In one of Megadeth's best songs, "Peace Sells," Dave Mustaine defiantly sings, "What do you mean I couldn't be the president of the United States of America/ Tell me something, it's still we the people, right?" Whoever thought Mustaine and president elect Barack Obama would have a lot in common?
Just two years ago, the thought of an African American becoming president was, sadly, unimaginable. The prevailing belief was that the people of the United States would support black actors, musicians and sports heroes, and they'd accept African Americans like Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice as advisers to the president, but the top spot -- uh-uh, out of the question and almost as ridiculous as having a woman chosen as a party's Vice Presidential nominee. Thankfully, all of that's changed.
And "change" was the centerpiece of Obama's campaign. The same can't be said for John McCain. Though he tried to escape being connected to the current administration, to the people of this country, McCain meant more of the same, and the thought of continuing on the path we've been in for the last eight years was just unacceptable. African Americans unanimously voted for Obama, as did Latinos and other minorities, but so did the white working class and intelligentsia.
Obama's victory is a historic one and a breakthrough moment in African American history, but it's equally a great moment in American history. Now, let's hope that the next president will be able to repair the damage that's been done over the last eight years, unify and protect the country, heal our international image, fix the economy, keep our taxes from going up and keep his nose out of our First Amendment rights. And now that we've had our say, here's what some heavy metal artists have commented about the election. Read more...
