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Tomorrow...
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zimshan made an Obama vid! It is wonderful and brilliant, and not about him as such, but more about all the people who helped him win - all the volunteers and donors, those who voted, those who believed that together you could make a difference. (ETA: People like this.) America, you're awe-inspiring right now!
pfeifferpack has a wonderful post about what manner of man will be president come tomorrow.
And as for the future, then this quote (from this interview), is certainly something to make one hopeful:
"Two years from now, I want the American people to be able to say, "Government's not perfect; there are some things Obama does that get on my nerves. But you know what? I feel like the government's working for me. I feel like it's accountable. I feel like it's transparent. I feel that I am well informed about what government actions are being taken. I feel that this is a President and an Administration that admits when it makes mistakes and adapts itself to new information, that believes in making decisions based on facts and on science as opposed to what is politically expedient." Those are some of the intangibles that I hope people two years from now can claim," - Barack Obama, president-elect.
I also feel I ought to point you towards Andrew Sullivan's article about Obama from yesterday's Sunday Times.
Finally, I like this story from 'The Audacity of Hope':
After one town hall meeting in Godfrey, an older gentleman came up and expressed outrage that despite my having opposed the Iraq War, I had not yet called for a full withdrawal of troops. We had a brief and pleasant argument, in which I explained my concern that too precipitous a withdrawal would lead to an all-out civil war in the country and the potential for widening conflict throughout the Middle East. At the end of our conversation he shook my hand.
"I still think you're wrong," he said, "but at least it seems like you've thought about it. Hell, you'd probably disappoint me if you agreed with me all the time."
"Thanks," I said. As he walked away, I was reminded of something Justice Louis Brandeis once said: that in a democracy, the most important office is the office of citizen.
(I need a new icon. I'm waiting until tomorrow though, I figure that there will be an overabundance of choice!)
ETA: I think it's partly the sense of watching history being made that is so enticing. I'll make sure that the girls watch the inauguration tomorrow, because it's something they'll want to remember. :)
zimshan made an Obama vid! It is wonderful and brilliant, and not about him as such, but more about all the people who helped him win - all the volunteers and donors, those who voted, those who believed that together you could make a difference. (ETA: People like this.) America, you're awe-inspiring right now!pfeifferpack has a wonderful post about what manner of man will be president come tomorrow.And as for the future, then this quote (from this interview), is certainly something to make one hopeful:
"Two years from now, I want the American people to be able to say, "Government's not perfect; there are some things Obama does that get on my nerves. But you know what? I feel like the government's working for me. I feel like it's accountable. I feel like it's transparent. I feel that I am well informed about what government actions are being taken. I feel that this is a President and an Administration that admits when it makes mistakes and adapts itself to new information, that believes in making decisions based on facts and on science as opposed to what is politically expedient." Those are some of the intangibles that I hope people two years from now can claim," - Barack Obama, president-elect.
I also feel I ought to point you towards Andrew Sullivan's article about Obama from yesterday's Sunday Times.
Finally, I like this story from 'The Audacity of Hope':
After one town hall meeting in Godfrey, an older gentleman came up and expressed outrage that despite my having opposed the Iraq War, I had not yet called for a full withdrawal of troops. We had a brief and pleasant argument, in which I explained my concern that too precipitous a withdrawal would lead to an all-out civil war in the country and the potential for widening conflict throughout the Middle East. At the end of our conversation he shook my hand.
"I still think you're wrong," he said, "but at least it seems like you've thought about it. Hell, you'd probably disappoint me if you agreed with me all the time."
"Thanks," I said. As he walked away, I was reminded of something Justice Louis Brandeis once said: that in a democracy, the most important office is the office of citizen.
(I need a new icon. I'm waiting until tomorrow though, I figure that there will be an overabundance of choice!)
ETA: I think it's partly the sense of watching history being made that is so enticing. I'll make sure that the girls watch the inauguration tomorrow, because it's something they'll want to remember. :)
no subject
Per the first comment, we don't know what sort of president Obama will be. But for me, at least, this is the first time when I voted FOR someone, as opposed to voting against someone. He's obviously very intelligent, which will be a nice change from the last 8 years. He's promising to do a different sort of politics, which has many of us hopeful, at least for the moment.
And for someone who has lived in America as long as I have (long enough to feel this moment), this is something that seemed impossible but which has happened anyway. I was a young girl in Alabama when George Wallace won the governorship by saying that the other (white) guy was going to get the black vote. I lived in LA during the Rodney King riots. So many of us are of good will, but race has long seemed to be an ineradicable stain on ALL of us. I don't think Obama's election will magically erase it. But it does suggest that there's more to our country than just that stain. And it's nice to be reminded of that. It gives a girl hope.
So lots of reasons to be happy about tomorrow. And hopeful. And one can think these things without thinking that Obama is going to part the red sea or something cool like that.
no subject
I know more about politics than I ever thought I would. (And a lot more about US politics than UK variety, but then UK politics are drab and uninspiring.)
He's obviously very intelligent, which will be a nice change from the last 8 years. He's promising to do a different sort of politics, which has many of us hopeful, at least for the moment.
*nods* Someone who can inspire hope is very important, especially when he seems to be genuine, which is very rare - *especially* in politics!
But it does suggest that there's more to our country than just that stain. And it's nice to be reminded of that. It gives a girl hope.
Darcy remarked tonight, that now all we need, here in England, is an Asian Prime Minister. (We did the woman thing already. *shudders*)
So lots of reasons to be happy about tomorrow. And hopeful. And one can think these things without thinking that Obama is going to part the red sea or something cool like that.
Indeed! :)