morning in america

i believe ronald reagan used that phrase many years ago. well, i'm stealing it to describe how i feel this morning after america elected barack obama as its next president.

i'm proud to be an american today:

proud that americans used their votes to change the direction of the country.

proud that we elected someone we can be proud of instead of ashamed.

proud that a country that once enslaved black people, whose history is so entwined with racial issues, has elected a black man president. what must it feel like to be a black american today? is martin luther king's dream coming true, that people are being judged on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin?

proud of barack obama for having the vision, intelligence, and temperament to put himself forward as a candidate, assemble a great team to run a great campaign, and inspire the majority of americans to vote for him. i mean, this man has l-o-n-g vision. he walks the hero's journey.

proud to have a president-elect who uses the english language so eloquently.

proud to have a president-elect who can go to second position (put himself in others' shoes) so well.

proud of obama's team--david axelrod (chief strategist) and david plouffe (campaign manager) especially--for their consistent message of change, their constant focus on what matters most now, their ability to get america comfortable with the ideas of a black family in the white house and of barack obama being the man we need to lead us forward.

proud that obama's campaign was about as clean as you can get on the national political stage while in no way being wimpy.

proud of obama's fortitude. it's been two years and a lot of tough battles and demanding schedules.

proud of john mccain's incredibly gracious concession speech and urging his supporters not just to accept obama as president but to support him.

i'm glad the election is over and happy with its outcome. the real work begins now.