Yes We Did

Last night, the United States of America made history when we elected Barack Obama to be our 44th president.

The day was filled with anxious anticipation and cautious excitement as the electorate turned out in record numbers and cast their votes.  People on both sides of the aisle had strong opinions about what would be best for our country, and we waited with bated breath to see what our neighbors and fellow citizens would say.  In my opinion, America came through and elected the man best fit to lead our nation in this time of uncertainty.

This election was so important for so many reasons.  With our economy in crisis, we needed someone to try new ideas; someone who was willing to work to help everyone.  With our reputation on the line, we needed someone who would work with others and give diplomacy a shot.  With the presence of terrorism, we needed someone who would stand up to our enemies.  And with our nation divided, we needed someone who could lead us to unity.  We needed Barack Obama, and that's who we got.

In one decisive day, Americans said goodbye to the politics of fear and division and took a solid step toward hope and unity.  This election stood in stark contrast to those in the past eight years, which took days and even weeks to decide.  Obama had won the presidency by 11 o'clock at night because Americans decided our country needed a new direction, and we found hope that we could once again be the "last great hope" of the world.

Not only did America make great strides toward unity last night, but we also put the final nail in the coffin of racial divide.  We elected a black man president.  Despite our dark past with slavery, segregation, and racial suspicion, America turned a corner and decided that Barack Obama would be the best man for the job.  And the remarkable thing is, we didn't make that decision because of his race but despite of his race.  Just 40 years ago, black people couldn't even vote due to Jim Crow and other racist institutions.  And now we have a black president.  No matter where you stand on the issues, you must take pride in that accomplishment.  It really is amazing how far this country has come.

I know there will be hard times ahead, and I'm not foolish enough to think that Barack Obama will be our savior and single-handedly fix every problem we face right now.  I know that only God can accomplish some things, and I will leave my faith in Him for the next four years.  But I am extremely hopeful for what President Obama can do, and I will take this moment to celebrate what he offers — hope for a better future.

An Obama presidency could prove to be a disastrous development for this great nation, but right now I will have hope that he will help us prosper.  I adamantly oppose his views on abortion, but I believe his views on foreign policy, diplomacy, energy, economics, healthcare, and education will be far better for America than those we've seen in the past eight years.  Simply put, I have hope that Obama will help restore this country's greatness.

But in order to succeed, Obama must make good on his promises to the American people.  He must respect all rights; not just those enumerated in the First and Fourth Amendments, but those expressed in the Second Amendment as well.  He cannot ignore the mandate that the American people have given him — that we don't simply want to improve our own lives, but we want to improve the lives of those around us as well.  He cannot set aside our aspirations for unity simply because he has a majority —he must work across the aisle to ensure that everyone is well-represented.  Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both made the grave mistake of forgetting about national unity once their parties secured power, and I pray that Obama does not do the same.  As he so eloquently stated four years ago, "there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America."

Today, as we move ahead with a new President Elect and new hopes on the horizon, I want to remember what Obama told us at the very beginning of his presidential campaign.  His words sum up the feeling that so many of us have today, and I can think of no better way to express the magnitude of his accomplishment than by looking back at the very beginning:

"But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.  For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.  Yes we can.

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.   Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights.  Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.  Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.  Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.  Yes we can heal this nation.  Yes we can repair this world.  Yes we can.

We will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggest; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea — Yes.  We.  Can."

Yes.  We.  Did.