Let’s start with the obvious: Barack Hussein Obama is now the President Elect of the United States and will become the 44th President when he is inaugurated on Jan 20, 2009. I have only two words: hot damn.
Last night, I started the evening in my apartment with a home cooked meal, a great bottle of wine and even better company before moving on to a bar in the UES. Before I left, there were many high fives and fist bumps traded as CNN reported state after state going to Obama. At the watering hole, I continued to watch CNN which was playing on a wall mounted TV and when I noticed a countdown clock for when the west coast polls would close up shop, I turned to a friend and said, “They are going to call it for Barack the second the polls close. You watch.”
Soon the clock struck 0:10 and I, along with a roomful of others, proceeded to audibly count down to zero like it was New Years Eve. When the clock hit 0:00 sure enough “Barack Obama Wiins Presidency” flashed up on the screen and everyone went wild. There were toasts, cheers, hoots, claps and hugs exchanged by all. Quickly, my small group finished our drinks and moved to another establishment a few blocks away, one with better TVs and a much better sound system to listen to the speeches.
The whole bar quieted down when both of the candidates spoke. McCain’s speech was the best I’ve ever heard him give. That being said, it cemented in my thoughts the idea that he’ll always be a soldier – ready to dutifully follow his leader – and not the general he hoped to be. I think he secretly knows he isn’t General or Admiral material and I think we are better off with him in the Senate.
Then came Barack. If you missed Obama’s acceptance speech I would highly recommend that you listen to it. The words powerful, moving, emotional and inspiring all come to mind. To see him walk out on stage with his wife and children, to see the multi-hued crowd explode, to hear the multi-hued bar I was in explode, man oh man, it was flat out cathartic. I believe I was shouting “yes yes yes” over and over again.
One thing is for certain: Brand America just got a serious dose of anabolic steroids. One part of the awesome power of Brand America is its “Shining City on a Hill” ideal and the fact that we have a Statue of Liberty crying out in New York Harbor, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Obama said in a 2007 speech that “I still believe that America is the last, best hope on earth. We just have to show the world why this is so.” I truly believe simply electing him as our President is a huge step in that direction.
Take for instance what prominent Saudi columnist Dawood al-Shirian had to say:
“Today, reality in America has superseded fantasy. … Americans have struck a deadly blow to racism all over the world. Americans have regained themselves and have regained the American dream. The picture of the U.S. that was disfigured by the Republicans in the past eight years fell from the wall today. The picture of the America we had in our minds has taken its place.”
The Kenyan government declared a national holiday (Barack’s dad is from there) and people are partying all over the world. To steal Reagan’s line, its morning in America and the future, while daunting, looks brighter than it has in a long, long time.
I care so deeply about America’s image abroad because if it wasn’t for it’s “Last, best hope” reputation I might not even be alive. My ancestors all left the Pale of Settlement (basically Poland / Russia) around 1910 and came to America because it represented their “last, best hope.” They faced vicious pogroms and ever increasing intolerance in their native land while America offered the possibility of a better life – for them and their descendants.
Their decision to head West across the Atlantic was monumental because everyone in my family who stayed in Europe was killed in the Holocaust. Its not hyperbole to say that if my ancestors had decided to stay put and not uproot their entire lives to head to the Lower East Side, if they did not tie their future to the promise of America, I probably would not be around.
I’ve been deeply affectedly by my family’s immigrant experience and recognize how lucky I am to be a 3rd generation American citizen even though I was disappointed when Bush won in 2000 and crushed when he defeated Kerry in 2004. I have never been able to fathom how the country I love and believe in so much has been heading straight to hell in a hand basket (I will not rehash 8 years worth of problems in this post). I’ve prayed for things to turn around before I get so dispirited that, like my ancestors, I begin to entertain the idea of “Where would be better?” While that still is a far way off, we’ve been heading down a dark path. A McCain victory would have only validated the past 8 years worth of nonsense and it truly would have made me question the motivations of my fellow citizens. It also would have made me incredibly fearful about what the next 4 years would bring.
Thankfully, Obama’s victory has pulled America back from the brink of insanity though this is just the end of the beginning. The 4th generation Americans in my family (namely my daughter and my niece) need their future’s promise restored. There are many challenges both foreign and domestic ahead and we all should be prepared to make sacrifices, whether they be time, money, resources or some combination of all three. That being said, the day is full of promise. As our President Elect said, “Let’s get to work.”
