Patriotic

Tonight, for the third time in as many presidential elections, I found myself weeping. In Ohio, in 2004, I cried by myself at midnight, in shock, grief, and anger, as, continuously refreshing my browser, I saw my state called for Bush.
Four years later, in Minnesota, I cried tears of joy and pride in my country, watching the acceptance speech of the first candidate for whom I'd ever volunteered.

Tonight, in Oregon, I cried again, watching that same candidate--worn down, but not beaten, by his past four years in office--give the most gracious, genuinely conciliatory, generous and moving speech I can remember seeing. It made me really, truly, proud to be an American--a feeling badly needed after an epically bruising campaign year (and which I, as a non-TV viewer, was largely spared) and a slower-than-hoped economic recovery.

It's no particular surprise that if the rest of the world had voted for U.S. president, Obama would have won in a landslide. I don't think they're smarter than U.S. Americans, but I do think they tend to be less U.S.-centric than us, and to justifiably care a lot about who leads their most powerful neighbor--a neighbor in increasingly close quarters in this global community. Obama has made us a better (though certainly imperfect) neighbor, and that matters a lot to me.

He also espouses beliefs, and is working toward policies, that are already widely accepted by the vast majority of the so-called first world: that climate change is real and caused by humans; that people should be granted equal rights and protections under the law; and that access to health care should be available to all, to name just a few.

Again, I don't think he's perfect, but I'm so glad we (the people) have chosen him to lead this country for another four years, and feel hopeful for what they will bring.