What we have witnessed is truly a watershed event in American politics, and in the social evolution of this country.
As has often been said, we are now one step closer to being a more perfect union. Will this end poverty in our country? No. Crime? No. Will every child wake up tomorrow possessed of the skills and tools to excel in school? Probably not (unless they have my wife for a teacher). But I have to confess that I woke up today feeling...different. Possessed of a positive attitude that has seemed so elusive for so many years. For me and for my family - my parents especially, who have dedicated much of their life together championing the cause of civil rights - there are no words to describe the exhilaration and optimism that this election has engendered.
Barack Obama had to overcome monumental obstacles in order to become POTUS #44. That makes his election a resounding repudiation of the failed policies of George W. Bush as well as a rebuke of a McCain/Palin campaign that cared more about fear mongering and character assassination than the issues at hand.
Today I am less cynical. My faith in our democracy is somewhat restored. I am proud, again, to be an American. I'm also damn glad that I'm not from Alaska...where the highest elected official knows less about geography than my six-year-old son. For those who today are breathing a massive sigh of relief...I'll leave you with a reminder of what we possibly could have been in store for had Obama not succeeded. This is a sad commentary about who the Republicans think deserves to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
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I know Ms. Obama got in a lot of heat for saying this BUT for the first time I am really proud to be an American. I've always voted because people died for my right to do so but I never felt like it meant anything. Because in the end, whoever I was voting for really did not represent or truly comprehend my American experience. Like many I was brought up to believe that I could do anything I put my mind to but deep down knew that wasn't totally true. It was hard to love America because it didn't necessarily love me back. I still remember the bitterness in my fathers voice as he told me of the injustices he came home to after serving in WWII. I remember the feeling of not being seated in restaurants as a small child. That hurt has stayed with me my whole life. Its hard to feel patriotic for a place that sanctioned such hatred towards me. No matter what I did, I somehow was not a "real" American. The instant I saw Obama in Grant Park, that changed for me. Will he solve all our problems? I doubt it. But like you and millions of others, he's made it possible for us to be proud of our country, proud of our President and to feel included in the definition of American.
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