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After going to sleep in 2000 thinking Al Gore had won, the first thing I did this morning was check the web to make sure that it was still real...
It was.
I feel incredibly hopeful, though the months and perhaps years ahead will be no picnic -- not with the economy, not with issues we face in the world. But I do have hope.
Obama's speech last night was inspirational. If you haven't heard it, go here and listen. It's well worth the time.
There was one stark contrast I noted between McCain's concession speech and Obama's Grant Park speech. McCain was gracious in the text of his speech, as he should be, but when he mentions Obama, there are loud boos and calls from the crowd. McCain does make an attempt to hush them, but -- if you watch the video -- the camera cuts to a headshot of Palin as McCain is trying to quiet the booing crowd. She's smiling and grinning at the crowd's reaction... which made me doubly glad that we're sending her back to Alaska.
(EDIT: I notice that somehow the convicted felon Stevens is leading Begich in the Senate race in Alaska -- by some 4,000 votes with 99% of the votes counted. Should Stevens actually take the race, then I'd expect him to be expelled by the Senate due to his conviction. As a result, I'd expect Palin to run for the suddenly-open seat against Begich, and to win handily. Time in the U.S. Senate would pad her resume for a presidential run, after all...)
In Obama's speech, he was also gracious towards McCain... and while the applause of the crowd was tepid at best, no one was booing, no one was shouting derogatory statements. That made me proud.
The hard work is ahead, but today feels like a new beginning.
It was.
I feel incredibly hopeful, though the months and perhaps years ahead will be no picnic -- not with the economy, not with issues we face in the world. But I do have hope.
Obama's speech last night was inspirational. If you haven't heard it, go here and listen. It's well worth the time.
There was one stark contrast I noted between McCain's concession speech and Obama's Grant Park speech. McCain was gracious in the text of his speech, as he should be, but when he mentions Obama, there are loud boos and calls from the crowd. McCain does make an attempt to hush them, but -- if you watch the video -- the camera cuts to a headshot of Palin as McCain is trying to quiet the booing crowd. She's smiling and grinning at the crowd's reaction... which made me doubly glad that we're sending her back to Alaska.
(EDIT: I notice that somehow the convicted felon Stevens is leading Begich in the Senate race in Alaska -- by some 4,000 votes with 99% of the votes counted. Should Stevens actually take the race, then I'd expect him to be expelled by the Senate due to his conviction. As a result, I'd expect Palin to run for the suddenly-open seat against Begich, and to win handily. Time in the U.S. Senate would pad her resume for a presidential run, after all...)
In Obama's speech, he was also gracious towards McCain... and while the applause of the crowd was tepid at best, no one was booing, no one was shouting derogatory statements. That made me proud.
The hard work is ahead, but today feels like a new beginning.