Obama and More

Dear kids,

Most of you have called, texted, or e-mailed to express your excitement at Obama's elected. We're all very excited, too. This is a momentous milestone for our country, and although race was not discussed much during the campaign itself, it's now clear that the whole country--the whole world-- looks on this as the culmination of decades of struggle for civil rights. As Tom Friedman writes, this is, at last, the end of the Civil War. Three states of the old Confederacy, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia, joined states across the country to come out and vote for a black man as president of the United States. No wonder we saw tears in the eyes of Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, and so many others. No wonder Condoleeza Rice sounded almost euphoric as she made a statement congratulating Obama.

Even more impressive is how the level of excitement I see in people of all ages, but most clearly in the young, is greater than anything I've seen since the wild days of the sixties, when young people were convinced that our authenticity and enthusiasm could turn the country and the world around, and that peace and justice would reign in our lifetimes. Most of what's happened in politics since has led people to feel discouraged, disenfranchised, or cynical. To see that turn around is electrifying. Now a whole new generation has experienced the power, liberation, and effectiveness of grass-roots organizing; maybe that means that your generation will remain politically involved and convinced that they have not only an opportunity but a responsibility to stand up and be counted, and to dig in and get to work for change.

So in spite of a deepening recession, two wars, rising health care costs, global warming, and looming entitlement obligations, I feel more optimistic about our country than I have for a long time. I remember waking up on September 12, 2001, remembering the events of the day before, and saying to myself with a sinking feeling, "My children have grown up in an era of peace and prosperity, but now all that is coming to an end." These days I wake up thinking, "Whatever happens, if we pull together, we can get through it and come out a stronger, better country at the other end." You all have a part to play in that, through your work, your words, your songs, your friendships, your habits, and your attitudes. My generation is passing more and more responsibility for this country into your hands, and I figure if you're any indication of who will be hefting this burden in the years to come, we have every reason to be optimistic.

Let's all take a moment to be happy and proud of our country.

Love,

Mom