明日はお休みをいただきまして、長い夜を楽しんでおります。
近視眼的に見ると、特にここ数ヶ月の動きに絞ってみると、バラク・オバマ氏の大統領就任は当然の結末のように思える。けれどもふと、ここ数世代の動きで見ると、なんとも驚くべき出来事である。やはりアメリカという国は凄い。1776年の独立から232年。アメリカはますます爛熟してきているのではないか。想像の翼を広げると、如何様にもその思いを広げることが出来る。
彼の大統領就任は熱狂を持って受け入れられている。しかし与えられた課題は大きい。民主党政権と言うことで、クリントン時代の、わけのわからない金の亡者たちがホワイトハウスに湧き上がっているイメージがいやにつきまとったりもする。彼は若い。若さに挫折はつきものである、彼はそれにくじけることなく進むことは出来るだろうか。。。想像は尽きない。しかし、ここのところのアメリカの動きを見ると、任せておいても問題はないのではないかとの思いもある。
さて、振り返るに本邦はどうだろうか。本邦はアメリカよりも更に若い国である。若さとは「目覚め」に対する若さだ。私は市井の一有権者である。時代・歴史とは否応なく突き進むものであり、個人をただひたすらに蹂躙していくものでもある。ミクロで見ると、個人個人は時代・歴史に挽きつぶされミンチにされ、一時的に腐臭漂いながらも次第にその不快なにおいは「時間」と「大衆」という無慈悲な存在によりただ忘れ去られて行くのみである。一方マクロで見る市井の市民は不屈の存在である。いかなる時代の変動にも必死にしがみつき生き延び自らの生を謳歌している。諦めることを知らぬ不屈の存在である。時代・歴史は否応なく突き進み、個人を挽きつぶすだろう。アメリカはダイナズムを信奉しその道を選んだ。我々は何を選ぶのだろうか。私は何を選ぶのだろうか。選んだとして。。。
せっかくだからくだらない話を続けたい。はじめにこれから述べることは偏見と断っておく。僕はアメリカの本質は素朴な農民にこそあると思う。それこそブッシュJr.の、テキサスのような土地に住む、貧しいながらも朴訥で偏見多く信仰深き者たちこそ、アメリカの良心の核なのではないかと思っているのだ。特に大戦後のアメリカはそうなのではないかと思っている。そう言う点から言って西海岸や東海岸の鼻持ちならない知識人たちの言うイメージなんかは「だから？」という感じで私は鼻にもかけなかったりもする。だからこそ僕はブッシュJr.を支持もしたし、その根底に流れるアメリカという国の持つ政治の多様さに驚かされもしたのだ。ブッシュJr.に関して言えば、あれこそアメリカだという気持ちが強い。なぜにあれほど世界中から忌避されるのかわからないほど、実に率直で面白いものではなかったかと思うほどだ。その根底に流れるものは、思想云々を別にすれば、人間の根本的に実に気持ちの良いものではないかとおもったりもする。そこに僕はアメリカというものの奥の深さを感じたりもしていた。今やその存在を忘れられ、語ることも憚られるブッシュJr.政権ではあるが、その点において僕は評価の値するものであったと思っている。
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA: (Cheers, applause.) Hello, Chicago. (Cheers, applause.)
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our Founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. (Cheers, applause.)
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled -- (cheers) -- Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states; we are and always will be the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.)
It's the answer that -- that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. (Cheers, applause.)
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. (Cheers, applause.) Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. (Applause.) I congratulate him, I congratulate Governor Palin for all they've achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead. (Cheers, applause.)
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton, and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. (Cheers, applause.)
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady, Michelle Obama. (Cheers, applause.)
Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. (Cheers, applause.)
And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Auma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given to me. I am grateful to them. (Cheers, applause.)
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe -- (cheers, applause) -- the unsung hero of this campaign who built the best -- (cheers) -- the best political campaign I think in the history of the United States of America -- (cheers, applause) -- to my chief strategist, David Axelrod -- (cheers, applause) -- who has been a partner with me every step of the way, to the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics -- (cheers) -- you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done. (Cheers, applause.)
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. (Cheers, applause.) It belongs to you. (Cheers.)
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington; it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause. (Cheers, applause.) It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy -- (cheers) -- who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from the Earth. This is your victory. (Cheers, applause.)
Now, I know you didn't do this just to win an election, and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime: two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: We as a people will get there. (Cheers, applause.)
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
MR. OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek; it is only the chance for us to make that change.
And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.
Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House -- a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. (Cheers, applause.)
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends -- though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too. (Cheers, applause.)
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. (Cheers, applause.) To those -- to those who would tear the world down: we will defeat you. (Cheers, applause.) To those who seek peace and security: we support you. (Cheers, applause.) And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals -- democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. (Cheers, applause.)
That's the true genius of America, that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. (Cheers, applause.)
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons, because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America: the heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress, the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed, yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the Dust Bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can!
MR. OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can!
MR. OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We shall overcome." Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can!
MR. OBAMA: A man touched down on the Moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes, we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can.
MR. OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there's so much more to do. So tonight let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next century, if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time -- to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can.
MR. OBAMA: Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/us/politics/04text-obama.html
閑話休題。酔っているので暴言御免。今年はBerryz工房も℃-uteもチンピクが少しもなかったなあ。地方巡業がなかったってのもあるかもしれないけれど、曲もダンスもパフォーマンス的に僕の欲したものがなかったなあ。結局CDを買わなくなり、シングルVを買わなくなり。。。て感じは、実に残念至極。以前書いたとは思うのだけど、自分のコアに届かない感じ。シングルVを見直してみたらハピネスから続くあの一連の部分に関しては今見ても震えが来るほどである事を鑑みると、やっぱり路線の違いが僕の琴線に響かないんだろうなって思う。それを端的にあらわしたのが直近のBerryz工房のアルバム「FIVE」なのかな。「FIVE」自体は悪いアルバムじゃないしむしろ面白いなって曲が多かったりするんだけど、「はいこれがBerryz工房ですよっ」っていわれると「はてな？」って感じを受ける。これってモーニング娘。だったり松浦亜弥じゃないの？ って気がしてしまう。一方で言えば、それは彼女たちの成長の証なのかもしれないけれど、その帰結がモーニング娘。や松浦亜弥なのはどうかって思う*1。今まで、PVの作りだったりプロデュースの方向性に関して違和感を持ったりはしていたのだけれど、アルバムを含めた音楽作りのディレクションについては、「Berryz工房」という核を持って作っていたように感じていたので、CD制作の現場について信頼を置いていたのだけれど、今回のアルバムについては、その作りについては素晴らしいものだとは思うが、まったく評価が出来るものではなかったなあとか考えたりしています。成長した新生Berryz工房なのかもしれないけれど、私の好きだったBerryz工房ではないな。。。と思ったんですよね。作りのしっかりした良いアルバムなんですけど。歌が好みでないならダンスがあると思ったりもするんですが、振付もどうにも私の好みと違うパフォーマンスそっちのけって感じで。うーん。まあ、地方巡業がないからかえって離れやすくはあるんですが、これまでの思い入れがあるからどうにも悔しくって悔しくって残念至極。この路線こそが彼女たちが進む道として選ばれたんでしょうけど、私は取り残されるばかりでございます。かしこ。
*1:ここは激しく偏見だとは思う
