PeaceBang
The manic mind of the minister -- Auntie Mame Meets Cotton Mather. Blogging about Unitarian Universalism, UU Christian spiritual practice, occasional cultural and political ravings, and the inner life of ministry. PeaceBang is the alter ego of a small town pastor serving an historic New England Unitarian Universalist congregation.
Yes We Can
November 5, 2008 on 1:49 am | In Cultural Commentary | 
It’s 12:40 AM and Senator Barack Obama of Illinois is our President-Elect.
It is an amazing moment.
I loved his victory speech.
I love what happened in America today.
I love that John McCain made a decent showing and that he gave a dignified concession speech.
I love that America voted for diversity. I love that people who have long thought that they had no voice in our nation got out and voted. I love that we have a president-elect who didn’t get there through unearned privilege. I love that the rest of the world is already getting in line to bend this man’s ear and that in Obama, they will have an ear to bend.
I love that my own state (commonwealth, technically) voted to de-criminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. That just seems so reasonable, even though our governor and clergymen and the police came out in droves against the ballot initiative. The people weren’t swayed by fear-mongering and threats that pot is a “gateway drug” to more serious street drugs. They just think our criminal justice system would be better occupied prosecuting real crimes. I love how sane this feels after so many years of insanity and frothing-at-the-mouth THEY’RE GONNA GETCHYA tactics.
Enough, already.
I love that Barack Obama promised his daughters a puppy when they move to the White House.
I feel so grateful that when I listen to my president-elect speak, I am proud to call him my president.
Congratulations, America.
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I was trolling around on the site just so I could read your blog first when you finally posted about this.
My heart is so light it has no words in it to express what I feel. Yay America!
Comment by Becky — November 5, 2008 #
I feel like I have a president for the first time in eight years. One that won’t make me want to turn off the TV the instant he comes on the screen. One that will provide strong leadership in a crisis, and maybe even reassurance. One that will surround himself with those who disagree with him as well as those who disagree. One who realizes that he can be wrong. One that will ask us to sacrifice and remind us that we are all in this together.
What a change.
And the puppy part was good too.
Comment by Kate — November 5, 2008 #
I am just so utterly proud of my state (Ohio) at this very moment. I’ve watched this state go red for the last 8 years in utter shock… I registered Republican in 2000 just so that I could vote against Bush because I never liked him, right from the beginning (always saw him as a bumbling idiot). Yeah, I voted for McCain in that primary… at that time, he was less scary than Bush. I suffered through Republican mailings until I changed my status back to Democrat. I watched as Ohio went red twice and screamed in an utter loss to understand how my fellow citizens could be so stupid…
…TODAY that has all been rectified. I’m proud of Ohio again. And I’m proud of Colorado–the place where I lived for a year and half–another red state gone blue. My two favorite states in the union went blue at an important moment in history.
When Ohio was declared as Obama’s, I was sure the race was one…
I am SOOOO damn proud.
Comment by Mars Girl — November 5, 2008 #
Congratulations to you and to all America for this historic election! In Europe everybody is so excited about Obama (I think he would have won here by 50 to 1, with all due respect to John McCain who has been a worthy candidate). Of course there will be many disappointments in the coming years because the expectations are too high, but I do expect a change, particularly in foreign relations and more respect for human rights (for example, I expect that the closing of the Guantanamo torture camp is one of the first decisions of the new president, if only for the sake of decency).
Comment by Jaume — November 5, 2008 #
My eyes are swollen this morning from the tears of joy I shed last night as I watched Obama’s speech. I am just so happy and hopeful, and the first thing I did was show my five-year old the front of the Boston Globe this morning and give her a hug. I have hope for her future.
It’s a good day for America. It’s a good day for the world.
Comment by Janeybird — November 5, 2008 #
Congratulations to you all… Many of us in sunshiny Australia have been following your presidential race with incredibly high hopes. I for one, cried when Senator Obama gave his acceptance speech. I know he’s not our President, but true statesmen are a hard thing to come by anywhere, and the effect of the US President’s leadership reaches all the way down here… So, THANKYOU! Our televisions have had nothing else on all day. Its been amazing too watch. Well done.
Comment by Jess — November 5, 2008 #
Congratulations to America! Have just listened to Obama’s victory speech on youtube, and was moved to tears - the first time that’s happened to me in a political context for a very long time.
If he can deliver what he promises, and manages to avoid being assassinated, I believe you’ve got yourselves the best President for decades.
Just wish our prospects in the UK were one quarter as bright!
Comment by Pigwidgeon — November 5, 2008 #
Uh, ditto what Becky & Kate said. I am exhausted today, but so, so happy.
Comment by Tara — November 5, 2008 #
Well worth the 2 hour wait in the rain and cold!
I knew the results, not from watching tv, but from being jolted out of sleep by firecrackers going off. Go Virginia!
And I hope Obama gets his puppy from a pound or rescue group.
Comment by mec — November 5, 2008 #
This election shows us that even though people tend to dislike change, they will choose to make a change if they are sufficiently fed up. People are finally understanding that our votes do count. This election shows that integrity matters more than talking points.
We finally have a president who represents a bit of the “Melting Pot”.
and this election process showed us that sexism is deeper than racism. Shirley Chisholm, the African-American Congresswoman from NY who ran for president in 1972, wrote that sexism is the basis for all the other “isms”.
