親，印尼籍的繼父，童年在亞洲的生活經驗，稱為「海珊」的中間名，融合在歐巴馬咖啡色的皮膚下，對族群漸趨多元的美國人而言，自有其特殊魅力。但在半年激烈的初選纏鬥中，面對野心勃勃的柯林頓夫婦及民主黨內權勢結構的既存偏好，歐巴馬謹慎面對、從容因應，塑造了自己的風格。即使在一些敏感的議題上，他都處理得相當得體，顯示他的縱深和智慧皆超乎他的從政資歷。

在現實意義上，歐巴馬打敗希拉蕊，多少反映了美國選民對華府現有政治框架的批判。歐巴馬贏得愛荷華州初選時，曾發表了一篇動人的演說，他說，「我們不只是一幫紅、藍政黨的組合，我們是美國」，「我們給從未參加過政治的人一個參與的理由」，「我們擊垮那些用政治打擊對手、而非以政治提升國家的人」。他由下而上訴求「改變」，喚起基層選民，擊潰華府政客對他的懷疑，黨代表因而不得不跟隨無法抵擋的民意潮流轉而支持他。

更準確地說，歐巴馬的崛起，是選民求變的意志啟動了換軌的機制。希拉蕊代表的，是華府的傳統職業政治家，是政商關係深厚的既得利益階級；她若當選總統，柯林頓和布希兩家族合計將創下統治美國廿多年的紀錄。此議題雖未公開搬上檯面，但一般美國人深知，民主政治走到家族輪治，必然是一種病態，政治與人民的關係也越來越疏離。相形之下，此時歐巴馬的年輕、理性、資歷單純、形象多元，反而變成了一種優勢，成為人民期待華府氣象變革的寄望。

但歐巴馬的傳奇，也隱藏著一個「造神」的陷阱。正因為選民太過執迷於歐巴馬的「超種族」象徵，太過相信他勝出所寓涵的民主意義，歐巴馬所受檢驗便顯得太過簡化。其中，歐巴馬擔任超級強權總統的經驗和能力，是最受對手質疑的事。有人憂慮，若歐巴馬當上總統，可能像農夫總統卡特一樣變成無法適應華府的孤鳥，結果一事無成。但也有人認為，以小布希的國際觀都能擔任八年總統，歐巴馬的表現不致更差。

選舉向來如此，在時空的交錯中，人們無法一次抓住所有的東西，大家只能抓住自己最想要的。在廿一世紀初的當下，在厭煩了美國扮演粗聲粗氣的世界警察之後，在厭倦了華府那幫老面孔之後，看到一顆順勢竄起的新星，美國民眾希望一圓超越種族主義的夢想，因為他們知道自己的國家還活在這個巨大的陰影下。

歐巴馬的美國夢，是追求一個超越「藍驢子」和「紅大象」的國家；他也知道，唯有回到美國人民身上，才能完成這個超越。從剛剛跨過藍、綠藩籬的台灣看美國，對歐巴馬奇蹟的締造，除了樂觀期待，應該還有更多理解。