Historic Democratic Debate: All America’s Children Can Reach the Mountaintop

[Omaha Steve]

Historic Democratic Debate: All America’s Children Can Reach the Mountaintop

by Arlene Holt Baker, Feb 1, 2008

Last night, millions of us watched the historic Democratic Party debate. For the first time in America’s history, either a woman or an African American will be the nominee of the Democratic Party and America will have the possibility of electing either an African American or a woman to be president of the United States.



In the Kodak Theatre, we witnessed the promise of America in all its glory. This was much more than a historical Kodak moment. It was also a moment for us to celebrate that on this night, all of America’s children, no matter their color or gender, could reach the mountaintop and grow up to become president of the United States.

It doesn’t matter whom spin masters say won the debate or who will be victorious on Super Tuesday, because last night, America’s true democratic values won. Our value of racial and gender equity, our value of social and economic justice, our value that all our citizens should have the right to health care, our value for quality public education and our value for the contributions of immigrants—these were the democratic values espoused by the two historic Democratic candidates.

On this night, I saw a special glow surrounding Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and it didn’t come from the stage lights or flashing cameras. I saw shining down on them and applauding them and America the stars of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy and Shirley Chisholm.

America’s star was shining a little bit brighter last night, and as we went to sleep under the social justice stars, we closed our eyes still daring to dream.

For if you don’t have a dream, how are you going to have a dream come true?

[msongs]

1. "Happy Talk" lyrics from South Pacific musical (source of this OP quote) ->

Happy talk, keep talkin' happy talk,
Talk about things you'd like to do.
You got to have a dream,
IF YOU DONT HAVE A DREAM,
HOW YOU GONNA HAVE A DREAM COME TRUE?

Talk about the moon floatin' in the sky
Lookin' at a lily on the lake;
Talk about a bird learnin' how to fly.
Makin' all the music he can make.

Happy talk, keep talkin' happy talk,
Talk about things you'd like to do.
You got to have a dream,
If you don't have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?

Talk about a star lookin' like a toy
Peekin' through the branches of a tree;
Talk about the girl, talk about the boy
Countin' all the ripples on the sea.

Happy talk, keep talkin' happy talk,
Talk about things you'd like to do.
You got to have a dream,
If you don't have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true?

Talk about the boy sayin' to the girl:
"Golly, baby, I'm a lucky cuss"
Talk about the girl sayin' to the boy:
"You an' me is lucky to be us!"

Happy talk, keep talkin' happy talk,
Talk about things you'd like to do.
You got to have a dream,
If you don't have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true?

If you don't talk happy,
And you never have dream,
Then you'll never have a dream come true!

lyric & music by hammerstein and rodgers