Wednesday, November 5, 2008

About Last Night...

I'm not really one to go all political on you, but I think it would be a crime not to mention how last night made me feel.

What an awesome historical moment it was to see Barack Obama capture the presidency. So many amazing milestones were reached in just one night, from the amazing voter turnout [14 million more people than in the last election!] to the choice of our first African-American president.

But I must admit, what I was most proud of was my generation and the younger generations that have come after me....Barack said it best when he described the unlikely success of his campaign, “It grew strength from the young people, who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.”

We do have a voice, and we made ourselves heard. We are a force to be reckoned with.

I know this road will not be easy, and that the journey ahead will be difficult, and I know that Barack will not be the answer to all our problems.

But I am truly excited about is that I FINALLY have a president who empowers and inspires me to WANT to support my country, to WANT to do my part to make America a better place to live. I truly believe that is a change I can and will believe in.

I am excited to be raising my children in a country where all things truly are possible, a place where we can judge on character and not on color. My friend Jennifer from momslikeme summed it up beautifully this morning with this statement, "The best part of the Obama victory is the renewal of the spirit of millions of Americans who can truly believe their children can grow up to be President."

Amen.

We have lived so long under the politics of fear, I look forward to a future fueled by the politics of hope.

“This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.”

And to Ohio, my home state, I am so very proud of you...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen! I don't know what else to say without getting all psycho emotional about it, but I'll try.

I am so proud of our generation, our country, and those who refused to hear the cynicism and the intolerant racist ignorance that spewed from the other guys to unite instead with one another in the hope that our voices would be heard, that possibilities were endless, that change could take place.

I cried like a baby when Barack talked about the 106 year old lady in Atlanta and how she had seen this country repeatedly change and bounce back after many hardships... And just like her, I will be able to tell my grandkids that I saw America get attacked, and then unite and stand against terror... I watched America prosper... I watched as our economy crashed... I voted to elect our first African-American president and in the same race, I saw a woman almost make it to the white house (and hopefully one day, I will see a woman really make it there.) I watched history take place, and I was a part of it.

I feel that it's an amazing privilege to be witness to this great moment in the history of our country. I too, feel empowered and moved. It's a blessing for which I am so thankful.

You write about it beautifully. I wish I was as eloquent as you are :)

xoxo.

emily the mom said...

What's funny is that when I read your post last night, I thought it was so well written, I hoped that I could capture my own emotions as well as you did....thank you, my dear, for inspiring me!