America Chooses Hope

Every nation has a national character. I believe it comes from the various bonds that hold people together in shared governance. And from it comes the various stereotypes - stiff upper lip Brits, cynical pessimism of Russians, etc. Americans have an innate sense of hope, of optimism, a belief that things will get better. Oh, we succumb to moments of fear and despair, but the overriding national character trait is hope and optimism. It's why we're such suckers for get rich quick schemes. But as usual, I digress. Anyway, here's a couple of responses to Tuesday's historic election that reflect what I'm saying.

Nicholas Kristof:

"America is more than a place. At its best, it also is an idea.

When my father was driven from his home in Eastern Europe in World War II, he initially settled in France. But France offered no opportunity to impoverished refugees, so my father sought better prospects for himself and his descendents by moving on to an Oregon logging camp to begin to learn English and start a new life. What lured him was not the real estate of America, but the idea of America."

Roger Cohen:

"Four years ago, at the Democratic convention, in the speech that lifted him from obscurity, Obama said: “For alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga: a belief that we are connected as one people.”

I voted in Brooklyn. There was a two-hour line. I got to talking to the woman behind me. I told her that as a naturalized American I was voting for the first time. When I emerged from the voting booth the woman said: “Congratulations.:

That single word said a lot about citizenship as an idea and a responsibility, rather than a thing of blood or ethnicity or race."

That last sentence speaks volumes about our distinct national character. And our greatest danger. Politically we spent the last 4 decades seeking unity in various forms of tribalism. But what has set us apart for more than 2 centuries is a unity formed not in racial, ethnic, religious identity, but in our shared living out of an idea. We've failed to live up to it in many ways, failed to grasp its implications, but it is what unites us, and it's back!

Oh, and in case you figure this is a paean to our new president - no, I wasn't an Obama supporter. (Nor Sen. McCain). This an ode to the real American dream.