We Did It, America!

I find myself almost speechless in the face of the enormity of what we, as a country, just accomplished. I am so proud of what America just did. Not because we elected the first African American as the president of the United States, but because we elected the right person and the best person as our leader. In spite of the cawing and clamoring rhetoric of fear, divisiveness and mistrust that came from the Republican candidate and his running mate, we chose to elect Barack Obama for his integrity, his dignity, the hope for our future that his campaign inspired.

As I heard the news that Obama had been declared the winner, I was quite literally brought to tears. While the alternative outcome would have moved us forward as a nation from eight horrible years of mishandling of our nation, President Obama will do more. He will raise our stature around the world. No longer will we been seen as the nation that elected George W. Bush to not just one, but two terms in office. Bush, the man who led us into an unnecessary war, who deserted Louisiana in its hour of need, who ran up a 5 trillion dollar deficit, and through it all was resilient in his belief in his policies, his administration, and his presidency. The choice of Barack Obama will be viewed by the rest of the world as a rejection of George Bush, the Republican Party, and the disastrous policies of the last eight years. As a nation, we chose a man who has integrity, intelligence, and the willingness entertain ideas, even of those who oppose him. Once again, there will be a reason to look to the United States as a nation to be admired and respected. This transcends gender, race, religion, and political affiliation. This is history in the making.

A couple of posts to Twitter summed up this whole thing up for me. One of my favorites was this one:

The pendulum has swung back with such force, it's come off the fucking clock. This is good. This is natural.

This one really struck a chord with me as well:

Went outside. Quiet here in the 'hood. Neighbor walked by and said, "Well, it's over. Barack Obama!" I said "I hope so" & burst into tears.

Finally, like him or not, you could not fail to be moved by seeing the Reverend Jesse Jackson with tears streaming down his face. This is a man who saw his mentor, Martin Luther King, brutally murdered. Forty years later, watching a black man be elected president of the United States must have drained the poison from some very old wounds. Jackson's face, a trail of tears of happiness and pride making their way down his face, and the hopeful faces of so many African Americans in the crowd at Grant Park truly make me proud to call myself an American.