yes we did

I'll join the chorus of blogs writing about the only real thing to write about today.

I first took serious notice of Barack Obama the night that he lost the New Hampshire primary against Clinton. This was the first of his "Yes We Can" speeches. Like most people north of the border who never had the privelege of hearing his 2004 DNC keynote address, I was astonished at this man's eloquence and confidence. The way he spoke moved me. It wasn't so much the content of his speech, although there was much to like about it, but the tone and cadence with which he spoke. The man can speechify.

Thereafter I followed him closely. In March of 2008, the Jeremiah Wright saga blew up and threatened to torpedo Obama's chances for the nomination. Unlike other politicians, Obama didn't flinch; he didn't deflect the criticism or gloss over it with personal attacks on Clinton. What he did was gather people together, and had a serious discussion about race in America. As an American friend of mine said at the time, "he's treating us like adults". He turned a potential crisis into a political victory by confronting it head-on.

The resulting speech, A More Perfect Union, is the greatest political oratory I have personally witnessed in my young life. It is a re-hash of his stump speech, but it is also much more; it is a conversation with a nation about the elephant in the room - race. And, like my friend noted, it was done as if the people he was speaking to could be mature enough to handle it.

Now he is President-Elect. I look at the overjoyed reactions across America and the world last night and wonder if there isn't a bit too much expectation of the man. For sure, he is an inspirational figure, a once-in-a-generation politician. But he will only be the President, and as powerful as that position is it is not a cure for all ills that face America and the world.

But that isn't the point right now. Obama has given many people an interest in politics, a reason to engage with their own society, who thus far ignored it completely. He has been the catalyst for involvement by the people. This is the most important thing. Because the way to solve economic problems, the way for America to solve its economic and social inequalities, is not necessarily through Obama, but through the involvement and dedication of the people themselves. We will see what the next four years will bring, but it is not a stretch to say that there is hope in America that hasn't existed in decades.