Idiotic headline

Look at the headline the Norman Transcript sported on inauguration day -- a headline that they are so proud of that they are selling plaques and T-shirts of the front page. "YES WE DID" is an apparent reference to Obama's campaign slogan "Yes, we can!".

First: "yes, we can" as a union rallying cry (Si se puede) dates to Caesar Chavez and is an exhortion with the meaning of "we can do this". It's what underdogs cry out when they are trying to summon up their will to challenge an ingrained status quo. So, it makes no sense once the campaign is done and victory achieved.

Second: Who are the "we" here? So what exactly did "we" do? It doesn't take much to imagine that the newspaper is congratulating the public on having elected a black man.

The irony, of course, is that such self-congratulation is not only in bad taste (53% of the country believed Obama to be the better candidate; this was not affirmative action) but that it is also inaccurate. The residents of Oklahoma gave more votes to John Kerry than to Obama and every one of this state's counties went for McCain.