After each election, one thing is true; there is hope. There is hope by the party and supporters of the winner that things will now become more as they have wanted them to be. There is hope by the opposing party and its supporters that things won't be as bad as they had feared they might be. Even I, an incorrigible cynic, have hope. I have hope that we, as a nation, have done the right thing. I hope that we have elected a man who can, and will, lead us through some tough times. I have hope that the losing side can set aside their disappointment and not unnecessarily impede the changes the winning side will try to implement. I have hope that the winning side will not make too radical a change to this country.
We are one of a relatively small number of nations that make regular changes to our leaders without violence and bloodshed, without upheaval in the fabric of our culture. I think we do this because of how the founders of this country constructed our form of government. It is good that we have regular opportunities to change the leaders and representatives. I think it helps prevent resentment and disappointment from festering into revolution. A country that teeters on revolution is not a stable one, it is not one that can prosper, it is not one that can maintain its status in the world.
We are a great nation and we have done a great thing yesterday. We have elected a man whose skin color is in the minority. That is a great thing because it is a sign that we do believe in equality of opportunity as we have proclaimed throughout our history, a history which has belied that claim until the last 50 years. It is an amazing time to be alive. And I have hope that it will be seen as a great thing a hundred years from now.
He was not my candidate but he will be my president. I will support him and will not resent his winning. I congratulate Barack Obama, the President-Elect of the United States.
A Night Unremembered
13 years ago
11 comments:
America, I congratulate you. Only in the USA can a person whose skin color is in the minority be President. In other countries, there would be anarchy if a minority aspires to lead the majority. Change has come. Elsewhere, we can only HOPE!
Excellent post ... very nicely done!
Small Footprints
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com
Well said. Very well said. Clean and crisp. Now let's all work together, and develop a set of common goals based on our shared values. We have a very difficult road ahead of us. As I often say, "This thing is bigger than us, and it is bigger than the here and now." You should be applauded for contributing to the civility of the conversation.
Very nice point made regarding the relatively peaceful process of presidential election compared to other places where political upheaval and social disturbance seem to be inevitable consequences.
Thank you for following me and donating your time to reading my stuff and commenting on them. Blogging is fun. Going on tangents is too. But there'd be no satisfaction without any readers.
Michael.
It is up to all of us who live in the USA to be responsible for change. The president ha shis part to do but we do so as well.
I think it is more our job than his. He can only set the tone, provide an example, and so on. We, the public, have to collectively accept the changes he proposes or turn them to changes we want. In a way, being president may be like herding cats.
Very nice point made regarding the relatively peaceful process of presidential election compared to other places where political upheaval and social disturbance seem to be inevitable consequences.
Thank you for following me and donating your time to reading my stuff and commenting on them. Blogging is fun. Going on tangents is too. But there'd be no satisfaction without any readers.
Michael.
Well said. Very well said. Clean and crisp. Now let's all work together, and develop a set of common goals based on our shared values. We have a very difficult road ahead of us. As I often say, "This thing is bigger than us, and it is bigger than the here and now." You should be applauded for contributing to the civility of the conversation.
Excellent post ... very nicely done!
Small Footprints
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com
America, I congratulate you. Only in the USA can a person whose skin color is in the minority be President. In other countries, there would be anarchy if a minority aspires to lead the majority. Change has come. Elsewhere, we can only HOPE!
It is up to all of us who live in the USA to be responsible for change. The president ha shis part to do but we do so as well.
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