Election 2008 - Note From Howard A. Tullman

If all of life is theatre, we saw the best show on Broadway last night. No matter how you voted, I hope you can stand back today and see and even marvel at the amazing thing that has happened. An African-American was elected as the next President of the United States. We have said to the world that anything is possible in America. Mr. Obama's victory makes it even more likely that it could be a woman, or a Jew or a Muslim, or a gay American. As long as it's the most capable human being for the time, why not? Given the rich fabric of our nation's melting pot, if we can't call on the brightest and the best, we're not leveraging our unique greatness. When I was born, it was radical to consider the election of a Roman Catholic. My grandmother talked about colored people. When I was in high school, women didn't have executive positions at big corporations. My daughters simply can't imagine the world was this way. Bias hasn't ended in America, but it's on the retreat. No matter what your views are of Jesse Jackson, he was on the porch with Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was shot and his tears last night moved us all. As Donna Brazile, as tough a lady as there is in politics, broke while talking about Mr. Obama giving his inaugural address from the Capitol steps that slaves built, my mouth hung open. If you have any doubts about what a good and decent man John McCain is, and if you want to know how to handle defeat graciously, please listen to his concession speech. And Mr. Obama's acceptance speech made me proud to be an American, even though he wasn't my original choice for President. We haven't had such an orator since President Reagan and before that President Kennedy, and I think a little oratory is good for the soul. Today, excited by a sense of optimism and newness, I hope we can work across the aisles to solve our country's and planet's troubling issues. Acute partisanship has led us to the brink of disaster. Our absence from the world stage has left a vacuum. The world needs America front and center. Today I will pray for Mr. Obama, for wisdom, for courage, for strength, for stamina, and for his safety. Please join me.