It is a glorious new day in America and everything seems possible once again. The long nightmare of the Bush administration is almost over. The window of democracy that had been slammed down and sealed shut has now been pried open and fresh winds are reviving those of us who have been so deeply downcast.
I realize that President Obama cannot save us nor even restore the glory of democracy and honor to our nation. We ourselves have to do that. We ourselves have to be the solid backbone that assists President Obama into fulfilling his rhetoric. But the rhetoric is important. His visionary words of reconciliation and hope can inspire the public imagination to dream new dreams and to believe again in better days ahead. His election alone has put a much needed spring back into the national footstep. Obama's rhetoric empowers us to once again reassert ourselves as political actors and responsible citizens. If for no other reason than this, we owe Barack Obama a debt of gratitude.
But to govern is different than to campaign. Indeed it is easy to preach but harder to practice one's preaching. He will need help to defend against those rogues and bullies that do not love us and who could care less whether or not democracy lives or dies. President Obama will need help if he is to overcome the temptation towards politics-as-usual. He will need our help to become a great man of history. He will need the courage of our own example.
I am hopeful that President Obama and a Democratic Congress will reestablish the rule of law, temper military expansion, discipline our intelligence agencies, care for the earth, and, yes, redistribute the wealth from the investor class to the working class. I am hopeful that labor will once again be thought of as primary, with capital taking its seat as secondary. I am hopeful that a new spirit of commonwealth can take root in our national politics.
But hope requires more than wishful thinking. Hope requires the persistence of actions