I woke up yesterday to a snowstorm that eventually had me shoveling close to eight inches of the shit from the driveway. Cursing the wet, heavy snow, I had time to think what had transpired in the past 24 hours and how it might unfold.
First, I must say I am THRILLED that Barack Obama will be our next American President. After 8 years of the intolerance and arrogance King George’s rule, it was time for a change. I listened to Barack give his victory speech and I felt proud to be American. The last time I felt that was in the early days after September 11, and the feeling quickly faded as Bush shoved his Iraq invasion down the throat of the world less than 18 months later. I walked the streets of Paris the day after the 2004 election, feeling like I had just been punched in the gut. The girl at the cafe who recognized me as American noticed my depair, comped me a cup of warmth, smiled and offered her condolences. I told her I was worried for the future of not only my nation, but that of the world. Just having someone to listen to my thoughts on that day helped. I knew I was not alone in my concern. Yet, later that day, I was glared at on the Metro, refused service at a clothing store, and left Paris on my return flight wanting to crawl into a hole, all thanks to 50 million American voters who let fear rule their choice. This time, the Republicans tried to use fear again: fear of the unknown, inexperience, the fear of putting the first African-American into the highest office in the land. Americans saw though it this time around and resoundlingly moved past the fear and intolerance to the prospect of a brighter future after we climb out of the hole we’re in now.
So, as the shovel moved the snow, I quietly hoped that we can get IT back. What is IT? IT is intangible, a confidence that WE can do anything we set out to accomplish. Well folks, look around. Today, the right wingers are licking their wounds, bashing Obama before the man even has the chance to take the oath of office. Hate Radio hosts Hannity/Limbaugh/etc will not stop until Barack is gone. But the reality of IT is that he is now our chosen leader, and IT matters not if we are red or blue, R or D, black or white. There is a big task ahead of us to come together and heal our country. Obama’s election is historic on many fronts, but what stands out to me is how divided people were during the campaign. I heard people claiming that terrorists will attack the second Obama took office, chaos will break out, the Muslim agenda will be advanced, and every other brand of vitrol you can think of. I heard folks claiming that McCain was going to attack Iran, causing a worldwide crisis of unimaginable magnitude. And the rhetoric got pretty nasty in the last days before November 4. Both sides were guilty. But now, we each have the reposibility to aid in the healing process, to extend an olive branch to the other side, to come together as AMERICANS instead of left/right, red/blue, R/D, black/white. We are all in the same boat and IT is in danger of sinking if we don’t all pitch in to help keep IT afloat. Together we stand, divided we fall. Grab a bucket, and let’s get IT back on top of the water, strong and proud.
