Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Tonight is your answer

It's hard to concentrate on literary things while history is being made. It felt like watching the end of a war seeing all those people, all those weeping, laughing people in Chicago's Grant Park today. Here's an eloquent article on Salon.com about Obama's win calling it a political and generational transformation, and pointing out that 'Tuesday was the night that the 1960s - the divisive decade that defined American politics for 40 years - finally died.'

McCain in his gracious concession speech referred to the same thing: how far the US had come from those times but how they could still cause hurt, and - I think I understood him correctly - that America electing Obama was a way of assuaging that hurt.

And here's the whole of Obama's presidential victory speech - I recommend watching it if you missed it. His story of 106 year old Anne Nixon Cooper is close to genius. It was one of those incredible moments seeing him speak today (live on CNN) - knowing the words would echo down the corridors of years, and I would always remember sitting in my living room with my daughter and her friend watching Barack Obama deliver them.



Later: Sorry, here's Part 2 of the speech. The 106 year old's story is about 5 minutes in.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, Mary, it will become one of those defining moments for a lot of people - where they were, who they were with. I was alone in front of CNN awash with hopeful emotion listening to his measured and thoughtful victory speech. It was a bit like a Hollywood movie with his gorgeous family on stage all decked out in red and black.
It sure does revive the American Dream, and showcase Democracy at its best... let's hope the best is still to come.

Andrea Eames said...

So, so exciting.

Anonymous said...

I missed it all! by the way, you only have 9mins of the Speech of Obama's, left me wanting the rest!

Mary McCallum said...

Thanks Maggie and Cat for your comments. Srangely the whole world seemed compressed into that moment yesterday - everyone claiming him as an inspiration ... Interesting, Maggie, what you say about 'hopeful emotion' -- one black writer wrote that she thought she'd be really excited but instead she found herself sitting in stillness thinking and amazed.

Mary McCallum said...

GG, I have rectified it! You were right. Part 2 is added on now - there might be a bit of overlap but you should get the whole speech now. ~

The Paradoxical Cat said...

I watched it live, and I wept.

Wonderful.

P x