IT'S BRADLEY
Governor's Victory Makes History
The Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1988
Thomas Bradley, the grandson of enslaved people, was elected the nation's 41st president Tuesday, breaking the ultimate racial barrier to become the first African American to claim the country's highest office, fulfilling a once-impossible dream.
A nation founded by slave owners and seared by civil war and generations of racial strife delivered a popular vote majority to the 70-year-old second-term Governor of California, who forged a broad, multiracial, multiethnic coalition. His victory was a leap in the march toward equality: When Bradley began his political career, people with his skin color could not even vote in parts of America, and many were killed for trying. The Governor's of the popular vote was estimated to be 51 percent, against 48 for Vice President George Bush, was the highest for a Democratic Presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson was elected in 1964 after passing the Civil Rights Act.
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place nothing is impossible, who still wonders if the American Dream is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our multiracial democracy, tonight is your answer,” Bradley told more than 150,000 celebrants gathered around Los Angeles City Hall. Many had tears streaking down their faces. “To those of you watching on television, thank you for your vote, but right now there is someone more important than you who I want to talk to. Please wake up your children. I want to talk to them and I will stand here and wait a few minutes while you get them... Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot become anything you want to be in the world, don't let anyone tell you that something is impossible. Study hard, work hard, stay away from drugs, do not ask for favors, play by the rules and dare to dream. From this day forward your parents and I and this country are going to do everything we can to give you equal opportunity and an equal chance to succeed. Look at me, the grandson of enslaved people and know that in America anything is possible.”
Tonight marks a turnaround from four years ago, where the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Walter Mondale and Governor Bradley were defeated decisively, winning only five states and Washington, DC. At the time it was thought Bradley's national career would never recover, but he defied expectations to win a landslide re-election two years ago against Senator Pete Wilson. Wilson was defeated for re-election tonight by former Speaker of the now-defunct California State Assembly Willie Brown Jr. defeated incumbent Republican Senator Pete Wilson to become the first Black Senator of California. Brown's political career was also thought to be over two years ago when California voters abolished the State Assembly via Proposition 45. Lieutenant Governor Leo McCarthy is expected to succeed the president-elect as Governor of California.
With Bradley leading every pre-election poll, Los Angeles was primed for a celebration. Bradley began his political career here, becoming the city's first Black mayor in 1973 before heading to the governor's office ten years later. The victorious ticket of Governor Bradley and Senator John Glenn of Ohio redrew the electoral map, sweeping the Midwest and doing well in the West although he won no states in the South. The race was closer than polls suggested, and Bradley's victory came just before midnight on the West Coast with Glenn's home state of Ohio providing a narrow but decisive victory for the historic ticket. Bradley is the second Californian and Angeleno to be elected President in a row after President Ronald Reagan, and at 70 years old is the oldest president-elect. President Reagan called to congratulate Bradley shortly after the race was called. Shortly after, Bush took the stage to concede. Had he won, it would have also been historic: Bush's Vice Presidential nominee Vesta Roy, Governor of New Hampshire, would have been the first woman Vice President.
“Governor Bradley has achieved a great thing for himself and for our country. Governor Roy and I applaud him and Senator Glenn for it. The American people have spoken. This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight.” He shushed the crowd when they booed Bradley -- “Please,” Bush said, motioning for silence -- and urged them to join him in working with the incoming president for the greater good of the country. “Whatever our differences, we are all Americans,” Bush said.
For all the wild celebration -- in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and outside the gates of the White House -- there were quieter moments Tuesday that captured the weight of history.
Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, a veteran of civil rights protests in Selma and Birmingham, Ala., and other racial flash points, was among hundreds of black Atlantans who crowded the pews for an election-watch party at the Rev. Martin Luther King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. When NBC called Pennsylvania, an early harbinger, Young pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed away tears.
Bradley will have a strengthened Democratic majority in Congress, with the party picking up a net of five seats in the Senate, making sixty-nine in total. The party is expected to have a veto-proof majority in both the House and Senate, marking a turn away from eight years of conservative Republican governance. President Reagan released a statement celebrating the victory as proof of a “color-blind country where all of God's children are created equal.”
Closing his victory speech, the next president returned to the shared experience of a people who toiled so long to see the dream come true. He invoked his political slogan first coined by his Western campaign co-chairs Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
"This is our moment," he said. "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. America is the place where impossible dreams can come true."
The Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1988
Thomas Bradley, the grandson of enslaved people, was elected the nation's 41st president Tuesday, breaking the ultimate racial barrier to become the first African American to claim the country's highest office, fulfilling a once-impossible dream.
A nation founded by slave owners and seared by civil war and generations of racial strife delivered a popular vote majority to the 70-year-old second-term Governor of California, who forged a broad, multiracial, multiethnic coalition. His victory was a leap in the march toward equality: When Bradley began his political career, people with his skin color could not even vote in parts of America, and many were killed for trying. The Governor's of the popular vote was estimated to be 51 percent, against 48 for Vice President George Bush, was the highest for a Democratic Presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson was elected in 1964 after passing the Civil Rights Act.
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place nothing is impossible, who still wonders if the American Dream is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our multiracial democracy, tonight is your answer,” Bradley told more than 150,000 celebrants gathered around Los Angeles City Hall. Many had tears streaking down their faces. “To those of you watching on television, thank you for your vote, but right now there is someone more important than you who I want to talk to. Please wake up your children. I want to talk to them and I will stand here and wait a few minutes while you get them... Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot become anything you want to be in the world, don't let anyone tell you that something is impossible. Study hard, work hard, stay away from drugs, do not ask for favors, play by the rules and dare to dream. From this day forward your parents and I and this country are going to do everything we can to give you equal opportunity and an equal chance to succeed. Look at me, the grandson of enslaved people and know that in America anything is possible.”
Tonight marks a turnaround from four years ago, where the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Walter Mondale and Governor Bradley were defeated decisively, winning only five states and Washington, DC. At the time it was thought Bradley's national career would never recover, but he defied expectations to win a landslide re-election two years ago against Senator Pete Wilson. Wilson was defeated for re-election tonight by former Speaker of the now-defunct California State Assembly Willie Brown Jr. defeated incumbent Republican Senator Pete Wilson to become the first Black Senator of California. Brown's political career was also thought to be over two years ago when California voters abolished the State Assembly via Proposition 45. Lieutenant Governor Leo McCarthy is expected to succeed the president-elect as Governor of California.
With Bradley leading every pre-election poll, Los Angeles was primed for a celebration. Bradley began his political career here, becoming the city's first Black mayor in 1973 before heading to the governor's office ten years later. The victorious ticket of Governor Bradley and Senator John Glenn of Ohio redrew the electoral map, sweeping the Midwest and doing well in the West although he won no states in the South. The race was closer than polls suggested, and Bradley's victory came just before midnight on the West Coast with Glenn's home state of Ohio providing a narrow but decisive victory for the historic ticket. Bradley is the second Californian and Angeleno to be elected President in a row after President Ronald Reagan, and at 70 years old is the oldest president-elect. President Reagan called to congratulate Bradley shortly after the race was called. Shortly after, Bush took the stage to concede. Had he won, it would have also been historic: Bush's Vice Presidential nominee Vesta Roy, Governor of New Hampshire, would have been the first woman Vice President.
“Governor Bradley has achieved a great thing for himself and for our country. Governor Roy and I applaud him and Senator Glenn for it. The American people have spoken. This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight.” He shushed the crowd when they booed Bradley -- “Please,” Bush said, motioning for silence -- and urged them to join him in working with the incoming president for the greater good of the country. “Whatever our differences, we are all Americans,” Bush said.
For all the wild celebration -- in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and outside the gates of the White House -- there were quieter moments Tuesday that captured the weight of history.
Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, a veteran of civil rights protests in Selma and Birmingham, Ala., and other racial flash points, was among hundreds of black Atlantans who crowded the pews for an election-watch party at the Rev. Martin Luther King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. When NBC called Pennsylvania, an early harbinger, Young pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed away tears.
Bradley will have a strengthened Democratic majority in Congress, with the party picking up a net of five seats in the Senate, making sixty-nine in total. The party is expected to have a veto-proof majority in both the House and Senate, marking a turn away from eight years of conservative Republican governance. President Reagan released a statement celebrating the victory as proof of a “color-blind country where all of God's children are created equal.”
Closing his victory speech, the next president returned to the shared experience of a people who toiled so long to see the dream come true. He invoked his political slogan first coined by his Western campaign co-chairs Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
"This is our moment," he said. "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. America is the place where impossible dreams can come true."
