There are certain events in history that touch us so deeply, it is impossible to forget them. Like many of you, I will remember Election Day 2008 forever.
This wasn’t just another race for Obama campaign volunteers. After all, he wasn’t just another candidate. Instead, he was the man we believed in. The man who inspired us to be hopeful, not hateful. The man who had us knocking on doors, chatting up neighbors and making contributions for the first time.
I spent Election Day in Hawaii, where I vacationed with some of my family. Since Hawaii is five hours behind EDT, we found ourselves behind the news cycle – and at odds with one another. We’ve never agreed on politics, so we forged a separate peace by agreeing not to talk about the election for the rest of the day.
When we left for dinner, which was aboard a ship amongst my dad’s co-workers, we knew Obama had a comfortable lead over McCain, but we also knew there were plenty of electoral votes left for either man. As we boarded the boat and saw folks on CNN with their arms in the air, I panicked: for whom were they cheering?
If, like me, you invested a little piece of your heart in this election, you too may have felt flooded with emotion when the words “Obama Elected President” subsequently flashed across the screen. Determined not to make my family feel bad, I instead found a quiet corner and called some of my fellow volunteers. And then I settled in to my seat to watch the candidates’ speeches. When President-Elect Obama took to the stage, I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. The other passengers may have thought I was the saddest girl on the sea that day. In reality, I was the happiest.
Some have said this election made them feel proud of America again. Truth be told, that really bothers me, because I’ve always had pride in my country, and I always will. And the fact that so many people from so many walks of life came together to elect this man continues to overwhelm me.
Over the past week, I’ve thought a lot about the challenges and opportunities we face. About these lines from Obama’s acceptance speech at Grant Park:
I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century…In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long…And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
Naturally, this makes me reflect on the enormous expectations placed on our new leader, and I wonder, can we accomplish these things? Can we heal our nation’s wounds?
My simple answer is, Yes, We Can!
What are your Election Night stories? What do you hope President-Elect Obama will accomplish?
The folks at Starbucks Waikiki sure shared my joy!
