Reflections

There is a buzz going around today. It seems, for perhaps the first time in my lifetime, that many people (at least Democrats) are genuinely excited about the election of a president, and feel that they can believe in government in way that is very rare these days. There was a certain "I was there" feeling about watching Obama make his victory speech. I am pretty sure the difficult realities of governance will bring down the euphoria soon enough, but even I can say that it feels kind of good to be seeing democracy at work and thinking, "yeah, this is pretty cool." The reactions of people like Colin Powell and Jesse Jackson to Obama's victory make the symbolic importance of his election hit home. It's a pretty amazing event, considering where this country was 50 years ago.

The way the world outside of the US has reacted has been fascinating and somewhat awe-inspiring. Although it certainly makes one think that people worldwide could do less in attaching their perceptions of people from a certain country to whomever their elected officals happen to be - this is still the same country that elected George Bush 4 years ago, and now because 52% of eligible voters preferred Barack Obama, all of a sudden the world is in love with America? The various newspaper headlines from around the world are neat, though: "One Giant Leap for Mankind" (The Sun, UK), "The New World (The Times, UK). The Globe & Mail has a gallery of front pages here. It adds to the feeling of this being Something Big.

Finally, like McCain, Obama made a nice speech last night. There were parts of it that even moved a cold-hearted anarchist like myself, and made you believe in the founding ideas of this country and what the United States can be. Some excerpts I particularly liked:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
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It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
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And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our 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. For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

And after making a pretty powerful point about the amount of change a 106-year-old black woman has seen in her lifetime:

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can.

It's worth reading the whole thing, or watching it if you missed it. Pretty good stuff.