So Senator Barack Obama is now President-elect Barack Obama. There is an energy in the air since those words were first mentioned last night around 10PM (CST), actually it has been there for a while, but at that moment I felt different.
Chris and I celebrated this moment in history with friends, some good wine, and lots of political banter. We celebrated the victory of Barack Obama, and the words of John McCain. We celebrated the gains in the U.S. House, and I celebrated that the Democrats did not get the 60 seat “filibuster-proof” majority in the U.S. Senate. I’m not for blanket coverage government, and have long said that – at least in the Senate – there needs to be some accountability, and nothing provides that more than not having the “absolute majority” in that chamber.
In listening to Obama’s victory speech, like so many others, I was again impressed with his ability to talk about the future that we as a community need to work towards creating. Obama recognizes that just winning isn’t the answer, as there is a lot of work to be done to continue the momentum forward. In his speech, Obama said,
“[t]his victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.”
I, for one, am ready to see where this new journey to this country’s future leads us.