However, this election shows us that isms can be put aside if enough people seek change, and perceive viable change. In my humble opinion, both Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin were perceived as being ‘more of the same’, despite the protestations of “maverick.” It would seem that the electorate really looked beyond the sound bytes and looked at the content of character. Maybe in ohhhhh say 8 years,;-) we will have women celebrating victories for Prez and VP.
PB, thank you for your thoughts and for allowing us to air our views
Carol in Wisconsin
Comment by Carol — November 5, 2008 #
Such a beautiful experience last night. As soon as the National Public Radio announced that Sen. Obama had won, upwards of 20 people poured out of a friend’s house and began dancing in the street. We got a guitar and an accordion and let loose. We watched the acceptance speech and made toasts with freshly-pressed apple cider. Some prayed. All cried. It was beautiful.
I have a President now. As far as I’m concerned, these past 8 years have been a sede vacante–a vacant seat. We’ve not had a President the last 8 years, we’ve had a plutocratic dictatorship.
Gracias a Dios.
Blessings,
+Cody
Comment by thefutureRev.Cody — November 5, 2008 #
This is awesome.
The only thing I’m sorry about re: this election is that Florida passed Amendment 2. Of course, this means that in our state constitution, marriage is defined as the union between one man and one woman, and no other type of union can be considered a marriage.
And we all know where THAT leads in terms of inheritance benefits, etc etc etc.
That broke my heart.
Comment by Tracie the Red — November 5, 2008 #
Yes. We. DID!
Comment by Lay Nerd — November 5, 2008 #
TRacie… I feel your pain… I was really depressed when Ohio passed an amendment defining marriage as you have described here in 2004. But I had the double-heartache of another 4 years of Bush to deal with too. I remember being really depressed about the marriage act. I dont understand why all these states are throwing these onto their constitutions NOW. For all that we advance, we still find ourselves sliding down the slope.
I pray for the day when we wont have to debate same-sex marriages, when people can love as they are led and not become defined by it. My hope in the future occurs every Sunday at my UU church.
Comment by Mars Girl — November 5, 2008 #
He’s set the bar so high that I was unimpressed with his speech. It recycled many talking points from his stump speech and he seemed a little tired. I think he’s still grieving the passage of his Grandmother.
Comment by Comrade Kevin — November 5, 2008 #
Congratulations, and thank you, Americans, you did it!!
Comment by brummiedeb — November 5, 2008 #
Thank you, Comrade Kevin, you are the FIRST person today who has said what I’ve privately been thinking about the speech. I stayed up when my husband went to bed because I very much wanted to hear Obama speak. I’m still glad I did so but it turned out that I sobbed outright just watching the Obama family walk out onto the stage and listening to the crowd; that made way more of an emotional impact than the speech did, and I didn’t expect that to be the case.
Comment by martinet — November 5, 2008 #
Last night, I sat up in bed while my partner slept beside me. Both the dogs snoozed peacefully.
Me? I was crying. For the first time in American history, a black man was elected to the highest office in the Republic. And then, he included gay people in his acceptance speech. I cried and rested a hand on my girlfriend’s hand. We’ve been married in our hearts for 13 years, no matter what any state of the union says.
As he spoke, the Unitarian Universalist Litany of Restoration sang in my very soul. [How beautiful! I'm embarrassed to ask this, but what is the Unitarian Universalist Litany of Restoration? - PB]
Comment by Cindy — November 5, 2008 #
PB, You probably know this litany by Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley (#576 in Singing the Living Tradition):
If, recognizing the interdependence of all life, we strive to build community, the strength we gather will be our salvation. If you are black and I am white,
It will not matter.
If you are female and I am male,
It will not matter.
If you are older and I am younger,
It will not matter.
If you are progressive and I am conservative,
It will not matter.
If you are straight and I am gay,
It will not matter.
If you are Christian and I am Jewish,
It will not matter.
If we join spirits as brothers and sisters, the pain of our aloneness will be lessened, and that does matter.
In this spirit, we build community and move toward restoration.
Comment by Cindy — November 6, 2008 #
He has a lot to live up to…
Alot of expectations to live up to…
Alot of broken dreams to mend…
Alot of relationships to repair…
I just hope that people understand that this isn’t an overnight thing.
Only when the euphoria wears off will we truly understand the scale of the road ahead, and the simple fact that obvious change will not come quickly; it may take a year, two - maybe even an entire term.
Let’s just pray that things will be different, and that people can have patience that has consistently and characteristically been lacking from the American spirit.
I love you all.
Comment by James — November 6, 2008 #
Litany of restoration:
Is this possibly it? From
http://www.uuwhs.org/deeproots.php
If, recognizing the interdependence of all life, we strive to build community, the strength we gather will be our salvation.
If you are black and I am white, it will not matter.
If you are female and I am male, it will not matter.
If you are older and I am younger, it will not matter.
If you are progressive and I am conservative, it will not matter.
If you are straight and I am gay, it will not matter.
If you are Christian and I am Jewish, it will not matter.
If we join spirits as brothers and sisters, the pain of our aloneness will be lessened, and that does matter. In this spirit, we build community and move toward restoration.
Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, “Litany of Restoration,” 1987, in Been in the Storm Too Long and Singing the Living Tradition #576, used by permission.
Comment by DairyStateDad — November 6, 2008 #
I would love to hear “We’ll Build a Land” at the inauguration.
Comment by Janeybird — November 6, 2008 #