What a wonderful day yesterday. Anticipation. Excitement as the results came in. Jubliation. And then—best of all—insipration from Obama’s victory speech.
In my lifetime America has enjoyed extraordinary economic progress. But there has also been a sense that that progress has been empty, that underneath that great financial gain is the reality of growing economic inequality, dysfuntional government, neglect of our environment, sliding standing in the world, and, most importantly, a decline in civicism and concern for one another. All of our prosperity made us fat and lazy and forgetful of what we’re all about.
Obama’s campaign has been extraordinary in its appeal to our higher selves, both in the idealism of its rhetoric, the decency of its behavior, and the personal history of the candidate himself. And thus the triumph of the campaign is a trimuph and a re-birth of American idealism, of the notion that we are a special country in our commitment to equality, freedom, patriotism, justice, and love of our neighbor. The 64% voter turnout—highest in 100 years—furthers the triumph of our national spirit.
Our core national beliefs are the wellspring of our entire national archievement: they insipred our Founding Fathers, they propelled our extraordinary economic growth, they defended our shores. And as Obama pointed out last night his victory shows that that spirit is burning bright again:
Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
We face really big challenges right now. Those problems that we’re festering over the last few decades have now really exploded in our face: huge debt, financial inequality, environmental crisis, strained international relations. But I’m encouraged because Obama has tapped the wellspring, he has tapped our original national spirit and idealism, our genius and our magic, and if we all can summon that spirit, we will be propelled to overcome those problems. Our success, our prosperity has been a product of our idealism and our spirit. We must return to that spirit, be reborn to that spirit, to summon the power to meet our challenges.
A big part of that spirit is its patriotism and its unity. Last night Obama spoke extensively on that topic:
In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.
Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
This I feel is the key. The Electoral College was indeed a landslide, but the popular vote had only a 6% spread! Yes, the Dems control the White House and the Congress, but they are the choice of only a small majority of the country. They can force laws past Republicans, but this would be so foolish.
We don’t just need laws. We need big, national changes that come from and permate through all the people. We need our fundamental national spirit and idealism to be renewed in all of us. We need to do that together.
Let’s go! :-)
