I Have a New President

While I did not vote for Barack Obama, the results of yesterday's presidential election still please me greatly. I'm not sure whether it was hearing Charlie Gibson's voice choke as he announced the win on behalf of ABC or if, more likely, it was seeing the various members of the black community respond with sheer unadulterated joy.

I have long treasured the roles several African American's have played in my life. From my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Johnson, who was the most grace-filled, dignified, and loving teacher I'd ever (and have ever) had to my friend Deborah Johnson, who is still this curious mix of petite energy and serenity who handles the English language with a tongue that curls delightfully around every word and a voice that purrs down one's spine, these are two women who represent the profound blessings my African American friends have brought to my world and they are joined by countless others.

I wanted a better first African American President for them and in that category I put men like Michael Steele and Colin Powell. But I also understand and take extraordinary pride in an American democracy that allows us to move a groundswell of voices and changing ideas. This is *my* America and I love it with every fiber of my being.

I wish I could say that I viewed all of last night's events with the same warmth and peace as I view the election of President-Elect Barack Obama. But I don't.

While John McCain's concession speech, which included the statement "He was my opponent, now he is my President" showed the commitment to the ideals of this country that made me support him, and while Barack Obama's acceptance speech demonstrated that he is a man of quiet and respectful dignity who did not delight in his opponent's defeat, the same cannot be said of many of the other Democrats who won major elections last night.

In North Carolina Elizabeth Dole, a woman I have respected for decades, gave a concession speech to Kay Hagan that demonstrated the strength, grace, and love I expect from a woman who has the deepest commitment to our democratic principles. She offered her unwavering support and prayers to the state's incoming senator. A Southern woman does not offer prayers mockingly. Prayer is the most powerful gift they have to give and it is never given out of anything but love.

When Kay Hagan offered her acceptance speech she began with a rooster's crow of joy over defeating Elizabeth Dole which did not end with a "we won" but went on for nearly a minute of nothing more than "ha, ha, we took it from her." I was horrified. Who was this woman who believed in such unsporting behavior?

Democrat after democrat failed to recognize the worthiness of his or her opponent. When Mark Warner, a man I had previously respected, joined in the same sort of "hail hail the gang's all here" without a single gracious word to or about his opponent, I could do no more than sit there in disbelief.

Many of President-Elect Obama's supporters have hailed him as being a man of grace and good manners, a man who will close the gap of partisan-ship that has resulted in a country which includes many women in my demographic (one of the few demographics not to have given the majority to Obama) that went to the polls yesterday feeling as if they were between a rock and a hard place. I'd argued that he was a man likely to be under the control of the Senate and the House, given the nature of the democrats superdelegate process. Now I am praying to God that Obama's supporters are right. Because at this point in time I think we have an even bigger problem brewing, one that makes the term "ugly American" even more appropriate.

Today I will be watching to see if "both sides of the aisle" treat last night's historic election with the grace and dignity it deserves - and it deserves much. And I am encouraging President-Elect Barack Obama, along with Senator's Hillary Clinton and John McCain, to take the lead as examples of American graciousness, dignity, hard work, and collaboration.

Oh, and let's keep an eye on some of these women we're electing - because when it comes time for 52% of the population to actually be represented by a President, we don't want it to be someone like Kay Hagan.