Yes, We Did | by Samer Farha
It is trite to say that we witnessed history last night. The reality, of course, is that no matter who won, history was being made. But something about last night was different.
Maybe it was that my parents, living over seas, woke up at four in the morning to watch the returns. Shortly after the networks called the election for Barack Obama, my father came on IM to wish me and America congratulations.
Maybe it was the text message I received early in the evening from one of my best friends, a Southern state Republican who had voted for Bush. She wrote to tell me that she had voted for Obama.
Maybe it was the two other Republicans, both young, both staffers or former staffers of Republican politicians, at the results party I was attending. They were both gracious in defeat, jocular, even self deprecating in their humor. They both seemed happy to see the change, though they would have preferred someone else to head up our country.
Maybe it was that I was at an election returns party. I’ve never before felt compelled to sit next to others to watch and wait. And maybe it was the mix of dread and excitement, the palpable sense of hope that was in that room.
Maybe it was the spontaneous and explosive celebrations that broke out across this city, this capital. There is certainly a sense of massive change coming — the scenes at the White House seemed more typical of a people overthrowing their tyrants than of an apathetic electorate celebrating a democratic change of power.
But for me, the magic of last night was in the knowledge that America can be every bit as great as it was meant to be. It just takes a leader, a great thinker, a strong motivator to wake us from our apathy and languor.
I haven’t mentioned race, but it must be mentioned. When Obama started his run, I said that America isn’t ready to elect a black man. I am happy to have been proven wrong. I will be happier still when Obama’s race turns out to be but a footnote — important to note, but not important to how he will govern or be perceived over the years. Unfortunately, though, bigotry is not dead in this country. California’s Proposition 8 and a handful of similar measures on ballots in other states show us that we have a ways to go to be a more utopian, accepting society.
John McCain’s concession speech was eloquent and gracious. It was given by a humbled man, but a proud man. The McCain that spoke at the end of his campaign was the McCain that started his campaign all those months ago, but not the same McCain that was running a campaign filled with hate and anger over the last few weeks. The reaction of his crowd, and his discomfort with it, shows that we have a ways to go.
The economy and two wars are two issues that speak to our comfort, our security, and our way of life. Years of excess have put our economy in shambles, and our country in a debt we can barely afford. It is going to be extremely difficult to get it right, to slow the swinging pendulum and manage a good and measured response instead of a gut overreaction. The wars in two countries are also going to need measured and quick action, but it must not be an overreaction, either. We have a ways to go.
Obama’s speech was electrifying. Hopeful, emphatic, and welcoming. It is not time to look back and point fingers, it is time to look forward and start building on our future. He said it best:
“What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.”
And, later:
“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.”
Do not, for a moment, think that this is going to be an easy four years. It will be tough. It will require that we reevaluate what is important to us and to our future. And it will require a concerted effort, including the effort by us — the citizens — to make sure our government lives up to our hopes and requirements.
If you have some time, go read the transcript of his speech, or watch it. It’s one of the best speeches since Kennedy or Reagan, and a historic moment for all of us.
Yes, we did get this election done. Now it is time to make those changes, and to those who question if we can, I say: Yes, we can!
