Never thought I’d find myself quoting John Kerry
(who served in Viet Nam) on the day after this election. I was getting
this post ready when FOX ran clips of concession speeches from
elections past. Senator Kerry’s comment made me stop and think that it
is true…no matter what the outcome of an election, we do “all wake up
American”. That is something to be thankful for every single day of
our lives. My friend SCEagle has a post up on this “day after” and he’s given me permission to repost it here.
The Day After
Finally. While we have been told that 04 November
is the date to be circled on the calendar, if we’re truly honest, the
real date highlighted in bright red has been 05 November. It’s over!
In a country where people frequently grouse about our collective
attention span, who thought a twenty-one month long presidential
campaign would be a good idea?
But, here we are, at last. And we have a winner. Congratulations are due to Senator Obama!
It’s more than likely that while many people are
celebrating (and rightly so), there’s at least one or two for whom last
night was a crushing disappointment and defeat. Now, we will see one
of the finest parts of America – the way we come back together as a
country, united being the first word in our name, and move forward.
We don’t have to be unified in our joy and
celebrations, though we should be. Senator Obama has achieved a
success that to date has been enjoyed by only forty-three
individuals before him. Out of the billions of Americans who’ve come
and gone, this is nothing at which to sneer. And when we factor in his
being the first black President, how can we not applaud?
Certainly, there will be hurt feelings and hardened attitudes. “This should make them
happy,” was overheard more than once this morning. Whether the them
refers to Democrats, Liberals, or more than likely, blacks in our
country, as insincere as the wish is by those grumbling it, no doubt,
they are happy.
As am I. We will soon witness a peaceful transfer
of power in this country, again. A roundly despised leader is not
being run out of town by tanks, nor being hung by his neck from the
nearest light pole. The military of this country is not the grantor of
power as it is in so many others – a simple ballot box is.
We will watch as the People of this
country demonstrate one of the greatest lessons of this campaign – if
you want change (in whatever form it may come to you), you need to work
for it. And lo, Senator Obama, Senator Biden, and his legions of
supporters certainly did work for it, very hard work. Change is
accessible by one and all in this great land of ours.
Oh, and for those who truly cannot fathom nor accept the concept of President Obama,
then you can always take heart that you, too, can work for change. As
is heard in stadiums frequently this time of year, “Wait till next
time,” may be your new refrain. Start when you’re ready – the current
record for a campaign is only twenty-one months.