In these excitable pre-election days, I'm reminded of Public Enemy's prescient words: "Don't Believe The Hype."
For all the promise of an (expected) Obama administration, there's also the fact that he's savvy Harvard Law grad and distinctly centerist American politician who, while branded as everything from "inexperienced" to a "socialist" by the desperate Republican opposition in the 2008 election, may not live up to the promise of change.
Change as I see it, means addressing both rural and urban poverty in his first term. It means establishing a Green Jobs corps and improving public education institutions while building bridges with foreign nations and reestablishing America's tarnished identity.
The neoconservative right wing that has gripped the United States for the past eight years will not go away quietly, especially with their interests so tied to energy and Iraq.
What lies ahead for all of us is a lot more work, coalition-building and grassroots activism. The momentum is here, now, will we live up to the hype we've created?
