But every celebration must end, and now the work begins. Obama has inherited two wars, a shredded national economy, a climate in absolute peril, and a nation divided by years of political polarization.
John McCain's finest moment came in his concession speech when he urged & "all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences."
We are so accustomed to living in a fear driven society these last eight years, that I must confess, yesterday I had a sense of venturing out of the cave "into the sunlight." & Is it possible that we could, in the words of Obama," resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long."
How astounding would it be if we could take a hiatus from hate. & How does it serve our democracy for malevolent talk show hosts, politicized religious leaders , and other racist organizations to continue to spew bilious rhetoric, often inciting violence among their followers. & Could this factious society of ours ever embrace civil forbearance, and spend the coming months building bridges instead of exploiting the divide. There will always be dissent...our constitution protects that right...but if Obama'a campaign stood for anything, it was that collective will was necessary to achieve his presidency. And it is that same collective will that has the power to unite us to solve our common problems and achieve our common goals.
Who among us does not wish for that?
