A night to remember.
The vibe in the room here, and in the virtual living room that is LJ, was crazy-positive. I can't remember the last time I witnessed that kind of good-natured and joyful excitement. I also really enjoyed reading all of your posts about this evening, so thank you for sharing. Yeah, yeah, I know, "echo chamber," but after so many years of disappointment it's nice to just feel like part of a community celebrating a historic event.
McCain's concession speech was super-classy, above and beyond what would have been necessary for propriety's sake. He even sounded like he got the whole Obama thing and was willing to roll with it since that's what people wanted. Where was that guy during the campaign? That was the guy I voted for in the 2000 New Hampshire primary. I wouldn't have voted for him this time around anyway, but he might have won the election. We all sincerely toasted him after that.
Obama's acceptance speech was fantastic. Not all of the eyes in this house were dry. I liked that he was both optimistic and realistic...given the current state of affairs, one really shouldn't be too celebratory. It was the speech I wanted to hear. I don't think it's a speech that nobody else could have written, but I think it's a speech nobody else would have given.
I know that to some extent we will be disappointed. Nobody could live up to expectations this high, especially not with the problems we currently face. But I think this guy's actually got the brains and the will to clean up what he can and the persuasive ability to influence others in a positive direction. I've always been super-cynical and super-skeptical about politics, so the fact that I'm even thinking this way is proof of his abilities.
Even as the poll numbers looked better and better over the last few weeks, I didn't let myself feel genuine optimism. I didn't get teary-eyed tonight as that's just not how I'm wired (even when I maybe wish I was) and I couldn't totally silence the voice that says "yeah, but remember the world itself has not fundamentally changed." (some of the nasty state ballot initiatives are proof of that) But I finally did feel a wave of relief with an undercurrent of giddiness, like what I imagine one would feel after defusing a bomb. It was something else.
McCain's concession speech was super-classy, above and beyond what would have been necessary for propriety's sake. He even sounded like he got the whole Obama thing and was willing to roll with it since that's what people wanted. Where was that guy during the campaign? That was the guy I voted for in the 2000 New Hampshire primary. I wouldn't have voted for him this time around anyway, but he might have won the election. We all sincerely toasted him after that.
Obama's acceptance speech was fantastic. Not all of the eyes in this house were dry. I liked that he was both optimistic and realistic...given the current state of affairs, one really shouldn't be too celebratory. It was the speech I wanted to hear. I don't think it's a speech that nobody else could have written, but I think it's a speech nobody else would have given.
I know that to some extent we will be disappointed. Nobody could live up to expectations this high, especially not with the problems we currently face. But I think this guy's actually got the brains and the will to clean up what he can and the persuasive ability to influence others in a positive direction. I've always been super-cynical and super-skeptical about politics, so the fact that I'm even thinking this way is proof of his abilities.
Even as the poll numbers looked better and better over the last few weeks, I didn't let myself feel genuine optimism. I didn't get teary-eyed tonight as that's just not how I'm wired (even when I maybe wish I was) and I couldn't totally silence the voice that says "yeah, but remember the world itself has not fundamentally changed." (some of the nasty state ballot initiatives are proof of that) But I finally did feel a wave of relief with an undercurrent of giddiness, like what I imagine one would feel after defusing a bomb. It was something else.