For the soon-to-be leader of the free world, there can be few true measures of one's influence and popularity than the spreading of their ideals and the power of their inspiration. Today in France, the first lady supports a manifesto that challenges France to shake up the status-quo that is dominated by a political and social class of elites with nothing but faces like my own. It is an argument that is summed up as "Oui, nous pouvons!" It's translation is a summary that we have become rather familiar with. "Yes, we can."
It is little secret that France has long been plagued by racial unrest. It is no secret that their minorities are left with little to no power except for the rage of the riot. Out of 555 members in their lower house, only one is not white. Today, with fresh inspiration provided by President-Elect Obama, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy tells the people of France;
"We shouldn't be surprised that Obama's popularity is so high here: It testifies to the aspirations of all the children of France who are experiencing by proxy a recognition that France does not give them," the manifesto reads. "It also betrays the bad faith of those who welcome the victory of modernity outside our borders, in order to tolerate the status quo here."
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is urging for affirmative action policies in France, and truly challenging her country. She is urging term-limits to make the political structure less status-quo. She is urging for funds to be sent to thenschools of the working-class minorities in France. The Associated Press goes on to note the following, emphasizing the influence that our victory has had on the grassroots level;
Grass-roots groups in France and Britain are trying to turn Obama's election into electoral gains for minorities at home. Sunday's manifesto suggests France's elites are taking notice, too.
So when you have Medvedev and Putin giving speeches as though it were the 1960's, you can rest assured that their drama is one born out of envy for the greatness that a true democracy can provide. As for the Italian-born Carla, she had this to say about her country of origin;
She also took a dig at the prime minister of her native Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, for saying last week that Obama is "tanned." The often impolitic and suntanned Berlusconi defended it as a compliment, but Bruni-Sarkozy saw the situation differently.
"I'm very glad to have become French," she said.
And I am very proud to be American.