"I Had a Vision of Love"

I never thought I would be quoting Maria Carey, but the lyric "I had a vision of love/ And it was all that you've given to me" has been pounding in my brain the last few days. My impulse here derives from the ever-expanding role of my family's love in my own life. But I feel myself reaching for some undefined "more" as well--a love that people can build in their public lives as well as in the walls of their homes.

This is one reason why I'm so glad that Barack Obama is running for the presidency even though I plan on voting for Hillary. My wife is only one of the people who favors Obama's candidacy because they have visions of what African-Americans call a "beloved community" and they associate those undefined but powerfully felt ideals with Obama.

In this context, I think that Obama's being African-American is somewhat of an advantage among his early white supporters. Because of the continuous little civil wars being initiated by the right-wing, an increasing number of whites (as well as African-Americans) are beginning to dissociate their political hopes from white politicians. Obama's title for his recent book--The Audacity of Hope--hits the mark. Hope is audacious and many in the white public associate that hope with Obama precisely because he is not white and therefore not the same as the politicians they despair of.

Of course, Obama can't win unless he puts together a broad coalition of Democrats, but his campaign has brought suppressed visions of love into play. Hopefully, Obama's infectious sense of hope rubs off on the other candidates.