Now THAT was an entertaining 22 months. And that ending? Perfect. Sublime. Couldn’t ask for anything more, short of a Cubs rally in the same park. After months of hearing accusations that Obama is a sleeper agent for the Muslim baby-eaters (how in the world did he control himself on Halloween, with all that tender meat on the hoof?), the clamor died down and the best candidate (and let’s hope the best office holder) won the day. My kids stayed up up to watch the returns. Liam showed us the political caricatures he’s been practicing all week (he might become the world’s first manga-style political cartoonist), and we all practiced new iterations of Obama’s name that will soon enter the lexicon: Obamanomics, Obamapathy, Obamaplomacy, Obamanoia….it’s a growth industry.
I gotta admit, it felt good to be on the winning side again, although still a little bewildering that my side had been losing so often to the incompetent, the hateful and the backward. For the bigger picture of racial equality, one of my first thoughts after 10 pm was, “Well, it’s about TIME.” but my impatience couldn’t dilute the warm fuzzies I felt that this nation finally lived up to what it says it stands for. And to win Obama didn’t have to change his cool, elegant, intellectual style. How insanely great to have a powerful rhetorical speaker up there again, especially when he brings in the cadences of the black church to his speeches. It’s like a living slice of American heritage up there, showing the rest of the world how it’s done on the South Side of Chicago, every Sunday morning and evening.
People will have to remember, of course, that Obama’s a politician, and he does everything with a calculation in mind. A good friend of mine in Illinois politics found that out when running for office and discovering Obama’s endorsement wasn’t going to come, despite their serving very closely in the state senate together. He doesn’t give away his chits lightly, sometimes not at all. So he’s not going to waste time banning hate radio or interfering with union elections, like Fred Barnes was sputtering about on Fox last night. (I wanted to watch Fox most of all last night, but it was so dreary and browbeaten and the tech gaffes so frequent that I gave up. It was like a public access show hosted by people who just got fired. Which, come to think of it, is pretty close to the truth.)
I think he’ll do a damn fine job as president, if the economy rights itself soon. But beyond that, I agree with what he said last night that it “wasn’t about him.” It truly wasn’t. It’s terrific that a smart guy who knows the Constitution is actually going to lead the country. It’s great that the racial barrier to the White House has been broken, and we can tell our children–in the BEST and non-ironic way–that anyone can grow up to be president. It’s heartening to have a role model for black kids, especially young boys, who is sober, hard-working, smart and classy. It’ll be good to have Michelle Obama and her girls in the White House (can you imagine that Nieman Marcus mannequin Cindy McCain or that braying ignoramus Palin being our ambassador to the world? Just when you thought Bush was the worst it could be…)
But I think what I like best about this whole day is that the adults are back in charge. The best parts of what our country has stood for have been validated. And the people that I meet everyday have taken the country back from slobbering, reactionary loonies. We want to move on. We don’t want to fight the wars of the 50s, 60s and 80s again. The world needs our energy and intelligence if it’s going to survive and prosper. Let’s get on with things, for criminy’s sake. It’s time to live in the 21st century at last.
Cool image from Patrick Moberg.
