election day round two

Just when you thought the election was over, I'm here to share my memories of 11/4/08. I know you're sick of hearing/talking/reading/thinking about the election, buttt I haven't had time to write about it until now, so just bear with me (or move on to my next post).

Anticipation

So all during class on Tuesday my stomach was in knots. Sitting in Latin American politics, I listed to a lecture about fraudulent elections and guerrilla warfare and general corruption and I envisioned a similar epic tragedy taking place in America. I know it's silly to expect the worst like that, (though I suppose my feeling was not unsubstantiated) but after such a long drawn-out campaign focused on the future, it seemed surreal that election day had finally arrived. It seemed too good to be true that Obama might actually stand a chance at winning this thing.

By being abroad the past few months, it had been hard to gauge the general sentiment of the American public. I'd been getting most of my political news from the "liberal elitist media" and my Obamaniac friends in the states. Whenever I talked about politics with other Americans abroad, I could generally count on the fact that they were also an Obama supporter and their news sources were probably just as biased as mine. The primary forum in which I encountered differing opinions was on Facebook, reading status updates of some of my more conservative friends. Hearing their opinions was particularly interesting the night of the election, when the heat of the moment unleashed their true sentiments about being led by a socialist/communist/marxist/terrorist/Muslim. Sadly, most of these comments came from fellow southerners. I'm glad I wasn't in Georgia for the election season. I don't think I could have put up with the blatant ignorance.

Gringos unite

Though I didn't have any desire to be in Georgia for election night, I also didn't have much desire to sit alone with my computer, refreshing CNN online every minute and crossing my fingers that the video stream would miraculously send a clear feed. So instead, I went to Basic, a bar/restaurant founded by three Californian former exchange students that serves as a mecca for major American holidays (such as Halloween, the World Series, Monday night football, etc). It's also one of few places in Santiago where you can find American television, mexican food, Budweiser and ranch dressing.

Unsurprisingly, when we walked into Basic around 8PM, we were greeted by just about every American in Santiago. Most of the kids in my program were already there, munching on hamburgers and burritos, eyes glued to CNN streaming on the big screen. Looking back, I realize that aside from my table of friends, I was surrounded by a room full of strangers that night. However, given our shared confused sense of national identity, our shared political views and our shared anxiousness, I felt connected to everyone in the room. Together, we counted down the seconds before each round of hourly election results; together, we watched the electoral votes climb higher and higher towards that magic number 270; together, we screamed, jumped and hugged when Obama's headshot flashed onscreen, showing us the 44th addition to our country's composite. Then, when the decibel level in the room came down a bit and the screaming turned to tears and smiles, together, we sang "Born in the USA". I'm not sure if the bar owner meant to play this as a patriotic song (because it's really a rather grim protest song); however, listening to the lyrics made me realize that I can now [hopefully] look ahead to a future with fewer protests, fewer complaints and fewer dissidents. We now have a president-elect who values peaceful resolution, intellectual reasoning and teamwork. Our country, founded on the principles of tolerance and respect for diversity is now one step closer towards truly living up to those principles.

Tuesday night, for the first time in awhile, I felt proud to tell Chileans that I was born in the USA. Tuesday night, for the first time in awhile, I felt excited about returning home.

The speeches

My excitement was further fueled by the candidates' speeches. While John McCain's concession speech was fairly formulaic and there were points where I felt like I was receiving a pep talk by a military commander, I was touched by one part, in which McCain urged both parties to "come together to find ways the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited." Props, Mr. McCain.

Unsurprisingly, Mr. Obama's speech was quite moving as well. I have to admit, sometimes, I'm scared at how easily I am manipulated by Obama's eloquence. Looking back on the transcript of the speech, I realize that the message isn't that complex and the wording isn't that sophisticated; however, his delivery is impecible and his message is always perfectly suited for the moment. His speeches often remind me of the Latin American populists, whose charisma and charm made the masses swoon. I suppose I'll just have to keep reminding myself not to let my emotions control my brain.

Anyways, the thing I admired most about the speech was it's emphasis on humility. Regarding post-election Obama's humility, the president-elect established himself as a leader who listens. He reached out "to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn," assuring that "though I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too." He also established himself as not as a leader who simply follows his personal agenda without regard for the will of the public; but rather, a leader who communicates and, "will always be honest with you about the challenges we face, especially when we disagree."

Along with Obama's personal humility, the president-elect also shared his vision for a more humble America. Rather than rallying the troops under a war cry, pursuing victory at all costs, Obama admitted the many challenges that lay ahead and urged Americans to stay patient and united as we work through those challenges. He did not alienate other countries by claiming outright American superiority; however, he remained proud of our country, noting that the "strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."

The world's reactions:

I've enjoyed seeing how people around the world reacted to the election news. One reaction from a Chilean comedic newspaper can be seen here. Other reactions from around the world can be found below:

"The most important thing that Barack Obama brings to the presidency is his willingness to reason. He won his presidency not as a black American but as a reasoning American who happens to be black." (Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize-winning economist, India)

"Barack Obama's election is a milestone in more than his pigmentation..The second most remarkable thing about his election is that American voters have just picked a president who is an open, out-of-the-closet, practicing intellectual." (Nicholas Kristof, writer for the New York Times)

"Even if you voted for John McCain, be happy. You've got the best of all worlds. Today, you can bask in the realization that there are billions of people around the planet who loathed our country last week but are now in awe of its capacity to rise above historic fears and prejudices, that once again, the United States will have a president the world wants to follow. Then later, when things get screwed up, you can point out that it's not your fault." (Gail Collins, NYTimes)

"Up to 8 out of 10 West Europeans would have voted for Obama, which points to a religious rather than a political phenomenon. The way they see it, George W. Bush is a one-man axis of evil, and Obama the reedeemer." (Josef Joffe, journalist and political scientist, Germany)

[note: this comment bothers me. I like Obama and I support him, but I  but I know that the guy isn't perfect. There's only one guy who can take that claim to fame and he died on a cross 2000 years ago.]