The night of Nov. 4, 2008, at 11 p.m. It's safe to assume that every single person reading this blog, or involved in Barack Obama's positive movement for change, will remember that single moment for the rest of their lives.
Everywhere, when Barack went above the magic number of 270 electoral votes, millions of believers, in America and all over the world, screamed in joy, climbed over each other to hug and kiss each other, and share smiles and so many tears.
In this amazing moment, America has redeemed itself - not just for the leadership sins of the last eight years, but for an entire history of separating people for all the wrong and inhuman reasons. Those divisions are melting away, hopefully forever.
This Election Day was one inspiring moment after another. It started in the morning, when 1,000 students at Penn State gathered to stand in line when the polls opened at 7 a.m. So much for the notion that the youth vote woud not turn out - they did, big, and went 2-to-1 for Barack.
Then it continued through the day, with lines stretched out for hours in every single state in our great land. Sure, there were some machine problems in some spots, but for the most part people stayed in the lines, had unique fellowship, and shared in the amazing exercise of our democracy, one that never fails to inspire no matter who is running for president.
Here in Syracuse, we gave voters rides to the polls, went out in visibility displays all over Central New York, and did even more work on phone banks, all the way to the end. It helped to elect local Democrats - and most importantly, sent Dan Maffei to Congress. Congratulations to him.
Then the night, which started with immense nerves on all our parts - admit it, you felt them too. But once we saw that Indiana, of all places, could be close, then things began to brighten. And when Pennsylvania was called early - my, that was sweet.
By far, the night's crucial moment came when Ohio came to our way before 10 p.m. This was where John Kerry had been denied four years earlier - some thought with funny business. Winning that assured that it was just a matter of time.
So the next hour was spent building up the suspense, as we all knew that the West Coast primaries closed at 11 p.m. Getting Virginia just seconds before that decisive hour was particularly nice, a sign that the South was changing.
Then.....well, it's impossible to put into adequate words the happiness that cascaded down upon us. People of all backgrounds, all economic standings, all races and religions shared pure ecstasy.
When we look back on the moments of history that stick out, those where we know exactly where we were when they took place, it usually involved something sad and tragic, from Pearl Harbor to John F. Kennedy's murder to 9/11.
But this was the exact opposite. By the power of a movement as unlikely as any ever seen in the United States, Barack Obama has risen to the highest office in our land, with Joe Biden as a worthy and wonderful vice president.
What heartens us so much on this night is seeing the reaction in so many cities across this country, and in so many other nations, too. For in reality, it wasn't just Barack that won this election. It was all of us, as people and as citizens, for we reclaimed our country.
John McCain was superb and gracious in the concession speech he gave. Above all, he is a patriot who has bravely served our country, and the better angels of his nature were not served by the campaign his party chose to run, or the running mate he chose in Sarah Palin. But he could not have been a better man on this night.
Meanwhile, the scene in Chicago's Grant Park - literally hundreds of thousands gathered in celebration - will linger in our collective memories forever. And the speech Barack gave was simply magnificent, the voice of our next president telling us that the extraordinary work done here must continue in the months and years ahead.
Plenty of work will need to be done. But now, it's just time to rest a bit, relax a bit, and savor one of the defining moments of American history, one that we helped to bring about through our hard work and total dedication to Barack Obama - and the promise of a new America, and a better world.
WE DID IT!!!
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