Some Thoughts in the Euphoria
Monday, November 10, 2008 at 01:38PM It’s not just the leader we have chosen for the next four years – although I’m personally delighted with the choice. It’s not even the fact that a black man has been entrusted with the highest office in the land – although I certainly share in the powerful emotions of pride, gratitude and amazement at how far we’ve come since the dark days of Selma and Little Rock that are being expressed everywhere in these first post-election days.
No, what moves me most about this election, and gives me most hope for the four years ahead, is the consciousness in which the choice was made. The election results were clear and above contention. We aren’t waiting for hanging chads or court decisions. The outcome is not being held hostage by voting irregularities in a handful of states. No one is accusing anyone of cheating, rigging or manipulating the results.
The democratic process worked as it was designed and intended to work. Two parties and their chosen leaders battled fiercely, voters listened and made individual decisions, and both sides accepted the collective outcome gracefully, aware that both parties – and all the diverse views those parties encompass – have important roles to play in the work that lies ahead. It is truly American democracy at its finest, and I think both sides, winners and losers alike, are recognizing and appreciating what a precious and powerful process it is.