Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I have to agree with most of the comments I've heard about the results of the 2008 Presidential election.  It seems that whether your candidate of choice won or not, it will definitely be, for most Americans, an extraordinary day and event, that you will mark in your memory as one to remember in relation to where you were, who you were with, how it went down and how you felt about it.  

I was lucky enough to be traveling, taking refuge with longtime friends and one of my sons, in my hometown of 30 years in Virginia, enjoying adult beverages and catching up on news, with one eye on CNN and C-Span on the bar TVs.   Hours of  watching, listening, sometimes discussing, were finally rewarded just after 11 pm ET.   A cheer went up from Obama supporters, almost immediately followed by a collective sigh.  It seems we all were as much relieved that it was all over as we were to see our candidate win.   While most of our conversation over the hours of watching was social, it was hard to keep the chatting light-hearted while hearing the reports of financial, housing, healthcare, and job problems and how they related to voting results across the country.

Some of my compatriots were ecstatic that our first black President was elected; some gloated a bit, saying they always pick the winner; and others were saying we are headed toward certain doom in a socialistic government with this new President-elect.  I was relieved, partly, yes, because the campaigning process was over, but mostly because I feel the leader with the most potential to earn consensus, and has the calm resolve that working together we can create a fair and equitable society, was elected.   

The history of our country continues with a clean, fresh, spanking-new page,  and the title of this chapter is "The First Term of our 44th President."  I will easily remember the who, what, where, when, and how.  Now, we'll see what happens.