As I sit in front of my computer, I am compelled to acknowledge the historic moment that will befall America on Election Day. For the first time in American history, a person that is a minority will be elected by the majority to represent us to the rest of the world.
I think we tend to forget what the President means to us as Americans and to the rest of the world. Our President represents a moral compass, the keeper of the lighthouse that contains the beacon of hope, the hope of every oppressed and suppressed people and the image of the only country in the world that was built upon the pillars of equality and justice for all.
America's greatest fault has been it's idealism. Americans believe in eventual triumph and goodness. Sometimes that leads us astray and away from reality, but our intentions, at least the intentions of the majority, should never be questioned. Americans stand for what is good and decent in the world.
We have made plenty of mistakes. Slavery. Native American massacres. War on behalf of our corporations. Not acting in Rwanda and Darfur. To just name a small select few.
But we have also had many triumphs. World War II. The American Revolution. Worker Rights. Civil Rights. Women's rights. Democracy. The American Dream. Etc.
And we have always moved on, changed identities, but kept that fundamental characteristic that makes us chant U.S.A. and salute the flag during the National Anthem with such pride...an overwhelming ability to believe in ourselves and our inner goodness even in the face of utter despair.
Once in a while someone takes advantage of us and uses American power to fulfill their own selfish goals. They use capitalism and democracy, fear and divisiveness, to further their own agenda, but they are always eventually exposed as such.
We, as Americans, eventually see right through them and expose them as the corrupt, selfish individuals that we all despise. We admire the spirit and hard work it takes to make it to the top on your own, from rags to riches, but we don't admire someone who takes advantage of our goodness and the various systems that we have put in place to protect and help our fellow citizens, whether they are on the top or on the bottom.
However, on Election Day, we turn the page.
We elect a leader who will inspire us to be greater tomorrow than we ever were today.
We elect a man whose very face is a symbol of the American Dream.
We elect a man whose very story could only happen here...right here...in the heart of America.
What a great image to send to the rest of the world. The world is ready for us to lead again. And we are ready to be lead, not as blind followers, but as peers in a movement for change.
What are we going to change? Well, for starters, how the world views us. Then how the world views each other. On Election Day we will change the priorities of our elected representatives. They need to focus on us, our neighbors, our grandparents, our children and not themselves. We need to change Washington and bring them in line with the majority of Americans who believe in achieving greatness while promoting goodness.
However, we realize that we must come together as one people to put America back on track.
We must come together to say, no more.
We realize that we've been taken advantage of by those who seek to profit off loose banking laws and criminal mortgage deals.
No more.
We see through those who want to keep the majority of Americans sick and unhealthy so that they can sell more drugs and make more money.
No more.
We expose those businesses who ship jobs overseas and leave the American worker high and dry, not out of disloyalty to America or to help decrease poverty abroad, but for simple profit margins.
No more.
We see through those that would ignore the peril of over-stretching our military and decreasing the effectiveness of our diplomacy.
We see through those that would devalue education and make college affordable for only the well off.
We see through those that would try to keep America engaged in war in order to make a profit.
No more.
You are transparent to us now.
Today we turn the page.
We will come together.
Democrats and Republicans. Men and Women. Workers, business owners, executives and union members.
As Americans.
Let the next chapter be written.