Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Smart at last … smart at last.

Retro-posted here. Originally a MySpace, day-after posting.

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Indiana's blue.

What next: Texas?

John Gonder was elected to New Albany's city council last year. While we've disagreed on some matters, we concur on the importance of last evening's transformative presidential outcome. In stark contrast to a handful of council persons, John is both intelligent and articulate, in themselves apt metaphors for this year's election.

For perhaps the first time in American history, an effort to win power by dumbing down was defeated by a message of lifting up. Exit polls show that in spite of the breathtakingly malicious attacks on Barack Obama, most people didn't take the (race) bait. If that isn't an example of lifting up, nothing is.

Lifting up also means getting up, which was the theme of one of John's blog postings just prior to yesterday's election. I encourage you to read the whole essay. Here's the part that spoke to me.

Thankfully, the Bush regime is on its way out.

Thankfully, the Obama administration is on the way in.

We still have much work to do.

And it starts with the advice Joe Biden's father gave him, "Get up."

Keep getting up. We've only just begun.

The United States is the only country on planet earth where John McCain could get as much as 46% of the vote. Period. Elderly Spanish Falangists, Thai monarchists and Swiss bankers ... Obamaists all.

If you find in this a reason to berate the rest of the world, I find it incredibly sad. Come what may, an Obama presidency means that we've again chosen to be a part of the world, not to stand apart while thumping our chests about our singular superiority. In the office or at the gym, the ones who constantly advertise their superiority are the ones we all avoid. Why, then, do we tolerate the same behavior on a national scale?

Smart at last ... smart at last.

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