Change we can believe in

Last night was one of the most inspiring political moments of our lives.

We watched election results come in at the Utah County Democrats party. It was inspiring just to see that there are enough Democrats to fill a room (and these were just the families of local candidates).

And here are most of the Democratic candidates running in Utah County. If you don't live in Utah County, you may not grasp the significance of this photo. Know this: each of these people represents a seat that has more than likely been filled by an uncontested Republican for many, many years.

Why uncontested? Because Utah County folks would elect a straw hat if it was listed as a Republican. These are straight-ticket voters for the most part. So it took a lot of courage, dedication, and a developed spirit of self-sacrifice for these highly qualified candidates to take a year out of their lives to fight in what they knew would be an uphill battle against one of the most incompetant and corrupt state legislatures in the country.

And though none of them ended up winning, their fight was not in vain. Most of them received between 30 and 49 percent of the vote, which is saying a lot for a county where only 19 percent of voters voted for Obama (compared to 40 percent statewide). They showed that the values they promote are in fact in line with a large number of Utah County residents. They made Republicans squirm, campaign--many for the first time in their careers!--and hopefully examine some of their practices. And now that these first-time candidates have experience, their chances for success in the future are only better.

We couldn't be more proud of our aunt Deon Turley--a smart, energetic, humble, practical, good person--who has worked so hard this past year. A Mormon mother of seven, she decided to run as a Democrat this year to the shock of her mostly Republican family (though they were very supportive) and community. And she did a great job.

We were able to be a small part of her campaign up until Zoë came (right up until--I was at a campaign meeting the night before I went into labor), and it was a pleasure to see someone decide to act--decide to hope--against all odds. Whatever the outcome of such actions, Deon represents to us the "yes we can" spirit President-elect Obama so eloquently articulated last night.

Speaking of Obama, even though the polls predicted his victory, we couldn't quite believe our eyes as the numbers rolled in. We've been so used to disappointment on these nights that we were in a happy state of shock from the time Obama was pronounced elected. President Obama. I keep repeating it to myself. Thankfully, Zoë will never know a world where it is considered unrealistic or extrordinary to vote in a black president. Change is not a silly false hope. It happened last night. President-elect Obama, in his aceptance speech, talked about the many changes that a certain 106-year-old voter has seen in her lifetime:

"She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons--because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America--the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed, 'Yes we can.'

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that 'We Shall Overcome.' Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change."

And there was another change last night. A change of tune for a man that we had a lot of respect for a few short years ago. A man that has taken strong moral stands against torture. A man that stood up for the environment. A man that defied party lines for decades before getting serious about getting his party's nomination for president. A man that in recent times has decended to accepting the endorsment of an adminsistration that once sought to disgrace his military service and smear the interracial nature of his family. Of course, I'm speaking of John McCain. He seemed to us to be closer to his old self last night. His gracious concession speech was one of non-partisan cooperation and healing:

"Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth. Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. [...] I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that. [...] Tonight, more than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or Senator Obama.

I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.

Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America."

After McCain's speech the Utah County Democrats applauded his humble concession and a young man next to Josh turned to a friend and said, "He really is an honorable man." It is unfortunate that the overly-partisan in Utah County have characterized this election as a choice between "the lesser of two evils." We saw (and felt) last night the greatness of both candidates for the highest office in the land. We believe in the promise of an America that can become, once again, a country that we can be proud to be a part of. A country we can look forward to raising our daughter in.

And so it is that we woke up on November 5--appropriately to a fresh white dusting of first snow--filled with:

Hope for our family, hope for our community, hope for our nation, hope for our world.