Philadelphia Weekly

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"Now, with the election of Sen. Barack Obama to the presidency, the Philadelphia region and all the metro areas across the country will have a true partner in Washington."--Mayor Michael Nutter

These words, spoken at a recent press conference, revealed a legitimate relief after last week's presidential election, and a genuine hope for the future of Philadelphia and the U.S. overall. Philadelphians know by now this economic crisis will get worse before it gets better. Yet at least two local politicians believe the city stands to gain much from Obama's new agenda.

"I'm definitely extremely proud of my country for electing the right man at the right time," says Pennsylvania state Rep. Tony J. Payton Jr. "The challenge for us as a state is to set up the frameworks so that we can take advantage of these new opportunities."

Payton, a former officer for Philadelphians Against Santorum and later Philadelphians Against McCain, is encouraged by Obama's domestic policy and desire to invest $15 billion in the green economy. He's also aware of the imminent shift to a more city-friendly, working-class outlook.

"There definitely will be an urban agenda," Payton says, "which means we'll be able to put some programming in place to move people from no-skill or low-skill positions to more proficiency or even high-skill levels. For Philadelphia this means we all need to come together to focus on self-improvement because the money will be there for us. It would be silly to not take advantage of that. It's literally an issue of continuing to exist as a member of the working poor or the choice to elevate yourself. We're up to that challenge and we can fulfill it."

Payton, who's just 27, says it feels great right now to be a young black politician. "I think this election was actually about the issues. Now the politics of race-baiting and fear and division are no longer acceptable."

Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. of Philadelphia's 4th District is hopeful too, despite the economy. "There is no magic wand that Obama will wave to make Wall Street right and Main Street better, but my barber--who's a grown man--voted for the very first time in his life in this election. For him to have this rate of return on his investment is pretty astounding."

The councilman knows it's going to be rough for a while, citing a holiday season marred by business disasters like Circuit City. "But I'm hopeful," he says, "because not since the New Deal will an infrastructure repair program be as large as Obama's. The green job economy is something we can take advantage of. So as we retool our workforce to make solar panels, a regular plumber will become a graywater recycling plumber. A roofer will become a horticulturalist because he'll be using 'green roofing' as a tool to reduce the carbon footprint. There are so many industries that need improvement, and we hope to make Philadelphia a lot like Silicon Valley--a 'green zone' of opportunity."

Another hugely exciting political outcome for Payton, Jones and other Philadelphia Democrats is that the presidential race was the undercard on election night, with sweeping Democratic shifts in the U.S. Senate and Congress.

"In the U.S. Senate we went from 49 to now 56 Democratic seats and there were still four [as of last week] that weren't decided," Payton says. "We picked up I think 25 congressional seats throughout the country so it shows that our message is important. We're taking care of the middle class and those folks who are the most vulnerable. We've done that historically and we've done it in a responsible way. We're governing in a way that people agree with."

"McCain and Palin were campaigning on last century's ideology," says Jones. "This so-called 'real America' had seen what eight years of Bush had done to them, that NAFTA had failed them and when their factories closed and folks had to train foreigners to do their jobs, these 'real Americans' saw they were really getting their butts kicked.

"Now they're more concerned about the color of the hand of their lifeguard vs. the fact that they've been saved. They can vote the way they want, but enough people saw it for what it was, that when all of our boats rise, we're a better nation for it. What sets me free can set the other man free. And what sets Main Street free, sets Market Street free."

"On my way to work the day after the election," Jones continues, "a woman and her 7-year-old granddaughter were leaving for school and I asked--almost sarcastically--what she wanted to be when she grew up. I knew her charter school had a huge educational component regarding the election. So she said she wanted to be president of the United States. And I thought about when I was a kid and said the same thing, the looks I got from adults, which were almost like, 'Oh, that's cute, but you'd better have a plan B.' Today any child, no matter what color or creed, knows the American promise--that you'll be judged by the merits of your work. It's become an achievable dream."