Obama’s and Democrats’ victory.

We’ll all be chewing over tonight’s election results in the months ahead. I’m something close to numb at the moment, so accustomed am I to losing elections. But I do feel the beginnings of the scales falling from my eyes, a nascent understanding of what today means. As I watch spontaneous celebrations break out in the streets of cities across the nation and across the world—the White House virtually under siege by celebrants—I know that I’m seeing something unlike anything that’s happened in this country in generations.

A brighter day is ahead. Everything is going to be OK.

Published by Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith (JAKE-with) is an open government technologist who lives near Char­lottes­­ville, VA, USA. more »

7 replies on “Obama’s and Democrats’ victory.”

  1. The scene in Richmond is the exact same. Literally, the police are redirecting traffic in front of my building because they cannot herd the mass of students from the dorms down the street back off of the road: It has become a block party. Cars are honking constantly, people cheering, and I’ve personally been pulled out of the sense of jadedness I’ve built up over the past few election cycles by this new sense of community.

    However, this was not a painless victory. It looks like Prop 8 is going to pass in California. At least this is but a stumbling block on the long march to equality, one we shall indeed overcome.

  2. I’m in London, as in United Kingdom, having flown overnight out of Charlotte at a time when the early returns showed McCain up 55-45% in Virginia, Kentucky to McCain, etc. And then no announcement throughout the whole flight of the results! Thankfully, a girl wearing an Obama shirt in the next aisle read off a text message waiting for her when we landed at Gatwick.

    Obama is of course on the front page of all the papers and on the BBC news. Gordon Brown started off the Prime Minister’s questions this morning with a shout out to his victory, to a rousing cheer. I’m here for an international conference, and the Americans are hosting an informal Obama victory party tonight and expect lots of well-wishers.

  3. Most of you guys were right about last night’s outcome. I was wrong, and it wasn’t even close.

    Congratulations.

    I hope President-elect Obama turns out to be the kind of leader many of you think he can be. I have serious doubts but will endeavor to give him a chance without surrendering principle. After all, he’s my President, too.

  4. Will, that was a beautiful post. Thank you for giving him a chance. I hope that he earns your vote in four years when he runs for reelection. Not because you would surrender any principles, but becuase I hope that he will (and feel confident that he can) truly unite us all as one nation, focusing on the many things we all have in common. I hope someday to be served by a Republican president doing the same thing. We are one people, one nation. I don’t want you or any other Republicans to be shut out. I want all of us to draw a circle together that is big enough to bring us all in. Yes, we really can.

  5. I heard Nancy Pelosi on the radio today, saying that yesterday’s election doesn’t mean that the country needs to lurch to the right, but merely to the center. That struck me as a very good sign.

Comments are closed.