Amazing

I cried last night. I did not expect that at all. There I was sitting holding Riley with Julie sleeping next to me and they announced that Barack Hussein Obama would be the next president, and out they came. Don't worry, I quickly bottled them back up - because I'm a Keenan, of course, we don't show emotion. But there they were for the briefest of moments.


And then I tried to figure it out. What the hell was I crying for? My taxes are most likely going to go up. I'm not black. 150 years ago black people were property. Literally, they could be bought and sold like milk or food. One of the reasons we are the country we are is because for the first 75 years of our founding we could own other human beings. It's woven into who we are, we have to accept it and move on. And I do believe with the election of Obama, we actually have started to move on. It is a very dramatic symbol as a nation.


But here's the thing: I didn't want to vote for a symbol. While a symbol represents something significant, it doesn't actually DO anything. No, I didn't vote for a symbol. I voted for hope.

Hope that he maintains the same calm demeanor he exhibited as a candidate. Hope he governs from the center. Hope he can repair our international reputation. Hope he governs according to the Constitution and a respect for the rule of law. Hope he frustrates liberals almost as much as conservatives. Hope he does believe in the power of the market, but recognizes that it sometimes fails. Hope he appoints intelligent but not ideologues to cabinet positions. Hope he is humble about American power.

I just I really am looking for the anti-Bush. It really has been a long eight years. But this is what is truly amazing about this country. With as much damage as has been done over the last eight years - we as a country (finally) recognize it, make the necessary adjustments and just move on to fixing the problems. It really is a great time to be American.

And lastly, Obama is a White Sox fan, which implies he is an excellent judge of character.