I Hope We Do

     Perhaps I should have known when Fox News projected Obama winning Ohio almost twenty minutes before any other station. But yet I was unprepared. I cried uncontrollably. My mother and my father cried uncontrollably. I have grown up, a product of a new generation, a "colorblind" generation. I am white, and yet seeing Jesse Jackson cry was incredible. He stood alone and he stood among half a million people. Jesse Jackson, wordless. It was humanizing and overpowering. Oprah Winfrey, standing in that same crowd, among people young and old, black and white. Oprah, just another person. Karl Rove, reporting for Fox, speechless in admiration. Men, women, children, and dogs dancing in the streets of Kenya, Paris, London, Tokyo. 

     Many will disagree with Obama's positions and political views. Many already do. They may be right. They are without a doubt entitled to disagree. This is America. This is the world and this is 2008. I think, however, the most important product of this election is irrelevant to partisanship and to political orientation. 

     This election is groundbreaking, not just in the context of the past, of Martin Luther King Jr. and  John Lewis, and  Jesse Jackson, and Rosa Parks. November 4th, 2008 is not only a culmination of our country's great journey; November 4th, 2008 looks to the future. No more can a black student at Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore City complain that even if he tried his hardest in school, he would get nowhere in life. He cannot list the injustices of the world and hide behind them. He cannot use race or socioeconomic status or family situation as an excuse, a cop out, a justification. I cannot use my incomplete sense of identity as an excuse. Barack Obama is still trying to figure out who he is, with the eyes of the world upon him. The election of Barack Hussein Obama as president of the United States of America is essential because it takes away our excuses. This election necessitates that every American work harder. Every American, every citizen of the world, must be more driven, less hindered by perceived prejudices, and more responsible for his own life. 

     The election of Barack Obama not only proves something to the world, it proves something to each and every American. Barack Obama may not have everything figured out, he may even encounter many troubles over the next four years. But Barack Obama has something that this country and the world is in absolute want of. In today's world, a world of terrorism, of instability, of economic troubles, and of violence, we need Barack Obama because he is inspiring. He brings out our better angels. On November 4th, he brought out Karl Rove's better angel. We need someone who, even though he may not always do the right thing, or the most popular thing, believes in himself and in us. 

     Barack Obama believes in humanity and he believes in the world and what it can be. To have someone like this on the world stage is, in it of itself, a great gift. People may compare him to Hitler, noting his oratory and organization skills. But he is the polar opposite of Adolf Hitler. Barack Obama brings a message of hope, of faith, of love, of promise. He values thought over violence and calculation over rash or dramatic action. Barack Obama is the American dream and his ability to appeal to our strengths, to renew our sense of worth and of responsibility, is unparalleled. This, unlike policy, is irrefutable. In these ways, Barack Obama's election is bigger than politics. It is bigger than the issues our country faces and it is bigger than a game of red states and blue states. To me, Barack Obama's election is fitting, because it represents what we need most right now. We need to examine ourselves and reflect and improve. We need to be optimistic and involved. With Barack Obama's help, we can and will do this. The entire world was watching Tuesday night. Al-Jazeera covered the election as thoroughly as CNN or MSNBC. This election has helped to re-establish America's position as the leader of the world. Barack Obama can inspire. He inspired the most incredible ground game and grassroots organization ever witnessed. He inspired 600,000 Marylanders to make 150,000 calls to battleground states in two days and to send 5,000 Marylanders to Virginia and Pennsylvania in four days. He inspired artwork, songs, millions of people who donated or came to his rallies. We need someone who fills us with a sense of duty, who makes us want to do better.

    I hope that Barack Obama will realize his responsibilities as he has our needs. I hope to touch on the more political aspects of the election in the future. It is imperative that he move to the middle, make good on his word, and work with John McCain, Lindsey Graham and others. Obama must compliment his inspirational ability and use this strength to garner support, jump start the economy, improve education, and inspire Americans to take action and responsibility. Obama must use his smarts to work not only across the aisle, but across oceans. I must use Barack Obama to improve my life and better my country, my world.

   I know we can, I hope we do.