So I cry a little too easily, maybe. But how can a person watch the television declare the election of this leader and not become misty? Would you not question an observer’s soul if he or she did not shed one tear of joy for our nation’s turning a page on the darkest stain?
I remember seeing the man speak in 2004 and being moved. Saying to Mrs. BostonJoe — this man will be President. Did his reminder then that we are one nation bring tears to my eyes? I don’t know. It is a fact lost to history.
I remember the speech filled with hope following the man’s victory in the Iowa primary. How moved I was. The chills that ran through me. The beginnings of recognition that I was privileged to watch such history unfold.
So I cried while imitating John Wayne tonight. I did not ball or shriek. Just let the emotion — this joy at living through this moment — leak out of the corner of my eye.
Mrs. Boston Joe made our girls line up by the tele so she could photograph them next to him as he began his first speech as the leader of our nation.
In my life we have landed on the moon. Two leaders of great hope have been gunned down as they tried to lead this nation to a better place. Our country has been brutally attacked. And in electing this man we have taken a step toward healing the most inhumane legacy of your history.
I have never felt better as an American. I needed to say that to friends. To thank you all for helping to do this thing. To share in the joy that I know you all feel.
What may come, I do not know. But the man embodies a hope for our society. And hope is better than despair.
Goodnight good pond mates.
Could not let this night pass without thinking of you pond dwellers. Like in Finding Nemo — keep on swimming.
cried like a baby, too, notBostonnotJoe! great to see you here – let’s enjoy the moment for the awesomeness it represents.
As I was watching Arizona looking competitive, my first thought was that you had done better work than I thought was possible. 🙂
my county went blue, as it usually does. unfortunately suburbia surrounding phoenix went hard for mccain. next time… 🙂
There will indeed be a next time, Manee… the ethno-cultural makeup of America is swinging inevitably your/our way!
Hi Joe..lots of crying going on and finally it’s not tears of rage due to the bush years but at long last some tears of joy and hope…most of all hope. Thought I was done crying but upon awaking today and seeing and reading again Obama’s speech and about his victory-our victory I spent the day off and on in tears. And it just feels unbelievably good.
BostonJoe to you I say thank you Americans for doing this thing. I and so many others are tearfully grateful for this act of hope and courage where you are trying to renew and redirect your nation and correct its position in the world.
In my lifetime I have seen two Kennedys, one King, one Lennon, and thousands of unremembered other people shot dead on the streets of America.
In my lifetime i have seen the Vietnam War, and feared being conscripted as a young Australian to serve as part of Australia’s obeisance to America’s will.
In my lifetime i have seen students gunned down at Kent State for daring to voice their opposition to the war.
In my lifetime I have seen Presidents-elect and Presidents lie about America’s relations with other countries and contrive excuses to conduct wars for domestic political purposes.
In my lifetime i have seen the US support (if not orchestrate) the overthrow of the elected governments of multiple countries and their replacement by miltary dictators (let’s acknowledge Indonesia and Chile just for a start).
In my lifetime I have seen the US interfere multiple times in Central America, and invade Grenada.
In my lifetime I have seen the US conduct the illegal and unprovoked invasion of Iraq with the consequent loss of hundreds of thousands of innocent non-combatant lives.
In my lifetime I have seen enemies of the American regime imprisoned without trial for over five years, wiretapped, deported without reason, tortured and murdered by the American state.
In my lifetime i have seen the US stand out against the efforts of the rest of the world to save our planet from catastrophic environmental disaster in the form of global warming.
I could go on about the growing disparities in wealth and income.
But I acknowledge that in my lifetime I have also seen the courage, long dedication and eventual success of the civil rights movement.
In my lifetime I have seen the anti-war movement prevail.
In my lifetime I have seen the womens’ and gay movements in America pioneer significant social change and remove discrimination in the law.
In my lifetime I have seen a President forced from office for lieing and breaking the law.
And in my lifetime I have learnt not to judge all Americans by the actions of their Government.
Yesterday I felt hope for our world. Just a small glimmer of hope that we will see a world at peace, and a world united to stop CO2 levels in the atmosphere reaching the point which induces runaway climate change and causes mass extinctions.
Frankly, I’m not optimistic about the latter. Things may have gone too far already. And governments are not going to agree to the massive turnaround in emissions which is needed.
The institutional barriers to change in America are huge. Democratic or Republican, the Senate is still hugely influenced by big corporate money.
Barack Obama represents the best chance to correct things and cooperate with the rest of the world. Fixing America’s problems is a huge ask. Fixing the world’s problems is even bigger.
But hey, some hope is better than none.
Thank you Americans for taking this huge first step.
Well BJ, I am not ashamed to say I sobbed last night. I had my grandchild call me and say “Grammy, he did it, he did it, he won.” What a night. I was ready to pack my bags if this had turned out the opposite.
Hey Arthur, America finally woke the fuck up!
Hi Joe, hope you are well.
I’ve been crying on and off since last night. Oprah really got me today, plus the celebrations around the world. I even cried when Elizabeth Hasselback of the view turned into an Obama supporter today before my very eyes, after months of bashing him, she finally turned.
Then early this morning I got a call from sis who is a Rep. and she said I guess you are feeling good and I said totally and I’ve been shedding a few tears. She said why would you do that, and that just floored me. I can’t see how even if you are a Rep. you could not be touched by the whole thing and watching the tears flow and the jubilation of people from around the world, how can you not be touched.
Found a story on bbc about Obama’s Kenyan family, how they were celebrating something they never dreamed they would see. They were shouting, “we are going to the white house.” Kenya declared Thurs. a national holiday. That really made me cry.
I was so happy last night to be able to share this time with Bootribbers, that made it all the more glorious.
As I said to a friend via gchat: My mom was a single mom who had to do food stamps for a couple of years and my grandparents played a big part in raising me; so yeah there were some tears watching Obama stride on stage and stand at the podium.