The hope of democracy is that there is hope. Hope that things can change. Hope that people will find their voice and somehow their voices will be counted. Hope that the positivity and the productivity in people will find a way to win. But this change does not happen by itself. It happens by participation. An individual may become the symbol and lead but it is the followers who finally make it happen. And it can happen only against great resistance and odds, because such a change would entail exchange of power from the hands of a few to the hands of the people.

America has been for sometime and is presently largely controlled by corporate interest groups and its defense sector. The president and the congress has almost without exception been influenced and many a times dictated by the desires of these two forces. Even the American mainstream media , being huge corporate entities, is a part of this third force in American politics. But the incidents during the reign of George W Bush have left the American people aghast and also more aware. Thus, making the time ripe for change.

Out of the two political parties at play the Republican Party is the party of the rich and the conservative and therefore stands completely for the status quo. The hope lies with the Democratic Party, the party of the workers. Within the Democratic Party itself there are two groups. The group led by the Clintons is democratic only in name and in the phrasing of its policy and political discourse. The other group involving the k
Kennedys is the idealistic one and therefore more inclined towards change. This group, of course, is now lead by Barack Obama.

As it stands in Barack Obama America has its much needed chance for change. Obama comes across as very intelligent, ambitious man committed to bringing about this change. He obviously has been visionary enough identify the time and to capitalize on it. He has now during this campaign lead a grass roots movement bringing new people into politics and raising record campaign fund through ordinary Americans. His popularity, of course, is maximum amongst the aware and the idealistic lot. His colour, though, has been a hindrance for him in bringing out a lot of white working class Americans, while, the black America will back him to death.

The resistance that he faces has been no less than such a movement for change would expect. Right now Hillary Clinton is the face of this resistance. She and her husband have had their influences worked out while they were in the White House. But the most important of their area of influence has been the mainstream electronic media, especially given its importance during campaign. On the other hand, though, Obama has been helped by the democratic digital media. Obama, if he wins the democratic nomination, will face John McCain for the general elections due in November. But this prolonged race for the Democratic nomination has now entered a crucial phase. Next up are the primaries in North Carolina and Indiana. If Obama wins both the states fairly comfortably then the nomination is his and most probably the contest will stop there. But if Clinton wins even one of them then this contest might go up to the democratic convention in August. This can seriously damage the unity of the Democratic Party and its chances in the general elections.

Now it’s up to the people of this democratic country to make their call. They can either fructify the hope of democracy or miss their opportunity. They can either take power in their own hands or let themselves be taken for a ride. Any which way they will be writing their own history. Because the moment that is upon them is historic.

Once in a long while there comes a time ripe for change. It doesn’t come easily. And it may not necessarily come again.