birnies.com
Phil Birnie's place on the web.
November 5, 2008
One of my friends who served in World War II claimed the election to be the biggest event in the United States
since V-Day in 1945. While I am certainly too young to either agree or argue with him, I have never
felt as proud to be an American Citizen. Based upon the reactions of others, I'm not alone.
As I reflect more upon the election, I realize that my emotions actually have very little to do
with Obama's policies. Indeed, as I mentioned earlier this autumn,
I disagree with him on a number of issues and actually voted for third-party candidate.
My pride comes from witnessing the realization of very positive American ideals (democracy, freedom, hope,
innovation, and the possibility of the impossible) in a most vivid form. These ideals have
an asterisk, with the words "some need not apply." However on Tuesday night, at least for the moment,
that asterisk faded.
Over the past few days, I have watched scenes from Columbus, across the country and even in other countries with people dancing in the streets, honking car horns,
and waving American flags. (Kenya even declared Obama's presidential win a national holiday.) Obama has not just inspired a party, or a nation, but a
world. Hope, it seems, is more powerful and productive than we could ever imagine.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me. I'll even post your response here if you'd like.