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(Note: This is quite possibly my longest entry ever, but I hope you'll read it through!)
I was 21 years old when Bill Clinton was elected in 1992. I remember being excited by his youth (at least relative to Reagan and Bush Sr.), his charisma and his intelligence. My friends and co-workers liked him. At the time, I had only a marginal interest in politics. I was a registered Democrat for that first election, but apart from disliking Bush Sr., I'm not sure I recognized more than the rudimentary differences between the two major parties. I also remember being interested in Ross Perot and the idea that he could make a respectable showing, widening the possibilities for a three-party system in the future.
Bill Clinton was president for the entirety of my 20s--a prosperous, progressive time in the U.S. Say what you will about Clinton's flaws and follies, but my own experience during his presidency was mostly positive: I got my first "real" job, earned my B.A. and made a successful move back to New York, where the job market opened up like a rose in bloom for this newly-minted college grad. My friends were all moving ahead, financially and professionally. The jobs I had throughout the '90s got increasingly better. Had I been wiser about managing my money, even the minor financial success I had then would have carried me into the next decade, when things started slowing down even before the nightmare of September 11 smacked us all upside the head.
I watched the 2000 election with great interest and, like many, I shed my share of tears when the Supreme Court handed Bush the presidency. Not that I was over the moon for Al Gore, but I respected his intelligence and humility and the experience he'd gained under Clinton. By contrast, I found Bush completely and unquestionably undeserving of the highest office in the nation.
The long, drawn-out election of 2000 left me feeling shattered and disheartened. I had a heavy heart for months, feeling sorry for Gore's horrific loss and worried about what was in store for us under Bush. I still feel depressed when I think about what happened during those confusing post-election days (particularly after watching the excellent HBO movie Recount). How could so many votes go uncounted, especially when it was those votes specifically that could change the outcome? How could Floridians not riot in the streets at the thought of their votes being tossed? Seriously--it riles me to this day, not only because the outcome may have been different, but because the electoral process was compromised. (Side note: If you haven't seen Recount, I recommend it--it does an excellent job of retelling exactly what happened during the process, plus the performances are fantastic.)
During the 2004 election cycle, I became more interested and more involved in politics than ever. Living in a vastly liberal area, surrounded by liberals so liberal I felt like a conservative, I watched as the primaries weeded out contenders like Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich, leaving us with the intelligent but charisma-lacking John Kerry. Desperate as I was to knock Bush from his throne, I simply did not like our candidate that much. Nevertheless, I was shocked that he couldn't wrest the presidency from the man who'd failed us so miserably.
I went to work the morning after the 2004 election in a daze: eyes red from crying, feeling more pessimistic than ever, all the anticipation of the election drained out of me, leaving only frustration and devastation. (Read my blog post from that day.) Like other non-Bush fans, I settled in sadly for 4 more years of lies, manipulation, scare tactics and bullying. It was too early to look ahead to 2008 for some relief from the glumness. 2008 may as well have been centuries away. There was no choice but to stomach the horror and misery for another 4 years.
And now, here we are. Millions of people like me, fed up with the direction our country is going and frantic for change, made history by electing this country's first non-white president, Barack Obama. Putting aside the historical significance, the huge barriers broken, the walls of racism and prejudice torn down, this election was about the desperate need for change.
I have always been proud to be an American, but I have never felt a stronger sense of pride in my fellow Americans than I do now, seeing generations of people from all walks of life coming together, putting their feelings about race aside, standing up and demanding that we take this country in a new direction.
I am especially proud of those Americans for whom pulling the lever to vote for a black man is something that--because of a bigotry ingrained in them by their parents, churches or schools--they may never have considered doing a short time ago. To those people whose vote meant breaking the cycle of deep-seated prejudice and racism: you are my heroes today.
Our new president-elect is just 10 years older than I am. He's a man with a background similar to that of mine and my friends; a man who worked his way through school and through his career, a man with young children and a vision for the future shaped by his hopes and dreams for them.
(How remarkable that a black man born of an interracial marriage and raised unconventionally in places like Indonesia and Hawaii is more like me and my friends than any white president we've had!)
On Tuesday night, Jason and I listened as jubilation erupted on the streets outside our window--people shouting and crying with joy, music blaring, cars honking. When has any candidate inspired such passion and hopefulness, bringing so many people together for a common cause? Never in my lifetime. It was magical to witness. I couldn't help but think of my friends' and family's children (and my own possible children) and how the world has opened up and changed for them in such a positive way with this election. I went to bed feeling elated, hopeful and, most of all, relieved.
Today, I am more optimistic about the future of this country than I've ever been. Not because I think Obama is perfect or will solve all of our country's problems in a year or 2 years or 8 years. He may fail miserably as a president and yet the significance of his election cannot be understated. It lies NOT with Obama and what he may or may not accomplish, but with the millions of Americans who gave him the chance and, in turn, gave all of us a chance at greatness.
Posted by ayelet at November 6, 2008 08:32 AM