Election

The television coverage of the election last night left me with the following impressions:

• I was struck by the differences in the parties hosted by John McCain and Barack Obama. Is it possible that these parties were a reflection of the way they might govern? John McCain's party was "invitation only" with people in attendance wearing suits and formal attire, while Barack Obama's was a huge public event with all kinds of people represented. Hmmm.
• John McCain's speech impressed me. I think he handled himself with dignity, grace, and humility. He gave credit where credit was due and acknowledged the historic significance of the election results. I was happy that he could end his run with class.
• I was disappointed that McCain's supporters boo'd (more than once) when he mentioned Obama's name, but I was glad to see McCain try to hush them as they did.
• It was interesting to me that so many celebrities were shown/mentioned in connection with Obama. It made me wonder how much influence they really do have on our culture...
• I got chills when Obama took the stage. How amazing is this moment in history, and how significant will it be for our future?
• My friend, Acacia, has mentioned this before and I agree with her. I really like listening to Barack Obama. His voice, his tone, his rate of speaking, the words, phrasing and sentence structure he uses, all add up to make him a great speaker.
• It is not only the way Obama speaks, but what he says that makes me like listening to him. I noticed that he referred not only to the United States of America in his plans for the future, but he also mentioned involvement with and impact on the rest of the world. After all, we are not an isolated nation, but we are part of a global community and I am happy that we have a president elect who recognizes that significance.
• Barack Obama thanked John McCain for his gracious words of congratulations, and Obama's crowd cheered. I think that says a lot. I truly hope that Obama will be able to bring unity to this country through his presidency. We need to be more unified and less divided as a nation.
• In general, I feel that Barack Obama is able to put into words the hopes, dreams, and desires that I personally have for this country and for our world. He is very good at providing hope in place of cynicism.
• There's going to be a puppy and two young girls in the White House!
• Political commentators kept mentioning the record turnout and the number of people who voted for the first time. This shows me that people will become involved in the political process when they feel that they do matter and that they are being heard and respected.
• I turned off the TV feeling a sense of pride and excitement that I voted to help elect the 44th President of the United States. What an honor and privilege we have as citizens of this country to be part of the election process.