Thursday, November 06, 2008

Yes We Can. Yes We Did. Yes We Will

I am still in disbelief that Barack Hussein Obama is the President-Elect of the Untied States.

Four years ago I woke up, and that's when the loss hit me. This morning I woke up at 6am (yes, after getting home at 1am and going to bed around 2:30am) and turned on my computer just to make sure this all was not a dream. It really did happen. We have the first black President. A Democrat again. Someone who won decisively. Someone who turned red states blue. Someone who bridged generations of voters and forever changed campaigning.

I almost teared up as I watched Obama's acceptance speech and saw people all over the world celebrating. It really did feel like we were part of a global party. And I will say that I was impressed and touched by McCain's concession speech. While it was disappointing to see his supporters boo Obama, I appreciate how McCain tried to silence them and asked them to support their new President.

Many people, like my friend Eric D., are skeptical or wary about what will happen, and rightfully so. So often, we elect people and expect them to solve our problems. However, the reason why I ultimately chose Obama in the primaries was because he inspired people. I hope he asks us to serve and even if he did not, we would step up and ask what we can do. We have elected new politicians but the change that comes in our day to day lives comes from us. The government, laws, and programs are not the solution but rather a catalyst for us to use.

So let's celebrate now but realize, in the immortal words of West Wing, "break's over." Time to prove that what we can do, we will do.

No comments: