November 5th, 2008

"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."
Alexis de Tocqueville


On the Eve of the Millenium, I spent my night alternating between partying on the beach on South Padre Island in Texas and running back to the condo room my friends and I had rented so that we could watch as each time zone turned over, starting with New Zealand. On that particular island, we learned that on New Years Day it's tradition for people to run out into the sea to meet the sunrise; that year they happened to greet the dawn of a new age as well.

I remember the feeling of trepidation as we waited for Moscow's New Year - Yeltsin had just stepped down unexpectedly, and no one really knew why. Despite a cancelled state celebration, people gathered in Red Square and threw their own party - complete with homemade fireworks.

Cairo got in on the fun, and you can't really beat a light show against the pyramids. Of course, unless I'm mistaken, it wasn't technically their New Years, but who didn't want to join in on the Millenium Party?

The successes of these initial shindigs, and the constant tv images of everyone gathering, was intoxicating. Who needed the cheap Pabst Blue Ribbon we had bought?

But it wasn't until I watched images of Nigeria count down that I became, for lack of better words, giddy on the history I was witnessing: the people in the capital there were singing and dancing to Madonna's "Holiday." Yes, in my mind, the world was united, by Madonna.

I still can't listen to that song without getting a little emotional, because it reminds me of the feelings I had after that night. Nothing bad had happened, despite dire predictions. Everyone just... paused... for one night... in a single and common expression of hope and joy. And it made me feel so... excited, and proud, and hopeful. That feeling lasted for a surprisingly long time.




I have to tell you, that this was the same feeling I had on November 5th.





I spent election day and night in London. It was interesting to be away from the United States - to watch and listen to non-Americans while they watched us with bated breath make this one ginormous decision.


I spent my night at the London School of Economics. They hosted one of the many all-night election parties in London, as indeed there were all-night election parties all around the world.

I was surrounded by Americans, Brits, Indians, Irish, and countless people from other nations. So many people came to the party that they had to shut the building down - we had become a fire hazard.

People counted down the closing of the polls in each area like it *was* New Years, cheered - not just when a state was declared for Obama, but when polls showed positively for Obama... even if only 2% of the precincts were reporting.

I found that kind of silly, but I'll admit the enthusiasm was catching.



People who know me know that for the past two years, I've been pretty focused on Obama becoming President. I can list a whole host of reasons that I have for being supportive of him, including the fact that I think the man is a chess player of a politician from the great city of Chicago, and god knows we need a long-term thinker who is comfortable playing some rough and tumble politics in the White House.

But I have a much more global reason for being so supportive.

While I certainly can't claim to be a globe trotter, I have traveled enough in the past decade to know that being an American abroad is not something that works in your favor (and yes, our downward spiral started before the Bush administration). I've heard the term "American" thrown around like a curse-word in multiple languages.

But on November 5th, it's like a switch was thrown around the world.

That day, walking around LondonTown, people heard my accent and congratulated me; I even got high-fived at a grocery store. Obama was everywhere in the news, and on the television. Commentary and images suggests that my story of international support is anywhere from unique.

What has started to become crystal clear to me is that people from around the world have been hungry for America to be... America again; to be the America that people idealize, the America that dreams are made of, and where dreams can come true for anyone from anywhere. America may be mocked for being overly idealistic and hopeful, but it seems that the world wants to have a Shining Beacon of Hope-iness nation to look to. The speed in which the world switched back to the belief that we are that nation is astounding - and is indicative of just how *hungry* people were to have that belief back again.

Am I overstating? Being dramatic? Maybe. But then again, maybe not.




The last big Democrat event in Grant Park-Chicago was the Convention in 1968, when 20,000 police and national guardsman gassed and beat 10,000 protesters, doctors and reporters. The Mayor at the time (the father of the current mayor) remained unrepentant of the event to his last days. As newscasters projected the images into the homes of America, the protesters chanted "The Whole World is Watching, The Whole World is Watching."

The events of that night changed the course of American politics.

Just a little over 40 years later, in exactly the same place, I feel like it's fair to say that the whole world was watching as Americans did something that no one in the world thought we'd ever do - elect a black man named Barack Hussein Obama who grew up in Jakarta and Hawaii to be the President of the United States. There is history and power in what happened that night, and it resonated across the globe.

These events could well change the course of World politics.

It definitely changes the course of our worldview - my nieces and nephew (at least the younger ones) are going to grow up in a different America than I grew up in. They will never remember a time where it wasn't absolutely normal for an African American to hold the highest office in the land.


Now I believe that Obama is in for a rough ride, as indeed we all are. And no doubt - no doubt - the world will lose some of its enthusiasm for Mr Obama when they realize he is our President, and will act in our interest - not theirs.


But just like with the Millenium turnover, I want to bask in the glow for a little while, to revel in what was accomplished, and to imagine the possibilities. And yes maybe, I do want to gloat a little bit. All those folks around the world who hated on America, they can go, well, eat crow. We may not be perfect, we may make mistakes, but our system is designed to allow us to correct those mistakes as we will. There is majesty in that.


One of the reasons Obama's win has reverberated so strongly across the world is because they recognize that America is the only nation where such a thing is possible. Those are not just words from a stump speech.

For a very brief moment in time, we became the better angels of the world's nature.


I don't really mind feeling superior to the French. Or the British. Maybe particularly the British, as disdain from the people of the "Sun Never Sets on Our Empire" seemed acutely hypocritical.

But most importantly, I believe that we have delivered a striking blow to terrorists dedicated to the destruction of our country. And I am humbled by that knowledge.




So am I happy with the outcome? Happy does not seem an appropriate adjective, because while I'm excited and proud, god knows I'm also very scared. But still, I'm basking. Just for awhile. Just for a little bit.