Governor's Victory Makes History
The Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1988
Thomas Bradley, the grandson of enslaved people, was elected the nation's 41st president Tuesday, breaking the ultimate racial barrier to become the first African American to claim the country's highest office, fulfilling a once-impossible dream.
A nation founded by slave owners and seared by civil war and generations of racial strife delivered a popular vote majority to the 70-year-old second-term Governor of California, who forged a broad, multiracial, multiethnic coalition. His victory was a leap in the march toward equality: When Bradley began his political career, people with his skin color could not even vote in parts of America, and many were killed for trying. The Governor's of the popular vote was estimated to be 51 percent, against 48 for Vice President George Bush, was the highest for a Democratic Presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson was elected in 1964 after passing the Civil Rights Act.
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place nothing is impossible, who still wonders if the American Dream is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our multiracial democracy, tonight is your answer,” Bradley told more than 150,000 celebrants gathered around Los Angeles City Hall. Many had tears streaking down their faces. “To those of you watching on television, thank you for your vote, but right now there is someone more important than you who I want to talk to. Please wake up your children. I want to talk to them and I will stand here and wait a few minutes while you get them... Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot become anything you want to be in the world, don't let anyone tell you that something is impossible. Study hard, work hard, stay away from drugs, do not ask for favors, play by the rules and dare to dream. From this day forward your parents and I and this country are going to do everything we can to give you equal opportunity and an equal chance to succeed. Look at me, the grandson of enslaved people and know that in America anything is possible.”
Tonight marks a turnaround from four years ago, where the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Walter Mondale and Governor Bradley were defeated decisively, winning only five states and Washington, DC. At the time it was thought Bradley's national career would never recover, but he defied expectations to win a landslide re-election two years ago against Senator Pete Wilson. Wilson was defeated for re-election tonight by former Speaker of the now-defunct California State Assembly Willie Brown Jr. defeated incumbent Republican Senator Pete Wilson to become the first Black Senator of California. Brown's political career was also thought to be over two years ago when California voters abolished the State Assembly via Proposition 45. Lieutenant Governor Leo McCarthy is expected to succeed the president-elect as Governor of California.
With Bradley leading every pre-election poll, Los Angeles was primed for a celebration. Bradley began his political career here, becoming the city's first Black mayor in 1973 before heading to the governor's office ten years later. The victorious ticket of Governor Bradley and Senator John Glenn of Ohio redrew the electoral map, sweeping the Midwest and doing well in the West although he won no states in the South. The race was closer than polls suggested, and Bradley's victory came just before midnight on the West Coast with Glenn's home state of Ohio providing a narrow but decisive victory for the historic ticket. Bradley is the second Californian and Angeleno to be elected President in a row after President Ronald Reagan, and at 70 years old is the oldest president-elect. President Reagan called to congratulate Bradley shortly after the race was called. Shortly after, Bush took the stage to concede. Had he won, it would have also been historic: Bush's Vice Presidential nominee Vesta Roy, Governor of New Hampshire, would have been the first woman Vice President.
“Governor Bradley has achieved a great thing for himself and for our country. Governor Roy and I applaud him and Senator Glenn for it. The American people have spoken. This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight.” He shushed the crowd when they booed Bradley -- “Please,” Bush said, motioning for silence -- and urged them to join him in working with the incoming president for the greater good of the country. “Whatever our differences, we are all Americans,” Bush said.
For all the wild celebration -- in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and outside the gates of the White House -- there were quieter moments Tuesday that captured the weight of history.
Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, a veteran of civil rights protests in Selma and Birmingham, Ala., and other racial flash points, was among hundreds of black Atlantans who crowded the pews for an election-watch party at the Rev. Martin Luther King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. When NBC called Pennsylvania, an early harbinger, Young pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed away tears.
Bradley will have a strengthened Democratic majority in Congress, with the party picking up a net of five seats in the Senate, making sixty-nine in total. The party is expected to have a veto-proof majority in both the House and Senate, marking a turn away from eight years of conservative Republican governance. President Reagan released a statement celebrating the victory as proof of a “color-blind country where all of God's children are created equal.”
Closing his victory speech, the next president returned to the shared experience of a people who toiled so long to see the dream come true. He invoked his political slogan first coined by his Western campaign co-chairs Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
"This is our moment," he said. "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. America is the place where impossible dreams can come true."
The Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1988
Thomas Bradley, the grandson of enslaved people, was elected the nation's 41st president Tuesday, breaking the ultimate racial barrier to become the first African American to claim the country's highest office, fulfilling a once-impossible dream.
A nation founded by slave owners and seared by civil war and generations of racial strife delivered a popular vote majority to the 70-year-old second-term Governor of California, who forged a broad, multiracial, multiethnic coalition. His victory was a leap in the march toward equality: When Bradley began his political career, people with his skin color could not even vote in parts of America, and many were killed for trying. The Governor's of the popular vote was estimated to be 51 percent, against 48 for Vice President George Bush, was the highest for a Democratic Presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson was elected in 1964 after passing the Civil Rights Act.
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place nothing is impossible, who still wonders if the American Dream is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our multiracial democracy, tonight is your answer,” Bradley told more than 150,000 celebrants gathered around Los Angeles City Hall. Many had tears streaking down their faces. “To those of you watching on television, thank you for your vote, but right now there is someone more important than you who I want to talk to. Please wake up your children. I want to talk to them and I will stand here and wait a few minutes while you get them... Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot become anything you want to be in the world, don't let anyone tell you that something is impossible. Study hard, work hard, stay away from drugs, do not ask for favors, play by the rules and dare to dream. From this day forward your parents and I and this country are going to do everything we can to give you equal opportunity and an equal chance to succeed. Look at me, the grandson of enslaved people and know that in America anything is possible.”
Tonight marks a turnaround from four years ago, where the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Walter Mondale and Governor Bradley were defeated decisively, winning only five states and Washington, DC. At the time it was thought Bradley's national career would never recover, but he defied expectations to win a landslide re-election two years ago against Senator Pete Wilson. Wilson was defeated for re-election tonight by former Speaker of the now-defunct California State Assembly Willie Brown Jr. defeated incumbent Republican Senator Pete Wilson to become the first Black Senator of California. Brown's political career was also thought to be over two years ago when California voters abolished the State Assembly via Proposition 45. Lieutenant Governor Leo McCarthy is expected to succeed the president-elect as Governor of California.
With Bradley leading every pre-election poll, Los Angeles was primed for a celebration. Bradley began his political career here, becoming the city's first Black mayor in 1973 before heading to the governor's office ten years later. The victorious ticket of Governor Bradley and Senator John Glenn of Ohio redrew the electoral map, sweeping the Midwest and doing well in the West although he won no states in the South. The race was closer than polls suggested, and Bradley's victory came just before midnight on the West Coast with Glenn's home state of Ohio providing a narrow but decisive victory for the historic ticket. Bradley is the second Californian and Angeleno to be elected President in a row after President Ronald Reagan, and at 70 years old is the oldest president-elect. President Reagan called to congratulate Bradley shortly after the race was called. Shortly after, Bush took the stage to concede. Had he won, it would have also been historic: Bush's Vice Presidential nominee Vesta Roy, Governor of New Hampshire, would have been the first woman Vice President.
“Governor Bradley has achieved a great thing for himself and for our country. Governor Roy and I applaud him and Senator Glenn for it. The American people have spoken. This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight.” He shushed the crowd when they booed Bradley -- “Please,” Bush said, motioning for silence -- and urged them to join him in working with the incoming president for the greater good of the country. “Whatever our differences, we are all Americans,” Bush said.
For all the wild celebration -- in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and outside the gates of the White House -- there were quieter moments Tuesday that captured the weight of history.
Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, a veteran of civil rights protests in Selma and Birmingham, Ala., and other racial flash points, was among hundreds of black Atlantans who crowded the pews for an election-watch party at the Rev. Martin Luther King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. When NBC called Pennsylvania, an early harbinger, Young pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed away tears.
Bradley will have a strengthened Democratic majority in Congress, with the party picking up a net of five seats in the Senate, making sixty-nine in total. The party is expected to have a veto-proof majority in both the House and Senate, marking a turn away from eight years of conservative Republican governance. President Reagan released a statement celebrating the victory as proof of a “color-blind country where all of God's children are created equal.”
Closing his victory speech, the next president returned to the shared experience of a people who toiled so long to see the dream come true. He invoked his political slogan first coined by his Western campaign co-chairs Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
"This is our moment," he said. "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. America is the place where impossible dreams can come true."
