Nicely Done, America
Cynical, Wise-Ass Editor Caught in Rare Serious Moment
We held an election yesterday and America won.
Regardless of policy differences, if you don’t feel a little bit more proud of this country today, I think there’s something wrong with you.
There will be all kinds of “lessons” the pundits will tell us we should take from this campaign. The leviathan meat grinder that is the mainstream media assures there will be no shortage of analysis about what Obama’s victory means.
For my money, the most cogent quote I’ve heard has come from historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University who said about Obama’s victory, “It says to everyone in America, ‘You can be president someday’ … This isn’t affirmative action. This is winning.”
Obama won. He earned it. He out-worked, out-strategized, out-fundraised, out-orated, out-organized, out-hustled and out-maneuvered every challenger he faced — from both parties.
Not ready or experienced enough to be President? Every piece of evidence suggests the exact opposite.
I certainly don’t agree with all of Obama’s views, but I’m glad he is our President. His victory is a victory for ability and intelligence over prejudice and ignorance; a victory for hope over fear.
From the standpoint of a symbolic moment in history, that is a good thing.
Most importantly, I’m proud I can say to my son, “Yes, you can” and be able to point to a concrete example of what is possible, still, in America.
There will be time enough to worry about the future of our country.
Today, I’m going to take the chance to enjoy an historic moment for all the wonderful potential it exemplifies.
It was, as Peggy Noonan describes it, “a beautiful election.”
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This one’s for you, buddy…
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An excerpt from Peggy Noonan’s article about the election:
The race, the case, a hope for grace.
The Wall Street Journal: October 29, 2008The case for Barack Obama, in broad strokes:
He has within him the possibility to change the direction and tone of American foreign policy, which need changing; his rise will serve as a practical rebuke to the past five years, which need rebuking; his victory would provide a fresh start in a nation in which a fresh start would come as a national relief. He climbed steep stairs, born off the continent with no father to guide, a dreamy, abandoning mother, mixed race, no connections. He rose with guts and gifts. He is steady, calm, and, in terms of the execution of his political ascent, still the primary and almost only area in which his executive abilities can be discerned, he shows good judgment in terms of whom to hire and consult, what steps to take and moves to make. We witnessed from him this year something unique in American politics: He took down a political machine without raising his voice.
A great moment: When the press was hitting hard on the pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter, he did not respond with a politically shrewd “I have no comment,” or “We shouldn’t judge.” Instead he said, “My mother had me when she was 18,” which shamed the press and others into silence. He showed grace when he didn’t have to.
There is something else. On Feb. 5, Super Tuesday, Mr. Obama won the Alabama primary with 56% to Hillary Clinton’s 42%. That evening, a friend watched the victory speech on TV in his suburban den. His 10-year-old daughter walked in, saw on the screen “Obama Wins” and “Alabama.” She said, “Daddy, we saw a documentary on Martin Luther King Day in school.” She said, “That’s where they used the hoses.” Suddenly my friend saw it new. Birmingham, 1963, and the water hoses used against the civil rights demonstrators. And now look, the black man thanking Alabama for his victory.
This means nothing? This means a great deal.
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“We are, and always will be, the United States of America.”
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