Cautiously Proud

I've been squarely opposed to the Democratic ticket since the primaries. The reason has been ideology.  Even though I truly believe the two party system has been a detriment, and I have been continually opposed to much of what the Republican Party has represented in the last eight years, I believed that a united Democratic government - Congress and the White House - would imperil this nation with a move to the left and a shift away from what I believe in.

I am still weary of what is to come.  But watching Obama get elected tonight has actually left me somewhat content. ABC, during their coverage, showed a Kenyan village watching the election on whatever electronics they could pull together. I have to admit that it struck me.  I saw a glimpse of Morehouse College in Atlanta, my home town, overflowing with cheering crowds, and it moved me. The fact that a black man - a member of a group that has been trampled under the heels of society for the last 500 years - can ascend to the most powerful post in humanity makes me proud of my country.

Although my beliefs in government are counter to Mr. Obama's, I'm still somewhat pleased tonight.

The Republicans need to give up on this culture war nonsense and get back to what makes their party viable: the ideas of freedom.

The American people want hope ... more government is not the answer to this desire. But tonight, the reverberance of our democracy selecting Obama has sent a message to the rest of the world that America is still the vestibule of that notion ... hope.