I haven't always agreed with my government, but I have always loved my country. However, I have never been prouder of my country than I am today. As one who lived through segregation and the civil rights struggle, I wasn't sure America had progressed to the point where it could elect an African-American as its president. I was wrong, and I've never been happier to be wrong.
And I'm not ashamed to admit I cried when it became official that Obama had won -- but they were tears of joy. I was holding up just fine, and then I saw Jesse Jackson with tears streaming down his face. That's when the awesome enormity of what had happened hit me. As Americans we had just turned a page in our history. We united to repudiate our racist past, and took a giant step toward racial and social healing.
I hope we can put divisive and hateful politics behind us. There will be disagreements in the future, but we should be able to disagree without becoming enemies. We can never progress as long as we hate those who disagree with us.
Disagreements and differing beliefs are the life-blood of a democracy. I am a liberal, and I believe in the liberal philosophy. But I am also smart enough to know that even good ideas can be made better through debate and sometimes even through compromise. But this cannot be done unless we are willing to talk and work together.
America took a giant step forward last night. Let's not blow it.
My sentiments exactly, jobsanger.
ReplyDeleteWe have suffered through 16 years of uncivility between the Left and the Right. Fortunately, I've always found this blog to be a safe place to disagree without being disagreeable.
This would be a great time for all of us - Left, Right, and Center - to call a truce on the nastier language and respectfully debate our differences of opinion. As you so aptly put it, "America took a giant step forward last night. Let's not blow it."
CT-
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. I really believe what I said. Both liberals and conservatives love this country, and both sides have some good ideas.
We don't have to always agree, but we do need a bit of civility so we can work together to solve America's problems.
It is time we realized that no philosophy is always right or always wrong.
Jobsanger - Very well said, and I agree that we are at a transformational moment in our shared history in this country. The benefits are huge if we take advantage of this opportunity to move towards the promise that is America. The ramifications are equally huge if we blow it. This election season has helped reformulate my thoughts on many issues, and blogging with the likes of yourself and others has been a tremendous benefit as well.
ReplyDeleteWe live in Texas, so better than most we know that ideas and policies need to be formulated based upon an exchange of ideas in honest debate. We have an opportunity to watch that process play out and move this country forward. I'm looking forward to it.
Thanks DP. I'm also looking forward to it. The future just seems brighter today.
ReplyDeleteCrying... laughing... calling old friends... calling new friends... smoking... pacing... yelling at the tellie...screaming with joy.
ReplyDeleteHot flash? Afterglow from really really great sex?
Nah.. election night!
One phone call was pretty much only a few sentences of exchange:
"Did you feel it? Did you feel the world change?"
Isn't it magnificent that it finally happened? Isn't it also horribly sad that it took the country coming to the brink of an abyss on so many fronts for our nation to elect a person of color to our highest office?
What on earth will I throw my passions into now that the all-consuming need to get this man elected has come to a glorious conclusion?
Someone on another site asked if this is what it felt like when JFK was elected. Yeah... sugar... that is exactly the feeling. We old hippies tend to spout things like "love your brother" and "make love not war" because we were young and alive when giants walked among us. Martin, Bobby, John, Barbara.
Obama.
Menopausal Mick
Well said, MM!
ReplyDelete