change and hope

We were beside ourselves: Obama won. And North Carolina was too close to call for so long... to turn blue in the end by a margin of 14,000 votes. (My own county was 60-something% McCain, 30-something% Obama, though.)

I hadn't dared to hope. For the first time, a candidate I was FOR - and not just the better of two - had won the presidency. I had remained mum at school during the last few months, but Tuesday, I self-consciously wore his sticker to school. What would I say to students that asked why (for they were going to)? I like that he thinks of the bigger picture and root causes of issues. I like that he believes strongly in social justice and government as a vehicle to bring that about. I like that he was a community organizer. I think he'll surround himself with good, knowledgeable, experienced people. I like that he ran a positive campaign.

I know you can't place all your hopes on one man. We need to keep pressing our issues. Obama's energy policy could use some pressure. I like that he recognizes energy independence as an investment for the future, so no matter the budget woes, we can't budge on it. But there's no such thing as "clean coal" and all the offshore drilling won't satiate our appetite for energy. I'd like him to place alternative energy (particularly solar) as the first and most intensive investment.