Eyewitness to History
WASHINGTON — I am still taking in the news of Senator Obama’s decisive victory in yesterday’s election. It almost doesn’t seem real. I was in front of the White House last night, and as I stood before its magnificent north facade with my hands on the iron gate, I pondered the centuries of history made within its painted stone walls. Americans generally divide their history into the administrations of the men that inhabit that great mansion. There have been presidents that have meet the challenges of their times, and others who have failed. We are situated, then, at the conclusion of a period of American history that is acknowledged by the public and scholars alike as having been disastrous. The reputation of the United States abroad has suffered almost as much as its citizens have suffered from the consequences of failed economic policies at home. Two wars, a strained military, rising poverty and income inequality, less access to healthcare, unresponsive and incompetently administered government agencies – the list of legitimate complaints against this administration is long. Everywhere you turn, people have soured on President Bush, and are eager to see his tenure expire.
This year marked the fourth presidential election in which I have participated. I distinctly recall 2004 as having been a campaign of critical importance. I was bitterly disappointed that year. The sheer length of the 2008 election was fatiguing. There were frayed nerves on both sides. In all those years, however, I cannot remember a more passionate response to the outcome. The cheers of the crowds in the streets of Washington last night lasted until the morning hours. Barack Obama’s name is on everyone’s lips. I haven’t heard gloating or boasting. This is different. It’s not even like a great sports victory. It isn’t “we’re number one” that people are proclaiming. It’s something else. There is a sense, of course, of the thrill of being alive and present at a monumental moment in time. But it’s more than that.
I never thought I wouldn’t see a black man elected president in my life. I didn’t know when it would happen, but it didn’t seem as impossible to me as I know it seemed to many African Americans. I haven’t walked a mile in their shoes, so I cannot see issues the way they do. I don’t want to believe that we live in a country of racists, but I cannot always see what isn’t directed at me, and I have to be realistic. It is being said that this election has demonstrated finally that America has moved past the wicked days of racial prejudice. I am not so sure about that. It may just prove that one extraordinarily brilliant man who happens to be black can win against an extraordinarily brave man whose talents were not perceived to be as relevant to our present needs. Less obviously exceptional black men still may not find their opportunities measure up to those of unexceptional white men. But that will change over time. Senator Obama’s victory might show that all men are, at least, created equal. Barack Obama rose to the level of his talent. His speech to the crowd in Grant Park last night demonstrated his unrivaled ability to inspire. I pray that that talent will also help him unify this divided nation.
The presidency is a much more glamorous sounding job than it probably is in practice. There is a reason that George Washington never wanted it, and it clearly ages a man. James Polk died very shortly after leaving office, so exhausting was his one term. President-elect Obama is in an unenviable position. The challenge he faces is almost insurmoutable. Lincoln and Roosevelt had less encouraging circumstances, but few others have faced a steeper climb. I am hopeful, though, that he is up to the task. If he is, his likeness will one day grace a coin.
Filed under: Current Events, History, Musings on November 5th, 2008 | No Comments »