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The election of Barack Obama is a resounding repudiation of eight years of Bush administration policies of war, occupation, provocation and aggression, violations of constitutional liberties and civil rights, racism and imperial arrogance, personal and corporate greed, raids on the federal treasury, and massive fraud, mismanagement and waste of national resources.
The election is an historic victory for working people, people of color, the poor, women and youth. It is a victory for our democracy and the Constitution, a victory for tolerance, decency, civility and good will, a victory for peace and international understanding. It is a victory for the very concept of government, itself founded on the practice of community and solidarity.
The Obama campaign was launched and gained momentum based on his pledge to end the war. That was what distinguished Senator Obama from all his major primary competitors. The election reaffirms the mandate given to the Congress in the election of 2006, but which the majority in Congress chose to ignore. It is a mandate to end the war and occupation in Iraq, to remove all foreign military forces and mercenaries, bring them all home, and truly care for them when they return.
The election is also a mandate for change – but not just any kind of change – not change that takes us backward or keeps us trapped by the failed corporate agenda. It is a mandate to use the resources now squandered on the military and corporate giveaways to meet human needs: to create meaningful well paid jobs, to end chronic unemployment and poverty, to provide affordable universal healthcare and decent housing, to open the doors to higher education for all who want it regardless of means, to rebuild our failing infrastructure, to end our dependence on oil and develop alternatives that will sustainably serve society as they save our environment.
We celebrate with the rest of the world. We know that great presidents are made by how they meet the challenges they face, and by the movements that press them to do so. Obama’s victory was made possible by the labor, peace, women’s, civil rights, immigrant rights, civil liberties, environmental, student and youth movements, the movements for gay-lesbian-bisexual- and transgender equality, for universal health care and others.
We agree with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, who wrote on the day after the election:
Last night was a time to rejoice, but now it is time to get back to work fighting for working families.
We are responsible for holding our elected leaders to the promises they made and providing public support for the tough legislative choices they will make on our behalf. The first challenge for Barack Obama, Joe Biden and the hundreds of great legislators we helped elect is to address the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Hard-working families are losing jobs, homes, health care, retirement savings and hope. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been committed to rescuing Wall Street—but almost nothing has been done to rescue Main Street. People need help, and they need it now.
But none of the aspirations of working people and the poor will be met, the economic crisis will not be resolved and our nation can never be truly secure so long as our country continues to spend half of every tax dollar on the military and corporations that have enriched themselves based on war and aggression.
We want Barack Obama to be a truly great president. We intend to help him be that by holding him and the Congress accountable to meet the needs of millions who cast their votes inspired by the hope his campaign created and their aspirations for a decent life in a nation at peace.
We know that democracy may be exercised in the voting booth, but the content of democracy is created at the grass roots of society, in neighborhoods and communities, churches and union halls, and in the street. We will educate, agitate and organize for him and the Congress to fulfill the people’s mandate for change and to reject once and for all the failed, destructive and exploitative corporate agenda.
It is our continued mobilization and organizing, our continued determination to press for enactment of a people’s agenda for change that will give Barack Obama the opportunity to be a great president. We welcome that challenge and commit to meeting it.
Our work begins NOW!
US Labor Against the War Co-Convenors
Kathy Black Gene Bruskin
Maria Guillen Fred Mason
Bob Muehlenkamp Nancy Wohlforth
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