Celebration for the Nation!
I guess it's a Nationabration! Or a Celenation!
Last night was remarkable. I feel like a part of history. Someday I'm showing my "I voted in the 2008 election" sticker to my grandchildren.
It didn't even hit me until a few days ago that I would actually be voting for the first black president. It never really fully sank in until then just how momentous that was. I mean, of course I was excited when he was first running against Hillary in the primaries and it was all over the news, but over time, it became so much about preventing Sarah Palin from becoming VP and from preventing the Republicans from having control for four more years, that I guess I became used to the idea that we would be electing either the first black president or the first female VP. And upon further reflection, it seemed to me even more momentous that this should be so. That people could vote against someone not because she's a woman but because of her policies, that people could vote for a black man not because he's black or not in spite of the fact that he's black but because of his education, his beliefs, and his oratory skills during the campaign season. I know that this was not the case for a lot of people; I'm not naive. I know that a lot of people probably voted for or against one candidate or the other because of their race or gender. But still, the fact that at least some people could disregard physical differences and look instead at how qualified someone is for the job, THAT gives me real hope. It restores some of my faith in this nation.
That the American people could look at the direction this country has been headed and vote for real change instead of voting for the same party that has been in charge -- and failed us repeatedly -- for eight years makes me believe that all hope is not lost, that we might still be able to save ourselves from the terrifying path the Bush administration has led us down. There's no guarantee that Obama can fix all the problems in this country right now. In fact, he probably can't in just four years. Maybe in eight. Maybe. But either way, he can make a start. A fresh start. And hopefully that will be enough to at least open our eyes. Enough for us to see how we look to the rest of the world. Enough for us to see how poorly we treat our own citizens and our environment. Enough to start to fix our economy. Enough for the Repulican party to steer away from basing all their policies on Fundamentalist Christian ideals and become a real party again, instead of the fear-and-war-mongering terror it has become.
Here's to Hope. Here's to Change. Here's to our future!
Last night was remarkable. I feel like a part of history. Someday I'm showing my "I voted in the 2008 election" sticker to my grandchildren.
It didn't even hit me until a few days ago that I would actually be voting for the first black president. It never really fully sank in until then just how momentous that was. I mean, of course I was excited when he was first running against Hillary in the primaries and it was all over the news, but over time, it became so much about preventing Sarah Palin from becoming VP and from preventing the Republicans from having control for four more years, that I guess I became used to the idea that we would be electing either the first black president or the first female VP. And upon further reflection, it seemed to me even more momentous that this should be so. That people could vote against someone not because she's a woman but because of her policies, that people could vote for a black man not because he's black or not in spite of the fact that he's black but because of his education, his beliefs, and his oratory skills during the campaign season. I know that this was not the case for a lot of people; I'm not naive. I know that a lot of people probably voted for or against one candidate or the other because of their race or gender. But still, the fact that at least some people could disregard physical differences and look instead at how qualified someone is for the job, THAT gives me real hope. It restores some of my faith in this nation.
That the American people could look at the direction this country has been headed and vote for real change instead of voting for the same party that has been in charge -- and failed us repeatedly -- for eight years makes me believe that all hope is not lost, that we might still be able to save ourselves from the terrifying path the Bush administration has led us down. There's no guarantee that Obama can fix all the problems in this country right now. In fact, he probably can't in just four years. Maybe in eight. Maybe. But either way, he can make a start. A fresh start. And hopefully that will be enough to at least open our eyes. Enough for us to see how we look to the rest of the world. Enough for us to see how poorly we treat our own citizens and our environment. Enough to start to fix our economy. Enough for the Repulican party to steer away from basing all their policies on Fundamentalist Christian ideals and become a real party again, instead of the fear-and-war-mongering terror it has become.
Here's to Hope. Here's to Change. Here's to our future!