Seattlites Celebrate

Thousands of people rushed the streets of downtown Seattle last night after news of Obama's election victory. I stood in line for two hours waiting to punch a hole or push a button, but despite having registered two months ago I was not on the list. They let me fill out a sympathetic ballot. They said it would count and then handed me a little card with a number I could call in three weeks to see if indeed it did count. It didn’t matter. There was almost a quiet understanding at the polls yesterday that this was going to happen, although lets face it, that’s not too surprising in Seattle. I have to say that McCain's concession speech was very touching and insightful. He is a smart man. I think we will see McCain as an important figure in the future, and someone who will very likely contribute to Obama's accomplishments as president. Of course, Obama's speech was historical, moving and presidential. That a black President elect stood in front of the United States last night and received respect, authority and praise was due and deserved. And fun to watch. I wonder if this is the most historical moment I will be a part of like my parents remembering the Berlin wall tumbling down or my grandparents on D-day. Obama brings hope to many people, he will bring challenges too, and I hope Americans are ready and willing to stand beside him. I know that this country has been through a lot in the last eight years, 9/11 brought us all much closer together and also divided us. The war in Iraq has touched us all. I sometimes think people forget that we are in fact supposed to be united states. We like to dwell in our own microcosms and coddle our prejudices, but we are certainly more alike than not. I hope that the elation and excitement of Obama's victory does not fade with time. I mean, I hope all those people who were so eager to proclaim change actually want to take part in it. I believe that the most important thing about this election, is not how we fix the economy, how to bring home the troops, how to begin to deal with our relations in the middle east or how to save the environment, I think we already know how to do those things, but what this election did was push us to act. It led us to a starting point. We don’t have any good excuses now not to act. It also gave the world a reason to believe in democracy, to see it first hand and that is pretty cool. Switching things up will be good for everyone I think. I can’t wait to see the puppy.