What would it be like to be Barack Obama, so close to being the first African-American president of the United States of America? I mean really. Stop reading, sit very, very still, and try to imagine what that might feel like.
And Michelle? How does it feel for her, to have the guy she wakes up to every morning that close to being the first African-American president of the United States of America?
And imagine being Obama's grandmother, taking her last breaths, knowing that her little boy was that close to being the first African-American president of the United States of America.
My gosh, the accomplishment of being elected president at all is breathtaking, minus breaking the color barrier.
Quite often, dying people manage to hang on just long enough for an important event—wedding, holiday, birth. I thought about that when I heard about Obama’s grandmother dying. Maybe she didn’t want to know. Maybe seeing Barack come this close was enough joy for her and she didn’t want or need to know the outcome of the election. Maybe not knowing was preferable to the chance that she would live to see him lose.
We’re all so sick of this election, I hesitate to bring it up at all. But to leave it unmarked would be wrong. And I am moved by it. I am verklempt.
10 comments:
Cried? No. Screamed with joy? Yes. No more George Bush. No more John McCain. No more Sarah Palin. No more Republican party? Oh happy day!
Not yet. Fat lady has not sung. Proceed with caution.
Soon Sophie. So soon. Relax. Pour yourself a drink. Enjoy. It's been a long time a comin.
Winning is often a letdown, anticlimactic. Not this time. It's a lot bigger and better than I thought it would be. Let's all revel in it before we go back to work.
He won Dallas county, which is very sweet.
He looked exhausted (understandably) and very slightly frightened last night. Again--can you imagine?
At five thirty last night, in the dark cold drizzle, two late-twenty something Obama supporters rang my doorbell looking for my 18 year old registered voter Abigale. They wanted to make sure she had voted, which she had. I've lived at the same address for twenty one years and no one has ever done that before. I'm disappointed he didn't carry Montana. He visited here 5 times. McCain never showed his face.
He didn't carry Texas but he came close enough for me to feel pretty good.
Watching the speech last night in Chicago, I finally understood how progressive people must have felt in 1960. He brings hope. Right now, that's enough.
Yes. I'm just happy to see someone in power again who shares my worldview and social philosophy. I hope he can live up to the hope.
I cried too! I'm pretty sure I did during the 2004 election... but for entirely different reasons.
Of course not everything will be fixed overnight, but at least we can finally be hopeful again.
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