The First Day On the Journey Ahead - Nov. 5th 2008

On November 5th images rush in our minds’ eyes: the victory speech to 100,000 Chicagoans in Grant Park welcoming back their victorious hero from a two year historic battle - http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGx3Kc ; celebrations of pride and praise in Obama's ancestral Kenyan village with his paternal grandmother dancing; joyful demonstrations of hope and joy in virtually every corner of the world; and the ringing antiphonal responses, Yes we can – Yes we did

But what did we do?

• We opened a new chapter in American history, and closed one our most shameful. We have opened the way to finally healing the dreadful cancer of race that has so divided our nation, before and after the Civil War. The new chapter is open for us to write.
  
• We invested our faith in a man with a vision of America that is “exceptional”, not because we are better than others, but because we have the power to reach out and make this a more peaceful and prosperous world. The President can inspire and lead, but we must be strong enough to feel compassion for and bond with the rest of the world.
  
• We broke old customs of how elections should be organized, managed, and funded. The roles of the parties and lobbies may never be the same. It now depends on us to become involved at every level of our civil society.
  
• We cried tears of joy and began to feel were truly the United States. We felt we were home again with a larger family. We felt the change from despair to hope.
  
• We are involved and believe again. Our sense of the future changed from alienation to deep pride in our nation. We know the Constitution and Bill of Rights are alive and well.
  
• We changed the nature of American politics and successfully challenged old assumptions, like “the Bradley effect.” Many aspects of the old culture-wars can be confined to the history books. The political/social landscape down to our day-to-day relationships are now different. Change has begun.
  
  So we are now in the early morning hours between the election yesterday and the Inauguration. Full daylight will come with the State of the Union address. Then we must face the realities of global crises in economics and the environment, coupled with growing political instability and a proliferation of nuclear weapons. Our President believes that America can become a major leader in bringing peace and justice to a larger part of our nation and the world. But he made it clear last night that he does not have the power or strength to accomplish this vision alone; it is now up to us, We the People…
  
  Yes we can and Yes we will…!
  
  
  M.F.A.
  11-05-08