baracked

I totally want to give Barack Obama a hug right now.

This is the first election where I got to vote for someone I truly believed in, and it paid off. I've never been so proud or pleased to be a part of this country as I am today. To quote one of my favorte TV/movie characters, Malcolm Reynolds, "We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty." George W. Bush has been in office the entire time I've been eligible to vote (despite my best efforts), and I've been disappointed in him since long before then. I am so, so grateful to see change coming, and I am so very excited for the future.

As a nation, we did something great today, something monumental and historical. Not only do we have our country's first African-American President-elect, but we also have a liberal candidate who won even though he didn't run a moderate campaign. Obama has proved once and for all it is not necessary to compromise your ideals in order to be elected. As my sister likes to tell me, ethics are sexy. More importantly, ethics, and the willingness to stick to them regardless of popularity, are the mark of an outstanding person.

Maybe one of the coolest things about this election is that it made me want to be a better person--to find out what I believe in, find out what is most important to me, and to do everything in my power to make it happen. To that end, I've recently made a personal decision to find a way to go back to school part-time (while working, of course) and get my license to teach high school English. I want to have some part in making a difference in peoples' lives. To put it briefly, I'm inspired.

My final words for tonight: Yes we did. Yes we can.