He believed in the audacity of hope, and after November 4th, 2008, millions of people around the world believed that truly, anything was possible.
I was born the year Martin Luther King delivered his ground-breaking "I Have a Dream" speech. And I was born a few months before John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. For some people, dreams died a little that day.
I feel extremely honored and privileged to have witnessed an extraordinary moment in history. Barack Obama has kept the dreams alive. He is THE MAN (with apologies to the man, of course).
At the Morning-After-Election-Night breakfast hosted by the US Embassy, the sense of shock and awe - the good kind - was unmistakable. Some ambled around in a post-traumatic haze, plates spilling over with muffins and pancakes, incredulous at the turn of events, and quite unsure of how to navigate through life after the Republican reign of terror.
Like many of the guests, naturally, I was jubilant. I totally understand the value of hope as a currency; for some it is the only currency they have.
I was also proud. So proud to be a little brown American that for the first time in my life I felt this buoyant urge to line up at the American Consulate and applying for a green card. Still floating on a puffed-up cloud of pride and elation, I confessed this to the Visa Officer at the Consulate who happened to be my new neighbor at our apartment complex. A look crossed his face, one that said, "are you serious?"
I did my best Sarah Palin wink-wink. One that said, "you betcha." NOT.
I so ♥ Barack. But I'll miss Tina Fey on SNL.
Photo from Huffington Post
Im not American but I am really proud to see that the American "dream" is still alive.
Posted by: Mrs.T | November 11, 2008 at 01:06 AM
And hope is what fuels audacity, something we have not felt in a very long time
Posted by: manuelbuencamino | November 11, 2008 at 04:37 PM
Mrs T didn't you grow up in SF?
Manuel, nice to hear from you again. You're right, hope does fuel audacity - but I think what Barack Obama embodies is not just the audacity of hope but decency of character. One just has to look at many other politicians all over the world who hope with audacity, yet act so shamelessly and indecently. I like to think he is cut from a different cloth and that with him at the helm it will not just be (to paraphrase the tagline of the much-lamented George magazine) politics as usual.
Posted by: bambinawrites | November 12, 2008 at 05:39 PM
Yes. The decency of both Barack and Michele stands out.
Posted by: manuelbuencamino | November 12, 2008 at 09:57 PM