...so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Barack could run. Barack ran so our children can fly.
I have no crystal ball, but I feel strongly that we are about to witness an historic evening -- an evening that, even here in the United States of Amnesia, will remain an indelible memory for all of us for the rest of our lives.
Many Democrats I know will be satisfied with nothing less than a sweeping rebuke of the 28 years of conservative ascendancy. They want, and expect, not only a 10-point Obama win, but also 60 seats in the new Senate. Neither is likley to happen.
At the same time, most Republicans would be ecstatic with even the narrowest margin in a McCain win.
Either way, tomorrow, we will be left with a collapsed global economy; an increasingly dangerous Middle East; genocide, starvation, pandemic and poverty in Africa; and a raging case of self-doubt here at home. However ambitious they are, either candidate ought be humbled by the circumstances under which he will come to power.
I'm interested in the thoughts of others, but I will share my own expectations here. I believe Senator Obama will win tonight, with 327 electoral votes.When Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio are declared realtively early for the Democrats, the outcome will be clear. Call me a Democratic optimist if you will, but I see several of the key "tossups" going Senator Obama's way: Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and, even, New Mexico. Sadly, I don't see North Carolina turning either Duke- or Carolina-blue, even after what appears to be a record-level voter turnout. It has rained all day here from Murphy to Manteo and the most passionate voters have already been to the polls. Finally, the McCain-Palin campaign worked hard here in the past 3 weeks and, by all accounts, made great progress among the remaining undecided voters. In a state where the incumbent Republican Senator recently resorted to calling her challenger "godless" in pervasive broadcast, mail and robocall advertising, old, bad habits die hard.
Whatever the outcome, I already find myself saddened by the conduct of the campaign. Senator McCain will lose because Senator Obama is a terrific candidate with a sound platform and because the economy could hardly be in worse shape. He will also lose because he ran as a hard-right candidate instead of the moderate senator he has been for 26 years. Pandering to the right and incessantly mis-characterizing the policies, motives and personal history of his opponent was -- in my view -- wrong-headed, divisive and entirely unneccesary. At this crucial time in our history, wouldn't it have been wonderful to have had an honest, civil discourse between two candidates with fundamentally different views of how to lead the country? Didn't we need, didn't we deserve, an intense dialogue about energy policy; access to education, health care and housing; international relations; financial policy? And, wasn't a 2-year campaign enough time to facilitate that kind of national debate?
It's time to put away ignorant hatred. It's time to stop listening to the maniac fringe on both sides of society. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have all the answers, but about 550 wise men and women in Washington, DC (and thousands more in State Houses all across the country) will have the opportunity, now, to move to the center and find real solutions to real problems in the next 2 years. Let's hope they are as awe-struck by the wreakage of the last 25-30 years as the rest of us are and they understand that the time for self-dealing and short-sightedness is gone.
Tonight, I believe we will elect a transformative new president, a man who can inspire a world made cynical by a generation of mediocre -- and, often, fatally flawed -- leadership. Tonight, we will likely elect a black man named Barack Hussein Obama and the long walk of Dr. King will have reached the end of a 40-year journey. Just as Rosa sat for all of us to be free, Martin walked for all of us to be free and Barack ran, and won, for all of us to be free. And, because of them, and thousands of other moral leaders public and private, our children -- all our children -- will be freed to fly.
Let me be the first to say it: Congratulations, America. We have, finally, been inspired by our better angels... and we have earned the leadership we deserve, and so desperately need.